Foster equitable and inclusive assessment tasks
Definition and scope
Equitable and inclusive assessment tasks are designed and used to ensure fair and effective ways of measuring students’ learning. They incorporate practices that allow all students to fully engage in and demonstrate their learning, without privileging (or disadvantaging) certain students more than others.[1][2][3]
Equitable assessment and inclusive assessment are coherent with assessment for learning, which sees assessment itself as an opportunity for learning, rather than just a process of assigning a grade.[4][5][6] Assessment tasks that are equitable and inclusive can support students in their learning, remove barriers to demonstrating learning,[5] help ensure that students’ learning is truly what is being assessed (as opposed to contextual factors), and ultimately “account[t] for and promot[e] diversity in society” (p. 23).[7]
The equitable and inclusive assessment of students’ learning is a priority at McGill. The Policy on Assessment of Student Learning (PASL) includes the guiding principle that “assessment practices are conducted in a fair, reasonable, and equitable manner” (p. 2). The University’s Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategic plan 2020-2025 also speaks to the assessment of students’ learning. This article provides principles of equitable and inclusive assessment. It then offers recommendations for applying equitable and inclusive assessment principles (with rationales and reflection questions) that you might consider for your courses. It concludes with a short list of assessment tasks specifically designed for equity and inclusion.
Principles of equitable and inclusive assessment
To support students’ learning, assessment tasks should demonstrate the following principles. This is not an exhaustive list, but rather offers starting points for your reflections before you design new assessment tasks or revise existing ones:
Clear and criterion referenced: Ensure that you have clearly expressed your expectations, provided a description of the assessment task, and that the assessment task is aligned with learning outcomes where they exist.[5][8][9][10][11] Students may not always realise they need clarification, and some students may not feel comfortable asking for clarification whether due to cultural norms, shyness, or other reasons. Transparent assessment criteria provide structure that can help reduce bias.[12] When assessment tasks have clearly expressed criteria and students’ demonstration of learning is compared to those criteria (criterion referenced) rather than to other students’ learning (norm-referenced), all students have the opportunity to achieve the learning outcomes.[1]
Accessible: Determine whether students have access to what they need (level of knowledge, resources, context) to succeed on their assessment tasks. Identify what social or environmental factors (such as competency in the language of instruction, ableism, or the physical environment) might impede students’ ability to participate in, progress in, and demonstrate their learning.[13][14] Then, work to address those factors. Ensure that a variety of accommodations are available to support students’ agency.[15]
Supportive: Think about the necessary component skills/knowledge/values base required for a given assessment task, and whether all students have had a chance to develop these, previously or in your course. Consider opportunities for students to co-design assessment tasks, thus supporting accessibility and agency.[15] Explore designing in opportunities for students to practice and prepare for an assessment task prior to a grade being assigned. Identify tools students can use to monitor their own learning (self-assessment). Ensure that students receive actionable and timely feedback on their assessment tasks.[5][10][16] Determine whether students have an opportunity to indicate what support they would find useful (e.g., muddiest point).[17]
Varied and flexible: If possible, give students choice in the type of assessment task that they do to demonstrate their learning, recognizing that some forms of demonstrating learning have been valued over other forms in traditional higher education.[5][8][10][15][16] You can give different options for assessment tasks that support students in achieving course learning outcomes which may include developing necessary skills, without diluting academic standards.[16][18][19] Flexibility may be integrated in assessment task design in terms of “where, when, and how an assignment is completed” (p. 2).[18] In keeping with Universal Design for Learning (UDL), having multiple access points for students to engage with course content and their peers can be productively challenging, motivating, and supportive of students’ learning.[13][20]
Relevant: Make sure the assessment task’s purpose or utility within and beyond the course is clear to students. Instructors’ explicit explanations of why they have chosen a specific approach or activity can result in learning benefits for all students, with “even greater gains for underserved students” (p. 135).[17] Increasing inclusive content and utility value—that is, how useful in practical terms the information may be for students—helps to reduce equity gaps between students.[9][10]
Sustainable for students and instructors: Consider potential impacts of the assessment task in terms of environmental, financial, and social sustainability. Sustainable assessment refers to when “students incorporate the skills, knowledge, and attitude[s] to continue using life-long assessment practices” (p. 190).[4] Recognize where interdependence and a communal approach in the classroom or beyond can support students’ learning and their ability to demonstrate that learning via assessment tasks.[15] Ensure that completing the assessment tasks is sustainable for students, and that the process of developing, implementing, and grading the assessment tasks is sustainable for you as an instructor.
References
[1] Gipps, C. (1995). What do we mean by equity in relation to assessment? Assessment in Education, 2(3), 271–281.
[2] Hockings, C. (2010). Inclusive learning and teaching in higher education: A synthesis of research. Higher Education Academy.
[3] Montenegro, E., & Jankowski, N. (2017). Equity and assessment: Moving towards culturally responsive assessment. National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment, 29.
[4] Bourke, R. (2023). Normalising alternative assessment approaches for inclusion. In R. Ajjawi et al. (Eds.), Assessment for inclusion in higher education: Promoting equity and social justice in assessment (pp. 190–198). Routledge.
[5] Butcher, J., Sedgwick, P., Lazard, L., & Hey, J. (2010). How might inclusive approaches to assessment enhance student learning in HE? Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education, 2(1), 25–40.
[6] Tai, J., Ajjawi, R., Bearman, M., Boud, D., Dawson, P., & Jorre de St Jorre, T. (2022). Assessment for inclusion: Rethinking contemporary strategies in assessment design. Higher Education Research & Development.
[7] Tai, J., Ajjawi, R., Boud, D., & Jorre de St Jorre, T. (2023). Promoting equity and social justice through assessment for inclusion. In R. Ajjawi et al. (Eds.), Assessment for inclusion in higher education: Promoting equity and social justice in assessment (pp. 9–18). Routledge.
[8] Bondura, V. (2023). What is a participation grade? Inclusive strategies for engaging students and assessing participation. In K. L. Armstrong et al. (Eds.), Teaching gradually: Practical pedagogy and classroom strategies for graduate students by graduate students (pp. 236–242). Routledge.
[9] Singer-Freeman, K., Hobbs, H., & Robinson, C. (2019). Theoretical matrix of culturally relevant assessment. Assessment Update 31(4), 1–11.
[10] Waterfield, J., & West, B. (2006). Inclusive assessment in higher education: A resource for change. University of Plymouth.
[11] Winkelmes, M.-A. (2020). Transparent equitable learning readiness assessment for teachers. Transparency in Learning and Teaching.
[12] Thompson, M., & Sekaquaptewa, D. (2002). When being different is detrimental: Solo status and the performance of women and racial minorities. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 2(1), 183–203.
[13] Cambridge Assessment. (2020). Education brief – inclusive education. International Education.
[14] Lee, E. N., & Orgill, M. (2022). Toward equitable assessment of English language learners in general chemistry: Identifying supportive features in assessment items. Journal of Chemical Education, 99(1), 35–48.
[15] Nieminen, J. H. (2024). Assessment for inclusion: Rethinking inclusive assessment in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 29(4), 1–19.
[16] Lawrie, G., Marquis, E., Fuller, E., Newman, T., Qiu, M., Nomikoudis, M., Roelofs, F., & Van Dam, L. (2017). Moving towards inclusive learning and teaching: A synthesis of recent literature. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 5(1), 1–13.
[17] Winkelmes, M.-A. (2022). Assessment in class meetings: Transparency reduces systemic inequities. In G. W. Henning et al. (Eds.), Reframing assessment to center equity: Theories, models, and practices (131–144).
[18] Killam, L., Luctkar-Flude, M., & Tyerman, J. (2023). Shaping social justice values through inclusive assessment and debriefing of elearning modules. The Journal of Nursing Education, 63(1), 1–5.
[19] Morris, C., Milton, E., & Goldstone, R. (2019). Case study: Suggesting choice: Inclusive assessment processes. Higher Education Pedagogies, 4(1), 435–447.
[20] Lundquist, A. E., & Henning, G. (2020). From avoiding bias to social justice: A continuum of assessment practices to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. In A. D. Spicer-Runnels and T. E. Simpson (Eds.), Developing an intercultural responsive leadership style for faculty and administrators (pp. 47–61). Information Science Reference.
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