Marnie Wilson is currently the Data Strategy Officer with the Louis Riel School Division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology from the University of Winnipeg, a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) from Brandon University, and a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Applied Social Psychology from the University of Guelph. Her experience as a sessional lecturer at Brandon University led her to pursue a teaching degree, and she went on to teach middle years “core” subjects – mathematics, English, French, social studies, and sciences, for several years in the Louis Riel School Division. Missing teaching adults, she continued to provide instruction as a sessional lecturer in assessment and evaluation, as well as psychology courses at Brandon University for two years. Over the past 14 years, Marnie has served as a Research Assessment and Evaluation Services Specialist, Data Literacy Coordinator, and, in her current role, Data Strategy Officer.

Ms. Wilson’s work focuses on turning data into actionable insights for educators. Her goals include improving assessment practices, enhancing data literacy among teachers and school leaders, and creating accessible, visually appealing data reports to facilitate quick analysis and decision-making. Marnie describes her role in using the Vretta platform for Early Math Assessment (EMA), where she provides data to the system and develops Power BI reports to visualize student performance. She explains that while Vretta handles raw scoring, she focuses on packaging the data into interactive reports that help teachers and administrators (school leaders) identify students at risk and track their learning progress. Although she has limited direct engagement with teachers, she primarily supports school leaders with data interpretation and training, and occasionally conducts professional development sessions for staff. She also notes that Manitoba has recently mandated early literacy screening, but does not have a standardized provincial assessment program beyond formative assessments at specific grade levels and Grade 12 examinations.

Marnie discusses the value and limitations of classroom-based formative assessments and standardized tests, emphasizing the need for timely data for instructional decisions. She highlights the benefits of digital assessments, such as improved efficiency and consistency, while noting that large-scale student assessments should complement, not replace, classroom-based feedback. Marnie also shares her work on developing an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to assist teachers in generating personalized report card comments and expresses interest in exploring AI’s potential roles in assessment, including item development and scoring of student responses. Marnie Wilson believes that AI in the workplace may present a productivity paradox. While it offers significant potential to enhance efficiency and productivity, over-reliance on it can introduce risks of skill erosion and lead to low-quality work.

Reflecting on her career to date, Marnie derives satisfaction from collaborating with her colleagues to help teachers improve their assessment practices, support data literacy, and demonstrate how data can be used to make informed instructional decisions. She also focuses on creating interactive dashboards that help educators track student learning growth over time. Rather than emphasizing group performance comparisons (e.g., this year’s class versus last year’s class), Marnie places greater value on tracking cohort and individual student progress and understanding how groups and individuals develop in their learning over time.

Away from the office, Marnie enjoys being a mom, supporting her children with their youthful pursuits, and spending time on other family-oriented activities.