Howard Herl, Director
Howard Herl combines his love of working with teachers and principals with his passion for tough statistical challenges. His track record is evidence of his success bridging the worlds of theory and practice.
As a senior researcher at the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing at UCLA (CRESST), Herl managed data collection and analysis for Hawaii’s statewide testing program, and analyzed more than 1.5 million student records. This inside knowledge of complex systems makes Herl an invaluable ally for districts that are having a hard time making sense of assessment data or are unsure how to use it to their best advantage.
Herl appreciated the intellectual creativity and academic rigor of CRESST, but he feels his years at the Los Angeles County Office of Education broadened his outlook. “Working with people who brought practical experience from the classroom and the principal’s office gave me a whole new perspective,” he says. He became equally skilled in creating tools to help administrators explain assessment data to their boards and staffs.
At the county office, Herl provided services to 81 school districts, including support for selected schools in the Immediate Intervention for Underperforming Schools Program, the High Priority Schools Grant, and CALWorks programs.
Herl became known for his eye-catching presentations. Knowing that assessment data can be overwhelming and difficult to interpret, Herl created visually exciting, easy-to-use packets that make people curious about different ways of interpreting complex information. One southern California assessment director covered the meeting room walls with Herl’s colorful, well-designed materials and was thrilled that the principals and teachers “had a wonderful experience interacting with the data.”
In 2006, Herl formed his own company, Evalumetrics, Inc., which provides technical expertise to school districts on federal and state accountability measures. While at CRESST, Herl spoke at statewide and national conferences of the American Educational Research Association on various aspects of performance assessment and psychometrics. He collaborated closely with CRESST director Eva Baker, and, though he has been away from CRESST for a decade, his work is still cited by Dr. Baker today.
