Resource

A Call to Action: Confronting Inequity in Assessment

July 2021

Susan Lyons, Mark Johnson, Fiona Hinds

Description

The report "A Call to Action: Confronting Inequity in Assessment," authored by Susan Lyons, Mark Johnson, and B. Fiona Hinds, examines the pervasive inequities in educational assessment and offers strategies to address them. It underscores the urgent need to confront the historical and ongoing impacts of structural racism in standardized testing.

The report is organized into five modules, each addressing a critical aspect of assessment reform:

1. Culturally Sustaining Classroom Assessment: Emphasizes the importance of valuing students' cultural identities, engaging them meaningfully in the assessment process, and empowering them to address social injustices.
2.  Innovating in Large-Scale Test Design: Advocates for incorporating multicultural perspectives, diversifying item writing teams, and refining bias detection methods to create more equitable assessments.
3. Reconceptualizing Psychometrics: Challenges traditional psychometric methods and calls for new approaches that recognize the sociocultural contexts of learning.
4. Reframing Reporting: Critiques the language used in achievement reporting and suggests ways to avoid reinforcing negative stereotypes.
5. Addressing Inequities in Test Use: Calls for the assessment community to oppose uses of tests that perpetuate inequity and to redesign accountability systems to center racial justice.

This report highlights the necessity of stakeholder engagement, including educators, students, and community members, to ensure assessments are fair, valid, and supportive of all students' educational opportunities. It provides a comprehensive guide for educational leaders and policymakers aiming to advance equity in assessment practices.