Challenges in Designing Instructionally Supportive Science Assessments Using Culturally Relevant Principles for Diverse Students

• In Event: Bringing Equity to Science Education Through Curriculum, Assessment, and Community-Based Experiential Learning

Abstract

This paper shows how an equity and fairness framework was used in the context of an assessment design effort to create instructionally supportive assessment tasks that support the learning and teaching of middle school life science in diverse school settings. We developed an equity and fairness framework in order to minimize construct-irrelevant variance that can impede students’ ability to successfully complete tasks and also ensure their usability and feasibility in diverse classrooms. In this paper, we explore the extent to which tenets of culturally relevant pedagogy could be incorporated into our equity and fairness framework, and describe tensions that arise during this exploration. Finally, we suggest potential applications of this work in supporting classroom instruction and rubric development.

Authors

• Nonye Alozie, SRI International

• Krystal Madden, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Sania Zahra Zaidi, University of Illinois Chicago

• Phyllis Haugabook Pennock, Michigan State University

• Christopher J. Harris, SRI International