Joanne Rinella is the Director of Assessment and Reporting with Ontario’s Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) in Child Studies from the University of Guelph and a Bachelor of Education from Western University. Joanne began her career as an elementary school teacher in Ontario’s Peel District School Board. As an educator, she highlights her experience working on various EQAO committees, including item development, item review, and validation studies, as well as serving as an assessment scorer. The continuous learning and growth opportunities within large-scale assessment drew her to apply for a position at the EQAO. Her 20-year career at the agency includes serving as an education officer and then program manager, before eventually being appointed Director of Assessment and Reporting. Joanne emphasizes that over the years, she has been fortunate to have had the opportunity to deepen her knowledge of assessment through interactions with prominent leaders in the field and to collaborate with knowledgeable educators with deep subject-matter expertise and a variety of perspectives from across the province.

Joanne highlights the agency’s priorities for modernizing assessments, focusing on improving student outcomes, exploring artificial intelligence (AI) applications, and providing personalized feedback to students, school systems, and stakeholders. She expresses pride in creating online assessments during the pandemic, highlighting their efficiency, responsiveness, and accessibility features. She also notes the value of online assessments in providing immediate feedback, capturing process data, and reducing environmental impact, while acknowledging challenges, such as some students completing the assessments too quickly.

Joanne describes how the move to online assessment and the relationship with Vretta began through collaboration on the development of a teacher math proficiency test project, which then led to expanded work on K-12 assessments following a procurement process. She notes that Vretta’s responsiveness and expertise in e-assessment delivery have been positive aspects of their partnership. Other benefits of the platform include providing real-time data for educators to monitor student progress and identify trends, customized learning experiences with built-in accessibility tools, and comprehensive reporting that provides deep insights into students’ strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, the ability to administer assessments through an online system enhances efficiency and flexibility for both schools and students. Joanne highlights how data derived from the digital platform supports EQAO’s research agenda, which includes generating information that supports test improvement and discovering ways to provide enhanced feedback on student learning progress. She notes the potential for incorporating AI in scoring and providing personalized feedback to students, discussing the agency’s ongoing research and pilot testing of AI applications. Additionally, she highlights the importance of formative assessment components, while acknowledging that the agency continues to explore progress monitoring and reimagine summative assessments.

Away from work, Joanne’s personal interests include reading, cycling, and managing renovations and ongoing tasks on her Prince Edward County (Ontario) property, including interior furnishing and landscaping.