Michael Muenks

Michael Muenks, M.A., manages teams that support the implementation of grants and the Dynamic Learning Maps® (DLM®) Alternate Assessment System. He supervises the development of manuals, test administrator training, and DLM website content. His teams also provide technical assistance to state partners and manage timelines and deliverables for consortium groups. In addition, he works with contracts, requests for proposals, state technical advisory committees, data security, and technology system feature specifications and testing.

Muenks is the Associate Director for Implementation and Business Operations at Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems (ATLAS), a research center at the University of Kansas with more than 150 staff and more than $20M in annual revenues. He previously served as the coordinator of curriculum and assessment at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and was the assistant commissioner for the Office of College and Career Readiness at DESE. While at DESE, he worked with and then led the development and implementation of the following programs, projects, and/or initiatives.

• Missouri Assessment Program’s assessments used for federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) accountability
• NCLB waivers
• Procurement for all assessments used by DESE
• Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards projects
• Missouri's Race to the Top Grant applications
• Facilitated the Missouri Technical Advisory Committee meetings
• Served as a Governing State member for the DLM Consortium
• Served on the governing board of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium
• Served as an active member of the State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards and Technical Issues in Large Scale Assessment under the Council of Chief State School Officers

Earlier in his career, Muenks was the director of proposal development for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. He also served as a middle school principal and teacher of mathematics and reading.