The goal of this symposium is to illustrate the multiple facets of assessment capacity, the factors that hamper or favor the development of assessment capacity, and the multiple levels (e.g., school district, state, assessment system, testing company) of applicability of the concept of assessment capacity.
Compared to high assessment capacity countries, low assessment capacity countries benefit the least from participating in international test comparisons. For example, beyond obtaining information on their ranking, countries low assessment capacity countries rarely use fine-grained information on their students' performance on international tests that inform their long-term educational goals.


Renowned scholars in the fields of psychological testing and educational assessment will share their experiences and reflections concerning the ways in which test development and use contribute or should contribute to developing assessment capacity at the institutional, programmatic, or jurisdictional level. This symposium is relevant to the goals of the conference because it provides colleagues in the fields of psychological testing and educational assessment with conceptual tools for critically examining the social long-term impact of educational and psychological assessment activities and instruments.


Guillermo Solano-Flores (Stanford University), author and organizer, will discuss the origin of the concept of assessment capacity, its critical role in the interpretation of assessment outcomes, and its relevance to promoting better assessment systems. Paula Elosua Oleida (Universidad del País Vasco), will discuss how a sociolinguistic and socio-cognitive perspective contributes to the development of assessment systems in the Basque country. Maria A. Ruiz-Primo (Stanford University) will discuss proper coordination of resources and institutions as a critical assessment capacity dimension and valid testing of large student populations. Sergio Araneda (Caveon) will reflect on the potential and perils of relying on generative artificial intelligence as a tool for increasing assessment capacity. Samuel Greiff (Technical University Munich) will serve as a discussant.