Social justice science issues (SJSI) are an effective tool to address science standards and advance equity. Inclusion of SJSI in large-scale assessments may act as a systemic signal of the critical nature of these topics. However, SJSI are difficult in the assessment context and often avoided. This session clarifies the challenges facing the use of SJSI in assessment and provides space for a constructive conversation around improving assessment to enable more effective engagement with SJSI.