ATLAS celebrates five years of progress

Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems (ATLAS) launched in August 2017 with one operational assessment, one grant project, and about 50 staff members. Five years later, ATLAS comprises seven active programs and projects, one completed project, numerous research publications and presentations, and 150-plus staff members.  

Looking back at where we started, the number of people served, and the impact of our research, the center appears to have evolved at a rapid pace. A closer look shows how a solid vision, targeted research, and a motivated staff drove that growth in a steady and intentional way. 

“We never lose sight of our goal to design for the full continuum of learners,” ATLAS Director Meagan Karvonen said. “When you have a clear mission and a collaborative work environment, growth happens, not effortlessly, but naturally.” 

From our first project, the Dynamic Learning Maps® (DLM®) alternate assessment, to our most recent project, Writing and Revising Interventions to Excel (WRITE), ATLAS researchers have used learning maps to create resources for a wide variety of audiences. The momentum of using past research in new ways and the drive to innovate sets ATLAS on a path to continue to change the educational landscape for the better.