BLACK MEASUREMENT MATTERS and my work will change the education system by making standardized tests and other educational assessments equitable and unbiased thereby providing access and opportunity for Black students to achieve their educational dreams. I am pursuing my Ph.D. in psychometrics and this scholarship will allow me to purchase the measurement software licenses needed to refine my skills in instrument development and analysis. Psychometrics is the study of psychosocial and educational assessment. Psychometricians develop a thorough understanding of the theories explaining human behavior, abilities, attitudes, knowledge, and personality traits. They also study and use complex statistical methods to develop, analyze, and interpret tests and assessment instruments, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. After serving the community as an educator for sixteen years, I quit my job and re-entered the classroom as a full-time student to begin the journey to Ph.D. with two major goals. After working with other teachers for years, I concluded that some people have the heart for teaching, and some people have no business in the classroom. As a result, my first goal is to develop a teacher licensure and placement exam that will facilitate the placement of quality teachers in underserved schools. Given the amount of time that teachers spend with students and given the fact that their words, actions, and intentions have a lasting impact on students, it is imperative to ensure that all students, especially Black students, have excellent teachers. My second goal is to modify the college admissions decision process through the development of an alternative assessment that measures affective characteristics correlated with success that are not measured by the SAT and ACT. It is common knowledge that Black students underperform on these tests, compared to other races and ethnic groups. It has also been demonstrated that successful Black college students possess characteristics like resilience, grit, creativity and more, that are not factored into the college admissions decision. This must change. I have seen too many amazing and talented Black students fail to be admitted to college because of low SAT or ACT test scores. This is simply ridiculous because it has been documented that SAT and ACT scores are not effective predictors of college success and educational attainment. Alternative measures need to be developed to give Black students access and opportunity. I attend Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. It is the only Historically Black College/University (HBCU) in the nation with a graduate program in psychometrics. There are other schools with more resources that offer similar programs, but I made the intentional choice to attend Morgan because I believe that the academic culture and environment of an HBCU gives me the freedom and support to pursue the two goals previously described. In addition, as a Black woman, I intend to be a strong and vibrant voice in the field of psychometrics (currently dominated by white and Asian males) and when my industry peers see me, I want them to recognize me as an ambassador of HBCUs and Black Excellence. I love my HBCU and I value the education I am receiving; however, resources are limited. Through the University, I have access to student versions of measurement software packages such as SAS, and Winsteps that are commonly used in the industry. Unfortunately, these student versions have limited features and because Morgan's program is small, it is not cost-effective for the University to purchase complete and professional versions. This is problematic for me because I will soon be applying for internships at organizations like the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) intending to gain first-hand knowledge regarding the development and validation of large-scale assessments. Again, my goal is to develop two large-scale assessments and these internships will provide invaluable information and experience. To be competitive with students from other schools with more resources, I must be competent in and familiar with the full and professional versions of these software programs. I am a BLACK WOMAN. I matter because I AM. My skills matter because they facilitate the achievement of my goals. My educational attainment matters because a Ph.D. will give me the credentials and qualifications to be received by those who still don't fully understand why and how much BLACK LIVES MATTER and how much BLACK MEASUREMENT MATTERS to fairness and equity in education. I hope you will support me by selecting me as the recipient of this scholarship which will allow me to purchase the necessary software. Thank you.