With a fixed timetable of regular assessments, Costa Rica might consider alternating the subjects assessed at lower secondary level to enable the evaluation of more of the curriculum, including the more innovative dimensions of education for global citizenship and sustainable development, for example. At no point has the assessment sampled the entire census of schools in a way that would enable school leaders, teachers, students, parents and the local community to understand w'hether their institution is achieving national learning objectives, or whether it is more or less successful than other similar schools. The national assessment could help teachers understand how the new national competence-based curriculum can be tested in practice and ensure classroom-based assessments are setting the same standards across the country.