Accreditation

Associate Professor Faculty of Education University of Malta

Michael A. Buhagiar is Associate Professor at the Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Faculty of Education, University of Malta. His main lecturing and research areas include assessment (especially in relation to the mathematics classroom), mathematics education (especially in relation to inquiry-based learning and reflective practice) and teacher education (especially in relation to mentoring and lesson study). Dr Buhagiar supervises and examines student research at bachelor, master and doctoral levels, and his publications include papers in peer-reviewed journals, authored and edited books, and book chapters.

Apart from being a regular presenter in international conferences, he has participated in a number of EU-funded research projects (including PRIMAS, CDFE, IncluSMe, MaSDiV, LS4VET and STEPS-LS). He is a Fellow of the ‘Association of Educational Assessment – Europe’ (AEA-Europe) and is a founding member of ‘Collaborative Lesson Study Malta’ (CLeStuM), which is a teacher professional development programme based within the Faculty. Before joining the Faculty in 2008, he was a class teacher in a primary school and later taught mathematics in a secondary school and at the Junior College of the University of Malta.

Special Adviser to Assessment Professionals Internationally

Graham Hudson has dedicated his career to advancing educational assessment, with experience spanning teaching, leadership roles in awarding organisations, and consultancy. His work focuses on improving assessment practices to support the needs of learners and educators, both in the UK and internationally.

As Chair of the e-Assessment Association, Graham has played a key role in fostering collaboration between industry, academia, and policy, helping to navigate the evolving landscape of digital and technological advancements in education. His contributions to e-marking and professional development have influenced practices widely and supported the growth of expertise across the sector.

Graham is committed to sharing his knowledge and supporting others, engaging actively in seminars, mentoring, and advocacy to promote effective assessment solutions. His pragmatic approach and dedication continue to benefit the field of education.

Educational Researcher at CitoLab

Sebastiaan de Klerk PhD is a senior educational researcher at CitoLab, Cito’s Research and Innovation Division. His work focuses mainly on the digitalization of educational assessments. He also works for Impuls Open Leermateriaal (Impulse to Open Educational Resources) as a coordinator for research projects on the topic of open education.

Senior Research Scientist CITO

Marieke has been working for Cito since 2007. After studying mathematical psychology, and a Ph.D. on Bayesian estimation of latent class models and nonparametric IRT, she started working at a university as an assistant professor. After a few years a job opening appeared at dream institute Cito. She applied, was hired and never left.

As senior research scientist, she is responsible for methodological, statistical and psychometric aspects of the development of educational assessments. She has a wide experience with assessment situations ranging from paper-and-pencil tests to adaptive computer-based tests; from general subjects like math to practical skills like driving competency. She enjoys applying psychometric knowledge to solving practical problems creatively.

Her present main focus is the coordination of the psychometric efforts to equate the Dutch end-of-school examinations in secondary education. She contributes to smaller (international) projects, as well. And she likes to share her experience and knowledge with colleagues!

Head of Admissions Testing Renaissance Global

Helen Claydon has led on assessment development for various national assessment programmes in the UK, including the Scottish National Standardised Assessments and the KS1 and KS2 Maths National Curriculum Tests (SATs). She has also been involved in the review and (re)design of various national and international qualifications; including advising the Association for Project Management on redesigning their main qualification. She has a particular interest in e-assessment and inclusive assessment.

Helen is a former board member of the e-Assessment Association and a former Steering Committee Member for AEA-Europe’s eAssessment SIG. In 2008, her accreditation as a Practitioner of AEA-Europe was instrumental in her being offered a post at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors. She is also proud to celebrate her recent accreditation as a Fellow of AEA-Europe.

Test Developer and Data Analyst Scio

Lenka Fiřtová has over 15 years of experience in psychometrics and educational assessment. She began her career in 2008 at Scio, a leading Czech educational company, as an item writer. Scio, founded in 1995, has delivered over 1 million high-stakes university entrance tests, known as the National Comparative Exams (NCE), with around 70,000 exams delivered each year, mostly in Czechia and Slovakia.
In 2014, Lenka earned a Master’s degree in Statistics, with a thesis focused on IRT-based test equating. She gained further expertise through research internships at the University of York (2014) and the Psychometrics Centre in Cambridge (2016).
Since 2016, Lenka has been a full-time Scio employee, overseeing test content and data analysis for high-stakes exams. She has also contributed to innovative projects, including computer-adaptive testing and learning analytics. An active member of the international assessment community, Lenka has presented her work at numerous conferences, and has attended the AEA-Europe conference seven times.

Senior Statistician/Psychometrician GL Assessment

I’m a Chartered Statistician with over 20 years of experience working in educational assessment, psychometrics, and applied statistics. Throughout my career, I’ve contributed to major national testing programmes, including the UK 11+, CAT4, and Progress Test Series, applying Classical Test Theory, Item Response Theory, and a wide range of statistical modelling techniques. I’ve held senior roles at Renaissance Learning, GL Education, and the National Foundation for Educational Research, and I’m also an assessment consultant and subject specialist, where I advise on assessment and teach Mathematics from Year 9 to A-Level.

My work bridges rigorous statistical analysis with real-world impact in education, helping to ensure assessments are fair, valid, and meaningful. I’m passionate about demystifying data and empowering others through training, mentoring, and collaboration. It’s an honour to receive this recent accreditation, and I hope it encourages others to explore the opportunities available through the scheme.

Associate Director – Research, Ofqual

Dr. Tim Stratton current leads the research team at Ofqual, the qualification and exams regulator for England. Since joining Ofqual in 2017, he has conducted research and analysis which have directly impacted assessment policy and practice in England. Tim holds a PhD in Animal Behaviour and Conservation, following completion of which he briefly lectured in wildlife conservation. More recently he completed an MSc in Educational Assessment from the University of Oxford in 2020.
Tim is primarily a quantitative researcher, utilising multilevel modelling and other statistical techniques to address complex assessment and standards related issues. His research has spanned topics such as identifying sources of difficulty in foreign language assessments, evaluating the use of teacher grades during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how to fairly maintain standards in times of change.

When not thinking about tricky assessment problems, Tim likes to play board games, hiking, and attempting to paint impressionist landscapes.

Head of Assessment CENTURY Tech

With over 20 years’ experience in educational assessment and learning, Samantha has led the design and development of formative and summative assessments used in over 100 countries. She began her career in higher education and developed a passion for helping every student reach their full potential by using assessment data and systems to inform teaching and learning.

During her tenure at the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (now part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment), she oversaw the technical development of globally used formative assessments. Former Head of Assessment Product Delivery and Content for GL Assessment and Renaissance Learning, Samantha continues to support organisations in designing, trialling, and delivering high-quality, psychometrically sound assessments.

Professional interests include assessment integrity and the impact of test experience and anxiety on construct-irrelevant variance, and gamified learning. She is proud to be AEA Europe-accredited and is committed to promoting inclusive, ethical, and evidence-led assessment practices.

Alpha Plus National Assessment Programme Manager

Gemma O’Brien is AlphaPlus’ National Assessment Programme Manager. With more than ten years of experience in educational assessment, she has worked extensively in qualifications and assessment design and delivery in both a UK and international context. In her current role, she leads a multidisciplinary programme team to deliver a national adaptive personalised assessment programme in Wales. Her research interests include fairness in assessment and the impact of educational assessments upon teaching, learning and policy. She holds an MA in Education (Assessment) from University College London.