A Comprehensive System for Identifying Bias in Assessments for Large-Scale Higher Education Institutions

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 3:05 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Using Assessment Methods to Identify and Dismantle Injustice in Education (Table 16)

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to incorporate multiple methods recommended in the literature in a comprehensive, multi-stage process for separating bias from true group differences and identifying validity issues in large-scale higher education summative assessment outcomes. This process was implemented at an online competency-based higher education institute, focusing on gender, ethnicity, and income groups for 27 performance assessments that varied in modality and subject matter. Results support the utility of using structural validity analysis and human reviews in clarifying the nature of group differences detected using differential item functioning. Thus, the most appropriate intervention can be implemented (assessment modification versus additional learning aids) to close educational attainment gaps.

Author

• Heather Hayes, Western Governors University