Guillermo Solano-Flores, a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE), has been appointed to serve on the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees the Nation’s Report Card, the only ongoing, nationally representative measure of student achievement in the United States.

“We are thrilled to welcome Guillermo to the governing board,” said Lesley Muldoon, the executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board. “His important research has advanced assessment quality and educational opportunities, particularly for English learners, and he is deservedly a leader in the field of measurement.”

The National Assessment Governing Board was established by Congress in 1988 to oversee and set policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation's Report Card. NAEP provides information on student performance in various subjects and reports on student achievement across the nation, in states, and in select large urban districts.

Solano-Flores joins the nonpartisan, 26-member board as a testing and measurement expert. His research focuses on the intersection of assessment, cultural and linguistic diversity, and fairness, especially as it relates to the testing of U.S. students who are not proficient in English, students from different countries in the context of international comparisons, and students with disabilities. Current research projects examine academic language and testing, formative assessment practices for culturally diverse science classrooms, and the design and use of testing accommodations and accessibility resources for students with special needs in computer-administered tests. 

He has served as a technical advisor to several assessment programs, including NAEP, and has been principal investigator in several National Science Foundation-funded projects examining the intersection of psychometrics, semiotics, and linguistics in testing. He is the author of the theory of test translation error, which addresses testing across cultures and languages.

“I’m confident the appointees announced today will draw on their diverse experiences — including as school leaders, educators, and parents — to guide decision-making around how we assess student achievement in our country,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “At this critical moment in our students’ continued recovery from the disruption of the pandemic, I’m especially grateful for these leaders and their willingness to serve on the National Assessment Governing Board.”  

The National Assessment Governing Board decides what grades and subjects to assess, content to include, and achievement levels. It works with the National Center for Education Statistics, which administers NAEP, to release and disseminate results.

Over the past year, NAEP has provided insights into student learning gaps across subjects and grades worsened by the pandemic. In addition, accompanying survey data has revealed important trends related to chronic absenteeism, literacy, and teacher confidence in getting students back on track.

This story was adapted from a press release issued by the National Assessment Governing Board.