Unpacking Culture and Language in Mathematics Assessment: Comparing Canadian and Syrian Grade 9 Standardized Tests as a Catalyst for Change

• In Event: Assessment and social context in mathematics education

Proposal

In Ontario, the ever-increasing migrant population has brought about a diverse learning landscape, where multilingual students contribute their unique prior knowledge and experiences. This necessitates the implementation of culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogies to ensure equitable education for all students. Despite an emphasis on culturally responsive and relevant pedagogy (CRRP) in Ontario curriculum documents (Ontario Ministry of Education, n.d.), many educators still struggle to effectively practice CRRP and support multilingual students (Griffith & Vidotto, 2019). There is often a tendency towards a deficit perspective regarding newcomer students (Olgivie & Fuller, 2016; Dryden-Peterson, 2016), resulting in misinterpreting their strengths and needs (Le Pichon et al., 2023c). Recognizing aforementioned issues, the ESCAPE Projects which were funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) aim to address these issues. The focus of these projects is to investigate the implementation of language-friendly pedagogy and multilingual digital online tools for learning and diagnostic assessment. The objective is to support multilingual students, families, and educators by tapping into students’ funds of knowledge and leveraging their own language(s) to enhance the learning experience. Moreover, the project seeks to gain insights into multilingual learners’ educational and cultural backgrounds and how these factors influence their academic journey. One facet of our research involves a comparative analysis of math and science curricula (Grades 6~9) from various countries, including Ontario (Canada), Syria, Afghanistan, South Korea, China, and Pakistan (Le Pichon et al., 2023b; 2023c). We compared and contrasted curriculum structure/organization, content, pedagogy, and assessments. We developed digital resources on the ESCAPE Projects Website to familiarize teachers with differences/similarities in mathematics and science curricula across the above-mentioned countries. These resources also aim to help teachers accurately assess their students' proficiency levels and support learners in overcoming challenges they may encounter.

Indeed, assessing multilingual students with limited proficiency in the language of instruction of their schools presents significant challenges, often leading to inaccurate evaluation of their academic strengths and prior learning (Le Pichon et al., 2023b). For instance, the polysemy of a word like “square” can be confusing as it refers to a shape and a mathematical exponent. Additionally, mathematical verbs like “evaluate” and “simplify” add complexity to comprehension as students might not fully grasp their meanings in mathematical contexts (Chan, 2014). Moreover, cultural differences in financial literacy concepts can contribute to those challenges (e.g., varying interpretations of terms like “interest” across cultures). According to the Ontario Ministry of Education (2008) and Education Equality and Accountability Office (EQAO) (2023a & b), students can receive accommodations to help them in navigating assessment questions, such as translation tools, extended time, alternative versions of assessment, and teacher-aid (see also Abedi et al., 2004). However, the effectiveness of these accommodations can differ depending on multiple factors, including the student’s proficiency levels in English, availability of resources in schools, teachers’ beliefs/familiarity with accommodation policies, and their knowledge of students’ strengths and weaknesses (Clark-Gareca, 2016; Kim Wolf et al., 2012, 2009; Le Pichon et al. 2023a). This raises concerns about the consistency in the accommodations students receive and reliance on word-to-word translation of questions, overseeing linguistic and cultural aspects of these assessments. When the accessibility to the question is hindered by language and culture, it raises doubts about the assessments’ validity and fairness. Consequently, it becomes crucial to investigate whether standardized math assessments accurately evaluate multilingual students’ mathematical proficiency.

Recently, we delved into the complexities of assessing multilingual students and emphasized the significance of comprehending both the curricula from the countries in which the students studied and the relevant pedagogies to provide effective support (Le Pichon et al., 2023a & c; Attar et al., 2020). In this presentation, we further build upon this research by presenting a thorough analysis of the Grade 9 Ontario standardized test, EQAO and its equivalent in Syria. The EQAO serves as the provincial standardized test in Ontario, specifically designed for students in grades 3, 6, and 9 to evaluate their proficiency levels in literacy and mathematics. Unlike regular assessments, the EQAO does not affect students’ grades or academic progress except for grade 9, where the results count as 10% of a student’s overall math grade. In contrast, in Syria, the grade 9 national exam holds higher stakes as it marks the completion of basic education and assesses students’ academic proficiency across all subjects. This exam plays a significant role in determining students’ readiness for secondary education (i.e., general or vocational stream) and affects access to higher education. By comparing these standardized tests in the two countries, we seek to examine math topics/concepts and unpack the complexity related to the linguistic and cultural aspects of the assessment questions. Through a reciprocal knowledge approach that leverages the insights of Syrian and Ontarian research team members, we aim to foster a more equitable math assessment. Firstly, our goal is to present a comprehensive understanding of the Syrian and Ontario math curricula identifying areas of commonalities and divergence thereby enabling us to design a more inclusive assessment framework. Secondly, we investigate linguistic and cultural issues that may influence the outcomes of multilingual students in assessments like EQAO, aiming to establish a fairer assessment environment.

In this presentation, we will review types of assessment questions and modes of delivery in both curricula, discuss potential challenges students face (particularly newcomer students), and showcase specific examples, highlighting the complexity behind simple math problems. Our findings highlight the importance of language and cultural relevance within the assessment questions beyond the mathematical content knowledge and skills. These insights underscore the need for a more informed accommodation framework that caters to the diverse strengths and needs of multilingual students. Our presentation connects to the conference sub-themes of “curriculum and protest” and “pedagogies and protest” as we advocate for a pedagogy of reciprocal knowledge, including a comparative approach to curricula to build on students' prior learning, language, and culture. It provides valuable insights into the ongoing discourse on culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogies, ultimately fostering a positive educational environment that supports multilingual students and accelerates their learning process.

Authors

• Rosalia Cha, OISE/University of Toronto

• Mai Naji, OISE - University of Toronto

• Emmanuelle Le Pichon, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education OISE, University of Toronto