Cindy Jiban has taught in elementary and middle schools, both as a classroom teacher and as a special educator. She earned her doctorate in educational psychology at the University of Minnesota, focusing on intervention and assessment for students acquiring foundational academic skills. After contributions at the Research Institute on Progress Monitoring, the National Center on Educational Outcomes and the Minnesota Center for Reading Research, Cindy joined NWEA in 2009, where she is currently the Principal Academic for Early Learning Content Design.