Troubling Grit and High-Stakes Testing: Counterstories of Black and Latinx Students With Dis/abilities

• In Event: 63.050 - High-Stakes Testing: Resistance and Results

Abstract

In this study, the authors trouble the notion of grit and high-stakes testing by focusing on the experiences and perspectives of Black and Latinx students with dis/abilities with the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). Through interviews, focus groups, and classroom observations with 15 Black and Latinx students labeled with dis/abilities, we utilize the power of student voice and counterstories to problematize the master narrative of a grit/no grit binary in education policy discourse, which has contributed to an educational culture that reinforces victim blaming, reifies inequities for Black and Latinx students with dis/abilities, and undermines students’ emotional wellbeing. Harnessing the power of the students’ experiences and perspectives, we conclude with recommendations for policy and practice.

Authors

• Adai A. Tefera, Virginia Commonwealth University

• David Isaac Hernandez-Saca, University of Northern Iowa

• Ashlee Morgan Lester, Virginia Commonwealth University