Stephen Oertle is the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction at Roxana Community Unit School District #1 in Southern Illinois, the founder and director of CourseMason LLC, and an independent consultant specializing in the development of curriculum, assessments, instructional best practices and practical school improvement plans. As a national presenter and professional development leader in his district and the state, he works with teachers and administrators from the pre-kindergarten level through grade twelve to accomplish several goals: Prioritization and deconstruction of standards that guide the development of engaging units, common assessments and rubrics and rigorous classroom instruction Creation of standards-aligned, high quality formative and summative assessments and rubrics that drive student-led classrooms Development and modeling of research-based best practices that lead to collaborative, feedback-focused, learning environments Development and modeling of learner qualities used to create districts, buildings and classrooms that focus on training students how to think critically and learn independently Development of building and classroom strategies that are rooted in the work of John Hattie and Visible Learning Steve has worked with school districts, Regional Offices of Education, Illinois ASCD and ASCD and has presented using a variety of media and formats including: 30-45 minute webinars Video/Digital PD 1-hour conference sessions 1-3 day workshops On-going customized district professional development He graduated from Southern Illinois University with Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Special Education and has worked in with administrators, educators and students from Pre-K to university level. When Steve is at home, he enjoys spending time with his family. He and his wife, Jill, sons McLain, Logan and Liam and his daughter Grace are continually on the run with school, sports and activities, but love to play games and camp when there is “down-time.” He can be reached at steve.oertle@rcusd.org