This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 LicenseAbsence of bias
Bias occurs in assessment when there are components in the assessment method or administration of the
assessment that distort the performance of the student because of their personal characteristics such as gender,
ethnicity, or social class (Popham, 2005). Two types of assessment bias are important: offensiveness and unfair
penalization. An assessment is most likely to be offensive to a subgroup of students when negative stereotypes are
included in the test. For example, the assessment in a health class could include items in which all the doctors were
men and all the nurses were women. Or, a series of questions in a social studies class could portray Latinos and
Asians as immigrants rather than native born Americans. In these examples, some female, Latino or Asian students
are likely to be offended by the stereotypes and this can distract them from performing well on the assessment.
Unfair penalization occurs when items disadvantage one group not because they may be offensive but because of
differential background experiences. For example, an item for math assessment that assumes knowledge of a
particular sport may disadvantage groups not as familiar with that sport (e.g. American football for recent
immigrants). Or an assessment on team work that asks students to model their concept of a team on a symphony
orchestra is likely to be easier for those students who have attended orchestra performances—probably students
from affluent families. Unfair penalization does not occur just because some students do poorly in class. For
example, asking questions about a specific sport in a physical education class when information on that sport had
been discussed in class is not unfair penalization as long as the questions do not require knowledge beyond that
taught in class that some groups are less likely to have.
It can be difficult for new teachers teaching in multi-ethnic classrooms to devise interesting assessments that do
not penalize any groups of students. Teachers need to think seriously about the impact of students’ differing
backgrounds on the assessment they use in class. Listening carefully to what students say is important as is learning
about the backgrounds of the students.
Selecting appropriate assessment techniques II: types of teacher-made assessments..............................
One of the challenges for beginning teachers is to select and use appropriate assessment techniques. In this
section we summarize the wide variety of types of assessments that classroom teachers use. First we discuss the
informal techniques teachers use during instruction that typically require instantaneous decisions. Then we
consider formal assessment techniques that teachers plan before instruction and allow for reflective decisions.
Teachers’ observation, questioning, and record keeping
During teaching, teachers not only have to communicate the information they planned but also continuously
monitor students’ learning and motivation in order to determine whether modifications have to be made (Airasian,
2005). Beginning teachers find this more difficult than experienced teachers because of the complex cognitive skills
required to improvise and be responsive to students needs while simultaneously keeping in mind the goals and
plans of the lesson (Borko & Livingston, 1989). The informal assessment strategies teachers most often use during
instruction are observation and questioning.
Observation
Effective teachers observe their students from the time they enter the classroom. Some teachers greet their
students at the door not only to welcome them but also to observe their mood and motivation. Are Hannah and
Naomi still not talking to each other? Does Ethan have his materials with him? Gaining information on such
Educational Psychology 246 A Global Text