Murphy, S. 'Literacy assessment and the politics of identities' [Course website]
Notes on implications and equity issues in individual assessment.
General problems
- Low scoring students results based on smaller sample of responses than higher scoring students
- No credit for partial knowledge
- Summaries masks differences between test scores i.e. student scores uniformly low or one test is very low and rest above average
- Knowledge of format of tests affects performance
- Limited generalisability from test to context e.g. comprehension test can be answered without reading the passage
- Limited relevance to non-school environment
- One narrow path to success - perceived as unfair by those with strengths in other areas.
Systematic bias
Testing takes place in context. It has behavioural rules on inter-personal communication and participation
- Interaction between examiner/examinee
- Anxiety
- Over-testing and speed of testing for African-American children
- Low achievers more anxious
- Negative about process that sorts them for race and class
- Freq. of specific word use differs across languages so students may not recognise words even if translated to their own language
- In translation the resultant tasks may not be equivalent
Teachers administering tests
- Successful result of the system
- Forced to participate in system even if do not agree
- Psychologists do not know child; teacher/parent does so ideas of teacher/parent often confirmed even though results are ambiguous
- Teachers focus on those pupils likely to show gains in test results
- Teachers reportedly alter results, teach to the test, use test items in class. Resistance but pressure to get pupils to achieve.
Psychologists administering tests
- Seem to be autonomous in selection and administration of tests
- Milofsky found psychologists in suburbs worked in environment and identified barriers; those in urban environment were too busy and identified individual differences
- Objectivity of test legitimises the work;
- Working in marginal position so power important to personal identity
- Legal requirements require audit trail