Damien Cormier

Assistant Professor

Educational Psychology
dcormier@ualberta.ca

Biography

I received my B.A. (Honours) in Psychology from the University of Manitoba. I then spent 5 years at the University of Minnesota where I earned a M.A. and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology (School Psychology Track), as well as a Certificate in Disability Policy. I have applied experience in public schools in suburban (Stillwater Area High School) and urban (Brooklyn Center School District, Minneapolis Public Schools) areas. I also received training in clinical settings such as the Autism Spectrum and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Clinic at the University of Minnesota.

I have had a variety of research experiences. I worked for over 4 years as a graduate research assistant for the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO), a U.S. Department of Education center housed at the University of Minnesota. During my time at NCEO, I worked across several projects and contributed to a number of reports, peer-reviewed publications, and conference presentations. Areas of research included issues in large scale assessment for students with disabilities, instruction and assessment accommodations, and educational policy. I have also worked as a Research Associate with Renaissance Learning Inc., a multi-national corporation that provides technology-based school improvement and student assessment programs for grades kindergarten through 12.

Research Interests

My research interests are centered on the broad areas of assessment, measurement, and educational policy. I have collaborated with a number of researchers on projects related to curriculum based measures, computer-adaptive assessments in reading and math, and measures of cognitive abilities. Currently, one of my primary areas of focus is best practices in assessing diverse learners. Under this umbrella, I continue to conduct research that examines the influences of cultural loading and linguistic demand when assessing students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. My research in this area aims to gather empirical evidence to inform practices in assessing diverse learners. Related areas of interest include the misidentification of disabilities, disproportionality, and the development of cognitive processes.

Representative Publications & Presentations

Cormier, D.C., Pratt, K., & Christ, T.J. (2012). Improving screening procedures in mathematics to better predict student performance. Poster to be presented at the 2012 Annual Conference of the National Association of School Psychologists, Philadelphia, PA.

Ysseldyke, J., Lekwa, A.J., Klingbeil, D., & Cormier, D.C. (2012). Assessment of ecological factors as an integral part of academic and mental health consultation. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 22(1-2), 21-42. DOI:10.1080/10474412.2011.649641

Cormier, D.C., McGrew, K.S., Evans, J.J. (2011). Quantifying the “degree of linguistic demand” in spoken intelligence test directions. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 29(6), 515-533. DOI: 10.1177/0734282911405962

Cormier, D.C., & Hansen, A. (February, 2011). Cultural and linguistic biases in cognitive assessment. Paper presented at the 2011 annual convention of the National Association of School Psychologists, San Francisco, California.

Christ, T. J., Silberglitt, B., Yeo, S., & Cormier, D. (2010). Curriculum Based Measurement of oral Reading (CBM-R): An evaluation of linear expectations for growth. School Psychology Review, 39(3), 447-462.

Lazarus, S. S., Cormier, D.C., & Thurlow, M.L. (2010). States' accommodations policies and development of alternate Assessments Based on Modified Achievement Standards (AA-MAS): A discriminant analysis. Remedial and Special Education. Advance online publication. DOI: 10.1177/0741932510362214

Thurlow, M.L., Cormier, D.C., & Vang, M. (2009). Alternate routes to a standard high school diploma. Exceptionality, 17, 135-149.

Courses Taught

• EDPY 404: Adolescent Development
• EDPY 545: Individual Psychological Assessment
• EDPY 650: Internship in School Psychology

Please contact me if you have questions about my research or courses being taught in Educational Psychology.