Equity and Fairness

Equity and Fairness

We center equity in all our projects. We are committed to improving learning for all students, especially those who have not historically had fair access to educational opportunities. We work closely with states and school districts to ensure that their policies and practices on assessment and accountability are as equitable as possible, and we extend this work through our publications and our service on a variety of panels and committees.


Recent Equity and Fairness Projects

Equitable and fair assessment practices

Juan D’Brot serves on the National Council on Measurement in Education’s (NCME) Task Force on Civil Rights in Measurement and as a member of NCME’s Committee on Diversity in Testing. Carla Evans serves on the equity-focused “Assessment for Good” project.

Culturally Responsive Assessment

Carla Evans co-edited an NCME-sponsored volume, Culturally Responsive Assessment in Classrooms and Large-Scale Assessment Contexts: Theory, Research, and Practice, which includes chapters from Center experts, summarizes the most important research and sets future directions for more equitable and just assessment.

Hawaii

We are engaged in several lines of work in Hawaii to support equitable assessment, particularly for indigenous populations. This includes performance assessment development meant to instantiate views on culturally responsive practices. Center leaders have also provided vital technical advice to support the KA’EO assessment system to help this program receive federal approval


Recent Equity and Fairness Blog Posts and Papers

Shared Responsibility for Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Education

A call for systemic change in standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment that can mitigate hatred and discrimination.
May 12, 2021

Using Opportunity-to-Learn Data to Support Educational Equity

This paper describes the importance of collecting opportunity-to-learn (OTL) data and provides a framework to help states begin an OTL […]
October 23, 2020

Fairness in Educational Testing

The Role of Values in Addressing Fairness in Educational Testing Purpose, Use, and Consequences What Is Fairness in Educational Testing?  […]
October 1, 2020

This is Not a Test, This is an Emergency: Special Considerations for Assessing and Advancing Equity in School-Year 2020-21

This policy brief, co-authored with colleagues from the Aspen Institute, presents a balanced approach to state assessment and opportunity-to-learn data […]
October 1, 2020

A Framework to Support States in the Selection, Documentation, and Use of Test Accommodations

This is the fourth in a series of posts by our 2020 summer interns and their mentors based on their project and the assessment and accountability issues they addressed this summer. Maura O’Riordan, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, worked with Chris Domaleski to develop guidance to help states better understand the impact of assessment accommodations on the meaning and interpretation of test scores.
September 23, 2020

We Are Part of the Problem

An Argument for a Renewed Commitment to Anti-Racism in Educational Assessment and Accountability Over the past few weeks, the country […]
June 23, 2020

Considering Equity Within Accountability Systems in Response to Interruptions in Schooling: Making Accountability Systems Help

Identifying and Providing Compensatory Support to Groups of Students Most Impacted by Disruptions to Their Schooling Right now, the focus […]
March 17, 2020

How Systems of Assessments Aligned with Competency-Based Education Can Support Equity

This paper, by the Center for Assessment and the Aurora Institute, presents a vision and discusses requirements for balanced systems […]
January 1, 2020

Improving Equity: What Makes Accountability Indicators Meaningful?

Ensure You’re Receiving Valuable Information Necessary to Support Student Equity and Improvement This is the third in a series of […]
August 23, 2019

Improving Equity: Understanding State Identification Systems under ESSA

Creating a Framework to Help Describe Differences in How States Identify Schools for Support and Improvement This is the second […]
August 15, 2019