The University of Valencia’s ERI Lectura is excited to announce an upcoming seminar series titled The Many Faces of Assessment: From Accountability to Social Justice, that will take place during the Spring semester 2025. This series aims to challenge conventional views on educational assessments and explore their transformative potential.
While assessments are often seen as mere tools for evaluation—sometimes regarded as a necessary burden—they are, in fact, vital engines of educational innovation and policy-making. Assessments influence what is taught, how it is taught, and what is valued in education. However, they can also perpetuate inequalities, impacting diverse student populations based on factors such as race, gender identity, socioeconomic status, and neurodiversity. In this evolving landscape, new technologies, including generative AI and large language models (LLMs), offer opportunities to rethink assessments, making them more just, equitable, and even engaging.
Key Topics and Themes:
- Innovations in assessment design, including scenario-based, project-based, and dynamic assessments
- Critical perspectives on current assessment practices
- Reforms aimed at making assessments more equitable and justice-oriented
- Leveraging AI for reliable, valid, and fair assessments
The seminar series will feature distinguished experts from leading universities and research institutions, including:
Seminar Schedule:
|
Date |
Speakers |
Title |
|
January 22, 2025 |
Dr. Karen Weddle-West (University of Memphis) & Dr. John Sabatini (University of Memphis) |
Introduction to The Many Faces of Assessment |
|
January 29, 2025 |
* Dr. Ladislao Salmerón (University of Valencia) |
Digital Reading Literacy and Teacher Practices: Lessons from Large-Scale Educational Assessments |
|
February 5, 2025 |
Dr. Brian Wright (University of Memphis) |
Assessing the Academic and Cultural Brilliance of Black Boys |
|
February 12, 2025 |
Dr. Michael Nettles (Morgan State University) |
History as Prologue for Contemporary Higher Education Assessment Designs (Remote) |
|
February 19, 2025 |
Dr. Zuowei Wang (Educational Testing Service) |
Scenario-Based, Socioculturally Responsive Assessments: Student Performance and Test Properties |
|
February 26, 2025 |
Dr. Jennifer Randall (University of Michigan) |
Validity and the Pursuit of Justice (Remote) |
|
March 5, 2025 |
Dr. Diego Zapata-Rivera (Educational Testing Service) |
Technology-Enhanced Learning and Assessment (Remote) |
|
March 19, 2025 |
Dr. Beverly Cross (University of Memphis) |
Using Culture and Identity to Create Transformative and Relevant Assessments |
|
March 26, 2025 |
Dr. Tenaha O’Reilly (Educational Testing Service) |
Leveraging AI for Good: Examples in Interdisciplinary, Composition, and Psychology Courses |
|
April 2, 2025 |
Dr. Sandra Cooley-Nichols (University of Memphis) |
Transforming Assessments for Special Needs Populations: Mitigating the Overrepresentation of Students of Color in Special Programs |
|
April 7, 2025 |
* Dr. Ernesto Panadero (Dublin City University) |
Transforming Assessment into a Learning Engine: Feedback and Self-Regulated Learning |
|
April 9, 2025 |
Dr. Jim Pellegrino (University of Illinois at Chicago) |
Fulfilling a Vision of Assessment in Support of Educational & Societal Good: Progress Made Yet Miles to Go |
|
April 15, 2025 |
* Dr. Jean-François Rouet (Université de Poitiers) |
Large-scale international assessment of adults' reading literacy skills: the OECD PIAAC framework, design, and some lessons from Cycle 2. |
|
April 16, 2025 |
Dr. Rosie Davis (University of Memphis) |
Deep Poverty: Creating Innovative and Authentic Assessment for Counseling Psychologists |
|
April 23, 2025 |
* Dr. Øistein Anmarkrud & Dr. Monica Melby-Lervåg (University of Oslo) |
Assessment in Low Incidence Languages: Language, Culture, and Controversies |
(*) Indicates talks hosted at the University of Valencia.
This series offers an invaluable opportunity to engage with leading scholars and explore critical, forward-thinking perspectives on assessments in education. Researchers, practitioners, students, and anyone interested in the evolving landscape of educational assessment are encouraged to attend.
For further details and registration information, please contact ERI Lectura at the University of Valencia.
We look forward to seeing you there!
