James Tognolini

Professor James Tognolini is a leading academic in educational measurement and assessment at the University of Sydney, serving as Director of the Centre for Educational Measurement and Assessment (CEMA). He holds adjunct roles at the University of Wollongong and the University of Western Australia. With a background spanning academia, government, and industry, his career includes leadership at Pearson and the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). His expertise centers on standards-referenced assessment, psychometrics, and leveraging data to improve educational outcomes globally.

Educationally qualified with a BEd (UWA), MEd (Murdoch), and PhD (Murdoch), Tognolini’s research focuses on refining measurement models (e.g., Rasch Models), system-wide assessment frameworks, and teacher/data literacy. He has established assessment centers in institutions worldwide, including India, UAE, and China, and advised governments on educational policy and testing systems.

His international engagements include keynote addresses in Singapore, Hong Kong, UAE, India, and South Africa, alongside collaborations with organizations like UNESCO and the Asian Development Bank. Current research explores data-driven leadership, teacher performance assessment, and cross-cultural educational measurement.

Key grants include work on teacher quality indicators (NSW Department of Education) and online work-integrated learning equity (Curtin University). He supervises PhD students in areas like TESOL translanguaging, mathematics assessment reform, and teacher professional development.

Tognolini is affiliated with the Pearson Psychometric Laboratory and has contributed to projects such as India’s Centre for Assessment, Evaluation and Research (CAER) and Jordan’s National Testing Strategy review. His work balances theoretical psychometrics with practical applications for systemic educational improvement.