The Laboratory of International Assessment Studies is an inter-disciplinary network that brings together academic researchers, testing agencies, policy makers and the end users of international educational assessment data. We support international debate and innovation on the potentials, practices and politics of international assessments. The emergent field of International Assessment Studies (IAS) implies new forms of research collaboration amongst academic researchers, testing agencies and the end-users of assessment data. Our questions are therefore broad and interdisciplinary.
What can be learned about and from global practices of international educational assessment and numerical comparison? How can policy makers and the public make the best use of international assessment data? How do international assessments influence processes of educational governance, policy making and democratic accountability? What are the potentials for innovation, such as those associated with computer based testing and educational big data? These and related research questions are examined in the Laboratory of International Assessment Studies as a space for constructive, interdisciplinary enquiry.