History
MSTC: A "Little Idea" That Continues to Shape Michigan Education
The Michigan School Testing Conference (MSTC) traces its origins to a pivotal moment in American history. In the late 1950s, the United States found itself confronting new educational challenges following the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik. The event sparked a renewed national commitment to strengthening education, particularly in mathematics, science, and guidance services.
In response, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) into law in 1958. Among its many provisions, the Act provided federal support for advanced mathematics and science education, counselor preparation, and guidance testing services designed to identify and nurture the nation's future scientists, engineers, and leaders.
In Michigan, the Michigan Department of Education used NDEA Title V funding to sponsor testing conferences for school counselors at Central Michigan University, Western Michigan University, and the University of Michigan. These sites were selected both for their geographic accessibility and for their nationally recognized counselor preparation programs.
At the University of Michigan, responsibility for organizing the conference was entrusted to Dr. Frank B. Womer, whose work with the University's Bureau of School Services included helping school districts improve their testing programs. Although the federal funding supported only a single conference, Frank recognized that educators needed more than a one-time event. They needed an ongoing opportunity to learn together, share ideas, and strengthen educational practice.
From that realization came a remarkably simple yet enduring idea: continue the conference.
That "little idea" became the Michigan School Testing Conference.
Throughout its history, the Michigan School Testing Conference has continually evolved to meet the changing needs of educators and schools.
What began as a conference serving primarily school counselors has grown into a statewide professional learning event attended by teachers, instructional coaches, school and district administrators, curriculum leaders, assessment specialists, higher education faculty, policymakers, and educational leaders from across Michigan and beyond.
The conference's focus has expanded as well. Originally centered on guidance testing and vocational interest assessments, MSTC now explores the full landscape of educational assessment—from classroom formative assessment and performance assessment to statewide accountability systems, competency-based learning, educational policy, and the use of assessment to improve teaching and learning. As major federal initiatives such as ESEA, IASA, No Child Left Behind, and ESSA have reshaped education, the conference has evolved alongside them.
The conference itself has grown in both scope and impact. What began as a single event has expanded into multiple days of professional learning that include pre-conference workshops, nationally recognized keynote speakers, interactive clinic sessions, networking opportunities, and conversations that connect research with classroom practice.
Its home has changed over the years as well. From the University of Michigan School of Education to Rackham Graduate School, the Michigan League, conference hotels throughout Ann Arbor, a virtual conference during the pandemic, and today's in-person format, the conference has continually adapted while remaining true to its mission.
The people who make the conference possible have evolved alongside it. Presenters have included classroom educators, district and intermediate school leaders, Michigan Department of Education staff, university researchers, national experts, and internationally recognized scholars. Longstanding partnerships with sponsors and exhibitors have helped sustain the conference and expand opportunities for participants while reflecting the conference's reputation as one of the nation's longest-running and most respected state assessment conferences.
Perhaps the greatest measure of the conference's success, however, cannot be found in attendance numbers or conference programs.
Its impact is reflected in the educators who return to their schools each year with new knowledge, fresh perspectives, practical strategies, professional relationships, and a renewed commitment to improving teaching and learning. The ideas shared at MSTC have influenced classrooms, schools, districts, and educational policy throughout Michigan and beyond.
Through every change, one constant remained for decades: Dr. Frank B. Womer.
Frank's vision gave birth to the Michigan School Testing Conference. His leadership nurtured it, and his unwavering commitment ensured its future through an endowment established at the University of Michigan School of Education to support the conference for generations to come.
It is no exaggeration to say that without Frank Womer, the Michigan School Testing Conference simply would not exist.
Today, the conference continues to honor Frank's vision while embracing the ever-changing landscape of education. Assessment has evolved dramatically—from paper-and-pencil tests to digital assessments; from measuring learning to supporting learning; from accountability to continuous improvement. Yet the conference's purpose remains remarkably consistent: to bring educators together to explore emerging ideas, engage in meaningful dialogue, learn from one another, and advance assessment practices that improve outcomes for all students.
What began as one educator's "little idea" has grown into a lasting tradition of professional learning and collaboration. Each year, the Michigan School Testing Conference serves as a place where research informs practice, challenging conversations inspire innovation, and educators come together around a shared commitment to improving teaching, learning, and assessment.
That enduring commitment remains the conference's greatest legacy—and its greatest promise for the future.
Written by past conference director Ed Roeber and planning committee member Marge Mastie
Past MSTC Conference Directors
Frank B. Womer (1960–1999)
Frank was born in 1921 and educated at the University of Colorado and the University of Michigan. He joined the University of Michigan School of Education faculty in 1956, where he served for 30 years. In 1960, he founded the Michigan School Testing Conference (MSTC) and later helped establish the national assessment conference now known as the CCSSO National Conference on Student Assessment. Frank served as the first director of MSTC and provided a generous endowment to support conference speakers.
George Grisdale (1999-2003)
George Grisdale was born in 1931. He earned a degree in business administration.
While teaching at Oak Park High School and coaching tennis, Mr. Grisdale earned a
master’s degree in counseling from the University of Michigan. George earned a Ph.D. in educational guidance and counseling from the U-M. In 1991, George retired from Oakland Schools and became the second MSTC Director upon the retirement of Frank in 1999, serving for 4 years.
Terry Davidson (2004-2017)
Terry Davidson graduated from the U-M. Terry where he also served as adjunct instructor. Through his work with the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, he contributed to influential longitudinal studies that broadened understanding of student development and educational pathways and published useful papers to improve the methodological foundations of educational research. Terry served as the third MSTC director for 13 years.
Edward Roeber (2017-2026)
Edward Roeber is an educational assessment specialist whose work has influenced student assessment across Michigan and beyond. Ed first worked at NAEP, then joined MDE (as MEAP supervisor and later, OEAA Director), and CCSSO, where he directed cross-state collaborative (SCASS) groups to promote collective assessment improvement. Ed was a cofounder of the Michigan Assessment Consortium and served as its Assessment Director for many years. He was the fourth MSTC director serving in that role for 9 years.