ASSESSMENT
The aim of the assessment SIG is to draw together NZARE members who are interested in aspects of assessment in the early childhood, compulsory school, tertiary or adult education sector. This will include researchers, postgraduate students, lecturers and others working in the broader educational sector. We hope that through these SIG discussions about research projects, policy initiatives and debates, a broader discussion about changes in the international landscape can take place.
If you have any suggestions for collaborative research, activities, or events that you feel this SIG could look at then please contact us.
2026 Convenor
Amber Garrett
Amber Garrett is an equity-driven mathematics educator and emerging researcher with teaching experience in secondary and tertiary contexts in New Zealand and Canada. She is currently a PhD student in mathematics education and instructor for the initial teacher education programme at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. Her research interests include digitised assessment, schema-based learning, mathematics cognition, and equitable mathematics education. Alongside teaching tertiary mathematics, Amber has contributed to curriculum design, teacher education, and mathematics leadership, with a strong interest in translating research into practical classroom applications.
Robyn Caygill
Robyn is a Principal Analyst working in Te Pou Kōrero (Data and Digital) in the Ministry of Education. Robyn started her career as a secondary maths teacher and has worked in both educational research and education policy. Not surprisingly she has done a lot of research in maths education and outcomes for learners, but her work has spanned the curriculum and age groups from primary through into secondary. Her work has included the large-scale national and international studies: NEMP, PIRLS, PISA, and TIMSS. She is currently working in the team that does these large-scale studies, with her major focus on TIMSS and PIRLS. Her time in policy has proven how important assessment data is for setting direction for individuals, their whānau, their teachers, their schools, and the system.