Matthew S.

Swain
CONTACT
Email:
Cell:
Web:

swainms@jmu.edu
(207) 922-8153
http://matthewswain.weebly.com/

Mail:
11 Red Sunset Lane Apt. 101
Staunton, VA 24401

EDUCATION
Ph.D., Assessment and Measurement

May 2015

James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Dissertation: The effects of a planned missingness design on examinee motivation and psychometric quality
Relevant Coursework:
Research Methods
Item Response Theory
Exploratory Factor Analysis
Categorical Data Analysis

Hierarchical Linear Modeling

Assessment Consultation
Assessment Policy
Missing Data

Introduction to R
Performance Assessment
Classical Test Theory & G-Theory
Longitudinal Data Analysis

M.A., Psychological Sciences (Quantitative Psychology)

May 2012

James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Thesis: Perceived responsibility for learning in college students: A construct validity study
Relevant Coursework:
Inferential Statistics
Data Management
Multivariate Statistics

Measurement Theory
Structural Equation Modeling
Assessment Methods & Instrument Design

B.S., Psychology

May 2010

Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA

Counseling and Clinical Research Concentration
Thesis: The development of Student Care Office assessment procedures
Graduated Summa cum Laude

RELEVENT WORK EXPERIENCE

Center for Assessment and Research Studies

Doctoral Assistant

May 2012 Present

Served as an assessment consultant to various academic and student affairs professionals during the 2012
2013, 2013 2014, and 2014 2015 academic years. This entailed giving workshops on assessment practice
(e.g., reliability and validity, implementation fidelity) and holding meetings to evaluate the progress of each
project. Primary responsibilities included planning and implementing two university-wide assessment days a
year to collect General Education and student affairs assessment data. In addition to this work, I met with
faculty and staff to develop and improve their academic and student affairs assessment work.
Educational Testing Service (ETS)

Research and Development Summer Intern

June 2014 July 2014

Worked under the supervision of Dr. Cathy Wendler and Dr. Elizabeth Stone to summarize item development
research for a non-technical audience. The research concerned the tests created by a large Common Core
State Standards Initiative consortium. My primary responsibilities were to read the relevant literature, create
brief summaries of the main findings, and create a glossary of terms with approachable definitions.
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Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO)

Educational Measurement Summer Intern

June 2013 August 2013

Worked in the Validity Investigations in Education and the Workplace (VIEW) program under the supervision
of Dr. Art Thacker. Two primary projects were completed during the summer. The first was a scaling/equating
project for a states grade 3 through 6 elementary math exams. Primary responsibilities included cleaning
data, calibrating items, equating and scaling items, creating a scoring table, and writing the technical report.
The second project involved investigating whether computer disruptions during end-of-year assessment tests
of middle and high school students affected scores. Student scores in two states were investigated
separately. My primary responsibilities on this project were data cleaning, propensity score matching,
building regression models, and writing the technical reports for both states.
Orientation Office

Graduate Assistant

August 2010 May 2012

Served as the assessment consultant for the Orientation Office by analyzing data and reporting findings to
better improve student acclimation to JMU. This included consultation with seasoned and novice student
affairs professionals in developing new program objectives, programming to meet those objectives, selection
or development of appropriate measures, and the collection, analysis, reporting and presentation of results to
Orientation staff and university officials. Additionally, program implementation fidelity data were collected to
bolster interpretations of results about program effectiveness.
Office of Student Affairs/Student Care Office

Assessment Intern

May 2009 May 2010

Assisted administration in analyzing clinical, psychometric data of students to generate reports concerning
prevalence of presenting issues and efficacy of the counseling service at Liberty University. These reports
were submitted to the director of the department.

PUBLICATIONS
Finney, S. J., Sundre, D. L., Swain, M. S., & Williams, L. M. (in press). The validity of value-added estimates
from low-stakes testing contexts: The impact of change in test-taking motivation and test
consequences. Educational Assessment.
Nagel, R. L., Pappas, E. C., Swain, M. S., & Hazard, G. A. (2015). Understanding students values toward
individual behaviors when in an engineering group. International Journal of Higher Education, 4(2),
181-197. doi: 10.5430/ijhe.v4n2p181
Swain, M. S., Finney, S. J., & Gerstner, J. J. (2013). A practical approach to assessing implementation fidelity.
Assessment Update, 25(1), 5-7, 13. doi: 10.1002/au.251
Fulcher, K. H., Swain, M. S., & Orem, C. D. (2012). Expectations for assessment reports: A descriptive analysis.
Assessment Update, 24(1), 1-2, 14-16. doi: 10.1002/au.241

TECHNICAL REPORTS
Swain, M. S., Thacker, A. A., & Bynum, B. H. (2013). A statistical investigation of Oklahoma computer
disruptions. Final report prepared for Oklahoma Department of Education. Alexandria, VA: Human
Resources Research Organization.
Bynum, B. H., Hoffman, R. G., & Swain, M. S. (2013). A statistical investigation of the effects of computer
disruptions on student and school scores. Final report prepared for Minnesota Department of
Education. Alexandria, VA: Human Resources Research Organization.
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PRESENTATIONS
Swain, M. S. (2014, October). The effects of a planned missingness design on examinee motivation and
psychometric quality. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Northeastern Educational
Research Association, Trumbull, CT.
Finney, S. J., Sundre, D. L., Swain, M. S., & Williams, L. M. (2014, April). Are value-added estimates influenced
by test consequences in large-scale, low-stakes testing contexts? Presentation at the annual meeting
of the American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, PA.
Socha, A., Swain, M. S., & Sundre, D. L. (2013, November). Do examinees want their scores? Investigating the
relationship between feedback, motivation, and performance in low-stakes testing contexts. Paper
presented at the annual conference of the Northeastern Educational Research Association (NERA),
Rocky Hill, CT.
Krzanowski, S., Sunde, S. A., Grays, M. P., Swain, M. S., Fisher, R. C., & Finney, S. J. (2013, March). Changing
definitions of diversity: Assessing first-year student perceptions of diversity characteristics. Presented
at the annual James Madison University Diversity Conference, Harrisonburg, VA.
Williams, L. M., Hopkins, D., Swain, M. S., Sundre, D. L., & Finney, S. J. (2012, November). Raising the stakes:
How feedback and personal consequences affect low-stakes test-taking motivation. Presented at the
annual conference of the Virginia Assessment Group, Richmond, VA.
Swain, M. S., & Sundre, D. L. (2012, October). Consistent motivation on low-stakes assessments. Paper
presented at the annual conference of the Northeastern Educational Research Association (NERA),
Rocky Hill, CT.
Swain, M. S., Sunde, S. A., Gerstner, J. J., McCoy-Ntiamoah, T. A., & Finney, S. J. (2012, March). Engaging
stakeholders in program assessment: The power of implementation fidelity. Presented at the annual
conference of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), Louisville, KY.
Sunde, S. A., Grays, M. P., Swain, M. S., Gerstner, J. J., McCoy-Ntiamoah, T. A., & Finney, S. J. (2012,
March). Enhancing a transfer orientation program through assessment. Presented at the annual
conference of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), Louisville, KY.
Swain, M. S., Sunde, S. A., Gerstner, J. J., McCoy-Ntiamoah, T. A., & Finney, S. J. (2012, March). Why everyone
should assess program implementation. Presented at the annual conference of the Student Affairs
Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA), Phoenix, AZ.
McCoy-Ntiamoah, T. A., Swain, M. S., Gerstner, J. J., & Finney, S. J. (2011, November). Committing to quality
program assessment: Building capacity to assess program effectiveness in one year. Presented at the
annual conference of the Virginia Assessment Group, Williamsburg, VA.
Swain, M. S., Sunde, S. A., Gerstner, J. J., McCoy-Ntiamoah, T. A., & Finney, S. J. (2011, November). What your
assessment plan is missing: Assessing program implementation. Presented at the annual conference
of the Virginia Assessment Group, Williamsburg, VA.
Sunde, S. A., Swain, M. S., & Gerstner, J. J. (2011, September). Assessing program implementation. Presented
at the annual Division of Student Affairs Meeting and Conference, James Madison University,
Harrisonburg, VA.
McCoy-Ntiamoah, T. A., Swain, M. S., Gerstner, J. J., & Finney, S. J. (2011, June). Yes, it is possible! Completing
the assessment cycle in one year. Presented at the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
(NASPA) Assessment and Persistence Conference, Las Vegas, NV.

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Swain, M. S., Fulcher, K. H., & Yang, D. (2011, June). Communicating expectations of good assessment: An
evaluation of trends across the nation. Paper presented at the Student Affairs Administrators in
Higher Education (NASPA) Assessment and Persistence Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
Orem, C. D., & Swain, M. S. (2010, November). Assessing the assessment: Communicating expectations for
academic programs. Presented at the annual conference of the Virginia Assessment Group,
Lynchburg, VA.
Anderson, N., Anderson, K., & Swain, M. S. (2009, November). A multidisciplinary approach to meeting
assessment requirements. Presented at the annual conference of the Virginia Assessment Group,
Lynchburg, VA.

ASSESSMENT REPORTS
Meisen, C., Swain, M. S., & Finney, S. J. (2014). Summer springboard assessment report. Final report
submitted to Orientation Office. Harrisonburg, VA: James Madison University.
Meisen, C., Swain, M. S., & Finney, S. J. (2014). 1787 assessment report. Final report submitted to Orientation
Office. Harrisonburg, VA: James Madison University.
Grays, M. P., Swain, M. S., & Finney, S. J. (2012). 1787 assessment report. Final report submitted to
Orientation Office. Harrisonburg, VA: James Madison University.
Swain, M. S., Grays, M. P., & Finney, S. J. (2011). Summer springboard assessment report. Final report
submitted to Orientation Office. Harrisonburg, VA: James Madison University.
Swain, M. S., Gerstner, J. J., Grays, M. P., & Finney, S. J. (2011). Transfer summer springboard assessment
report. Final report submitted to Orientation Office. Harrisonburg, VA: James Madison University.
Gerstner, J. J., Swain, M. S., & Finney, S. J. (2010). Summer springboard assessment report. Final report
submitted to Orientation Office. Harrisonburg, VA: James Madison University.

POSTER SESSIONS
Swain M. S., Williams, L. M., Hopkins, D. N., Sundre, D. L. & Finney, S. J. (2013, May). Investigating the
(neglected) role of personality in testing. Poster presented at the Association for Psychological
Science conference, Washington, DC.
Williams, L. M., Swain, M. S., Hopkins, D. N., Finney, S. J., & Sundre, D. L. (2013, April). Do the stakes matter?
The interplay of conscientiousness, effort, and performance. Poster presented at the annual
conference of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), San Francisco, CA.
Swain, M. S., Sunde, S. A., Gerstner, J. J., McCoy-Ntiamoah, T. A., & Finney, S. J. (2012, March).

Implementation fidelity and outcomes assessment for transfer orientation: Making empirically-based
decisions about program effectiveness. Poster presented at the annual conference of the Student
Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA), Phoenix, AZ.

WORKSHOPS
Erbacher, M. K., & Swain, M. S. (2014, October). A hands-on introduction to R. Presented at the annual
conference of the Northeastern Educational Research Association, Trumbull, CT.
Swain, M. S. (2014, October). Intro to SPSS and basic statistics. Invited guest lecture to KIN 655 class at
James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

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Sunde, S. A., Swain, M. S., & Gerstner, J. J. (2011, June). Assessing program implementation. Presented at the
Student Affairs and University Planning Fall Divisional Meeting at James Madison University,
Harrisonburg, VA.
Gerstner, J. J., Swain, M. S., Sunde, S. A., McCoy-Ntiamoah, T. A., & Finney, S. J. (2011, June). Why doesnt my
transfer orientation work? The importance of assessing program implementation. Invited workshop
given at the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) Assessment & Persistence
Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
Gerstner, J. J., Swain, M. S., Sunde, S. A., McCoy-Ntiamoah, T. A., & Finney, S. J. (2011, June). Evaluating

implementation fidelity for student affairs programming: An important but often neglected aspect of
program assessment. Invited half-day workshop for Assessment Fellows in the James Madison
University Center for Assessment & Research Studies, Harrisonburg, VA.

AWARDS AND HONORS

Outstanding Research Award
Awarded to graduating student who contributed to research in their field.

2015

Outstanding Service Award

Awarded to graduating students who provided exceptional service to the university.

2012

NASPA Excellence Award - Grand Gold

2012
Awarded annually, the submission titled, Implementation Fidelity and Outcomes Assessment for Transfer
Orientation: Making Empirically-Based Decisions about Program Effectiveness was selected as the top
proposal in all categories of submission. This award recognizes the efforts of the assessment work conducted
within JMUs Orientation Office to improve the Transfer Summer Springboard program.
Liberty University Psychology Student of the Year
Awarded to the top Psychology student in each graduating class.

2010

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Research and Practice in Assessment (RPA) Journal

Reviewer for Book Reviews

December 2012 Present

Collaborating with the other reviewers and the Book Review Editor to evaluate book reviews. Book topics
include assessment policy issues and measurement best practice.
Miscellaneous Service
Served as a reviewer for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 NERA Annual Conferences. Submissions concerned
educational measurement and assessment techniques and issues in K-12 and higher education.
Presented a Microsoft Excel workshop to Federal Work-Study students at James Madison University in
November 2012.
Served as an assessment consultant to four student affairs and academic affairs faculty working on their
departmental student learning outcomes as Assessment Fellows in summer 2012.

TECHNICAL SKILLS
Measurement: Mplus 7, LISREL 8.80, BILOG, DIMTEST, IRTPRO, WINSTEPS
Statistical: SAS, SPSS, R
General: Microsoft Office 2013 Suite
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GRANT WORK
National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant #1158728
Role: Statistics and Measurement Consultant
Title: A Contextual Approach to Researching and Teaching Sustainability

December 2013 Present

Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Grant #R305A090085

July 2012 August 2012
Role: Implementation Fidelity and Measurement Consultant
Title: Enhancing Effectiveness and Connectedness among Early Career Teachers in Urban Schools

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
American Education Research Association (AERA) Division D
National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME)
Northeastern Educational Research Association (NERA)
Virginia Assessment Group (VAG)

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