Karen Barton leads the Solutions and Innovations team at NWEA. She has held a lifelong passion for ensuring assessments and learning environments serve all learners fairly and equitably. Karen started her career as a special education teacher and has worked as a research scientist, psychometrician, and assessment designer. She received her BS in psychology and MS in special education from Longwood University in Virginia, and she holds a PhD in educational research in measurement from the University of South Carolina.