Chapter 5: Fairness (Classroom Assessment - Popham)

Fairness

Free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice

Assessment Bias

If an assessment instrument offends or unfairly penalizes a student because of personal characteristics-such as race, gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status-the instrument is biased against that student.

What are the two forms of Assessment Bias?

Offensiveness and Unfair Penalization

Offensiveness

A test is offensive when it contains elements that would insult any group of test takers on the basis of their personal characteristics, such as religion or race.

Unfair Penalization

A test item unfairly penalizes test takers when there are elements in the item that would disadvantage a group because of its members' personal characteristics, such as gender or ethnicity.

What arises only when it is not the student's ability that leads to poor performance but, rather the students group membership?

Unfair Penalization

What is type of assessment bias where test content including slurs, blatant, and/or implied stereotype negatives about how members of particular ethnic or religious groups behave?

Offensiveness

Disparate Impact

If test scores of different groups (for example, different ethnic or religious groups) are decidedly different, this is described as an assessment procedure having an impact on test takers.

Opportunity to Learn

The extent to which students have had exposure to the instruction or information that gives them a reasonable chance to master whatever knowledge or skills being assessed by a test.

What is an approach that identifies any aspects of an assessment procedure that may be biased?

The approach that identifies an assessment procedure may be biased is to call on content-knowledgeable reviewers to Judgmentally scrutinize the assessment procedure, item by item, to see if any items offend or unfairly penalize certain subgroups of students.

For a high-stakes test, how many bias review panelists are typically assembled?

15 to 25 panelists are typically assembled for a high stakes test.

What should the Bias-review panel be provided with after they are assembled?

The panel should be provided with a thorough orientation regarding the overall meaning of fairness in testing and assessment bias.

What is an example of a Per-Item-Absence-of-bias judgment question?

Might this item offend or penalize any group of students on the basis of personal characteristics, such as gender, ethnicity, religion, or race?

What is an example of an Overall-Absence-of-bias judgment?

Considering all of the items in the assessment device you just reviewed, to the items, taken as a whole, offend or unfairly penalize any group of students on the basis of personal characteristics, such as gender, ethnicity, religion, or race?

Absence of Bias

The degree to which as assessment instrument is free of qualities that offend or unfairly penalize test taker because of those test takers' personal characteristics such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, or religion.

Differential Item Functioning (DIF)

A procedure for identifying items on which subgroups perform differently. Items identified as functioning differentially are flagged for a second look by bias reviewers.

What can you do about assessment bias in the classroom?

Become sensitive to the existence of assessment bias and the need to eliminate it.

Individualized Education Program (IEP)

Written document required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (P.L. 94-142) for every child with a disability; includes statements of present performance, annual goals, instructional objectives, specific educational services needed, extent of participation in the general education program, evaluation procedures, and relevant dates, and must be signed by parents as well as educational personnel.

No Child Left Behind Act

Federal law enacted in January 2002 that introduced new accountability measures for elementary and secondary schools in all states that wish to receive federal aid.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

U.S. legislation granting educational rights to people with cognitive, emotional, or physical disabilities from birth until age 21; initially passed in 1975, it has been amended and reauthorized in 1997 and again in 2004. IDEA operates under six basic principles: zero reject, nondiscriminatory identification and evaluation, free and appropriate public education, least restrictive environment, due process, and parent and student participation in shared decision making with regard to educational planning.

Alternative Assessment

Meaningfully different tests intended for students with disabilities so that more valid inferences can be made about the students than if the original test were used (even with assessment accommodations).

Assessment Accommodations

A technique used when assessing a student with disabilities or a language minority student in order to secure more valid inferences about such students knowledge and skills.

accommodation

adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information

Accessibility

The extent to which students are readily able to display their abilities with respect to what is being assessed such as a student's mastery of cognitive skill or a body of knowledge.

Universal Design

A from-the-get-go approach to assessment development that strives to maximize the accessibility of a test for all those who are intended to take the test.

English Language Learner (ELL)

A child who is learning English as a second language.

Limited English Proficient (LEP)

Term synonymous with ELL

What are the 6 concerns for ELL students that need to be addressed by the federal government?

1. Inconsistency in ELL classification across and within states

2. Sparse ELL populations

3. Subgroup instability

4. Technical quality of AYP-determining assessment tools

5. Lower baseline scores

6. Cut-scores for ELL students

judgmental approach

This approach relies on the considered opinions of properly oriented bias reviewers.

emperical approach

This approach relies chiefly on differential item functioning.