The Standards Will Never Be Enough: A Racial Justice Extension

• In Event: Racial Justice in Educational Assessment

Abstract

Since its origin in 1952, the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing has provided
significant criteria for the development and evaluation of tests and testing practice. In the
manuscript, we examine principled ways to extend the Standards through an emphasis on racial
justice, defined as intentional questions that can be used to (a) identify existing structures of
inequity within existing criteria and (b) modify them through principles selected for their
contextualization force. We begin with a conceptual and historical analysis of fairness, race, and
racism in educational measurement. We then identify four principles associated with social
justice: intersectionality derived from Black Feminist Theory; responsibility derived from moral
philosophy; disparate impact and local civil rights derived from legal reasoning; and situatedness derived from social theories of learning. To demonstrate these principles in action, we turn to a case study of applications of these principles to two forms of educational testing and assessment: the Next Generation National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX®) licensure examination for nurses and placement testing at California Community Colleges (CCC) of English Language Learners (ELL). We conclude with reflections based on the principles and their application to the Standards.

Authors

• Maria Elena Oliveri, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
  Presenting Author

• Mya Poe, Northeastern University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Norbert Elliot, New Jersey Institute of Technology
  Non-Presenting Author