3 Principles to Develop More Equitable Assessments

More than 25 years ago, Gloria Ladson-Billings coined the term "Culturally Responsive Pedagogy." However, even as teaching practices became more inclusive, assessment practices lagged behind and continue to perpetuate dominant culture. Transparency, representation, and choice are 3 principles educators can incorporate to create more equitable and culturally responsive assessments.

1. Transparency

When students know what is expected of them, they perform better. While generally true of all students, the impact from clearly articulating assignment expectations is most recognized among historically underserved populations who sometimes lack the experience needed to navigate traditional assessment experiences (Winkelmes et al, 2009). The Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University offers some excellent ways to practice transparency in your assessment practice (Be transparent about expectations, n.d.).

• Use your syllabus to establish your learning objectives and general course expectations for all aspects of the class. Go through it with your students in the first live session, or create a homework assignment around it.
• Talk to your students about the norms of your discipline, even if they seem obvious to you. Some common norms that can vary widely depending on the field include writing conventions (Who is the audience and is there a standard set of guidelines for how papers should be organized?), research and citation conventions (How should research be presented in a student paper or report?), and what a “good” grade looks like (curved tests versus standard grading).
• Create and share rubrics in advance for written assignments and presentations.
• Dedicate time in the live session for students to discuss and ask questions about assignments or assignment expectations.
• Emphasize the larger purpose or value of the material they are studying/assignments they are completing.
• Give feedback early and often. Encourage students to come to you with questions.

2. Representation

Learners process new information best when it is linked to prior knowledge. Moreover, including course materials that reflect learners' backgrounds and experiences elevates engagement and contributes to deep, meaningful learning. Educators often incorporate this best practice but sometimes stop short of extending it to assessments. Below are some helpful strategies to ensure proper representation in your assessments.

• When developing multiple choice questions, case studies, or writing prompts use names, pronouns, locations, and experiences that reflect the diversity of the student population.
• Unless related to the outcome, avoid using references to the dominant culture that might prevent certain students from being able to access the assessment (e.g., assuming an understanding of American Football rules).
• Avoid idioms, jargon, and colloquial expressions.
• Create a classroom culture where students feel comfortable calling out a lack of representation or marginalizing content.

3. Choice

Despite educators acknowledging that there are many ways to learn information, they often require learners to demonstrate their understanding in a single, uniform manner. By default, this practice privileges some learners more than others. Educators can give agency to learners by allowing them to choose from a variety of assessment options. While choice is helpful for all students, research shows that it is particularly beneficial for students who lack a formal academic background (Montenegro & Jankowski, 2017). It is important to note, however, that the degree of choice will be dependent upon the learning outcome and acceptable modes of the discipline. This is why it is critical to practice the first principle of transparency so that students who are not familiar with particular modes can learn through explicit assignment instructions, dialogue, and formative assessment. Below are some ways that you can introduce choice into your assessments.

• If public speaking is a learning outcome in a course, allow for the speech to be delivered in different ways including song and spoken word form. If public speaking isn’t explicitly called out in a learning outcome, offer other text-based options for students to choose from.
• Rather than restricting student submissions to a formal paper, provide students the freedom to choose their mode of expression when addressing a prompt (e.g., slide deck, graphic novel, poster board, film, etc.)
• If a multiple choice exam is appropriate, allow students to submit an additional assessment in a mode of their choice to accompany the exam so that their competence isn’t measured in one way.

References:

• Be transparent about expectations. (n.d.). Carnegie Mellon University: Eberly Center Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation. https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/classroomclimate/strategies/expectations.html
• Montenegro, E., & Jankowski, N. A. (2017, January). Equity and assessment: Moving towards culturally responsive assessment. (Occasional Paper No. 29). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA). 
• Understanding culturally responsive teaching. (n.d.). New America. https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/culturally-responsive-teaching/understanding-culturally-responsive-teaching/
• Winkelmes, M., Boye, A. & Tapp, S. (2019). Transparent design in higher education teaching and leadership: A guide to implementing the transparency framework institution-wide to improve learning and retention. Stylus Publishing.