Matthew Gaertner

Matthew Gaertner formerly served as director of research for the Standards, Assessment, and Accountability Services (SAAS) program at WestEd. Dr. Gaertner provided overall leadership for assessment research and development efforts across the agency, managing a team of researchers focused on advanced topics in measurement, including innovative assessments of career and college readiness. He was a previously a principal research scientist with SRI International and a research scientist with American Institutes for Research (AIR). He was also a research assistant at Urban Institute and a senior research scientist with Pearson. His research focused on college and career readiness, and the effects of educational policies on access, persistence, achievement, and labor market outcomes for disadvantaged learners. A psychometrician by training, his methodological expertise included Item Response Theory, multilevel models and categorical data analysis. Dr. Gaertner earned a PhD in research and evaluation methodology from the University of Colorado at Boulder along with a dual BA in psychology and English from Georgetown University.

updated 2024