A specialist in educational statistics and measurement, Randall Penfield joined the University of Miami faculty in 2004. He was formerly an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida .  Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Florida , he served as a statistician for the Education Quality and Accountability Office of the Ontario Ministry of Education in Toronto , Canada . Penfield earned his Ph.D. in applied statistics and measurement from the University of Toronto and holds an M.A. in physiological psychology from York University and a B.S. in psychology from the University of Toronto .

Penfield teaches graduate classes in statistics, measurement, and psychometrics.  His research focuses primarily on the advancement and application of statistical and measurement models used in large-scale testing.  Specifically, Penfield’s research focuses on the development of statistical methodology for detecting bias in standardized tests, and on the improvement of the statistical methodology used to estimate examinee proficiency in the context of large-scale testing.  His research has led to numerous conference presentations and publications in journals such as the Journal of Educational Measurement , Applied Psychological Measurement , and Applied Measurement in Education . In recognition of his high level of research productivity Penfield was awarded the 2005 Promising Measurement Scholar Award by the National Council on Measurement in Education.

In addition to teaching and conducting research, Penfield actively serves as a statistical and measurement consultant to numerous state and federally funded grants.  In recent years, relevant projects have been funded by granting agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the US Office of Education: The Office of Special Education Programs.