Exploring Plural Notions of Fairness in Early High-Stakes Test-Based Selection

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring Equity and Fairness in Educational Measurement (Table 39)

Abstract

Postcolonial education systems in the Anglophone Caribbean have retained early high-stakes test-based selection to secondary school at 11+. This study explores stakeholder’s notions of fairness for 11+ selection testing in Trinidad and Tobago. The fairness of university entrance admissions has been extensively studied by the US measurement community. However, there is little work on the fairness of early selection in other nations or the value of stakeholders’ perspectives. We hypothesize that stakeholders’ fairness notions are (1) varied and (2) parallel philosophical perspectives. We judge these claims using qualitative data extracted from stakeholder consultation meetings and quantitative data from an aligned Likert and vignette survey. Integrated data analysis provides further insight into the possibility of plural notions of fairness.

Authors

• Jerome De Lisle, University of the West Indies - St. Augustine

• Stephen Geofroy, University of the West Indies - St. Augustine

• Nalini Ramsawak-Jodha, University of the West Indies - St. Augustine

• Kristy Phillip, Ministry of Education - Trinidad and Tobago

• Cheryl Bowrin, University of Trinidad and Tobago

• Gerard Simonette, University of Trinidad and Tobago

• Tracey Michelle Lucas, University of the West Indies