Prioritizing Social Outcomes With and for Diverse Readers: A Conceptual Framework for Equity-Oriented Sciences of Reading Assessment

• In Event: Advancements for Exceptional Learners in Literacy Evaluation and Innovation

Abstract

Scholarship on the Science of Reading (SoR) primarily has focused on learning to read and on reading instruction, with less attention to assessment. Moreover, although some work has used critical approaches to SoR, much work has not. This can lead to inequitable and less valid assessment, upholding a history of harmful consequences for students, especially those from historically marginalized communities with diverse language, cultural, and neurological differences. The authors draw on critically-minded SoR research, and on equity-oriented assessment, to inform an equity-oriented SoR assessment framework. The framework compels stakeholders to partner throughout seven phases, including developing a complex reading construct; identifying and designing for equitable social consequences; and engaging in critical appraisal. The authors discuss conceptual contributions and practical implications.

Authors

• Elena Forzani, Boston University

• Julie Corrigan, Concordia University - Montreal

• David Hendrik Slomp, University of Lethbridge

• Jennifer Randall, University of Michigan