Grant Wiggins is president of Authentic Education in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey. He consults with schools, districts, and state education departments on a variety of reform matters; organizes conferences and workshops; and develops print materials and Web resources on curricular change, based on Understanding by Design. Wiggins's work has been supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the Education Commission of the States, among other organizations.

Over the past 15 years, Wiggins has worked on some of the most influential reform initiatives in the country, including Vermont's portfolio system and the Coalition of Essential Schools. He has established a statewide Consortium devoted to assessment reform and designed a performance-based and teacher-run portfolio assessment prototype for the states of North Carolina and New Jersey.

Wiggins is the author of Educative Assessment and Assessing Student Performance. His many articles have appeared in such journals as Educational Leadership and Phi Delta Kappan.

His work is grounded in 14 years of secondary school teaching and coaching. Wiggins taught English and electives in philosophy, coached varsity soccer, cross country, junior varsity baseball, and track and field. Recently he has coached his two sons and daughter in soccer and baseball. In 2002, Wiggins was a Scholar in Residence at the College of New Jersey. He earned his doctorate in education from Harvard University and his bachelor of arts degree from St. John's College in Annapolis. Wiggins also plays guitar and sings in the Hazbins, a rock band.

Wiggins can be reached at Authentic Education, 4095 US Route 1, Box 104, Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852. Phone: (732) 329-0641. E-mail: grant@authenticeducation.org.

Jay McTighe brings a wealth of experience developed during a rich and varied career in education. He served as director of the Maryland Assessment Consortium, a state collaboration of school districts working together to develop and share formative performance assessments. Prior to this position, McTighe was involved with school improvement projects at the Maryland State Department of Education. He is known for work with thinking skills, having coordinated statewide efforts to develop instructional strategies, curriculum models, and assessment procedures for improving the quality of student thinking. McTighe also directed the development of the Instructional Framework, a multimedia database on teaching. In addition to his work at the state level, McTighe has experience at the district level in Prince George's County, Maryland, as a classroom teacher, resource specialist, and program coordinator. He also served as director of the Maryland Summer Center for Gifted and Talented Students, a statewide residential enrichment program held at St. Mary's College.

McTighe has published articles in leading journals and books, including Educational Leadership (ASCD), Developing Minds (ASCD), Thinking Skills: Concepts and Techniques (National Education Association), and The Developer (National Staff Development Council). He coauthored three books on assessment, Assessing Learning in the Classroom (NEA), Assessing Student Outcomes: Performance Assessment Using the Dimensions of Learning Model (ASCD), and Evaluation Tools to Improve as Well as Evaluate Student Performance (Corwin Press). He is coauthor, with Grant Wiggins, of Understanding by Design Professional Development Workbook (ASCD), Understanding by Design Handbook (ASCD), and other essential Understanding by Design titles with ASCD.

McTighe has an extensive background in staff development and is a regular speaker at national, state, and district conferences and workshops. He is also a featured presenter and consultant for videotape programs including Performance Assessment in the Classroom (Video Journal of Education), Developing Performance Assessments (ASCD), and Understanding by Design video series (tapes 1–3) (ASCD).

McTighe received his undergraduate degree from The College of William and Mary, earned a master's degree from The University of Maryland and has completed postgraduate studies at The Johns Hopkins University. He was selected to participate in The Educational Policy Fellowship Program through the Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington, D.C. McTighe served as a member of the National Assessment Forum, a coalition of education and civil rights organizations advocating reforms in national, state, and local assessment policies and practices. He also completed a three-year term on the ASCD Publications Committee, serving as committee chair during 1994–95.

McTighe can be reached at 6581 River Run, Columbia, MD 21044-6066. Phone: (410) 531-1610. E-mail: jmctigh@aol.com. Web site: jaymctighe.com.