New trends on intellectual assessment in Peru

The history of intellectual assessment with children and youth in Peru is presented from the foundation of scientific psychology in Peru until now. Current practices are affected by the multicultural ethnolinguistic diversity of the country, the quality of the different training programs, as well as by Peruvian regulations for becoming an academic or a practitioner in Peru. Fitness of intelligence models and intellectual assessment of the Peruvian population are discussed. Credentials for administering intelligence tests and current practices that provoke controversy are also discussed. Future directions involve discussions on changing attitudes toward education accountability and social awareness in relation to intellectual assessment, legislation to foster better training for psychologists, and the need to consolidate theoretical models that include the context from a systemic perspective, as well as models that consider intelligence as a developmental variable. Moreover, revisions on the perspective of the nature of ability and the application of computerized technology to intelligence testing are both suggested, as is the need to focus on the relationship between ability testing and employability.