Table 6.

Assessment and Accountability

Informed by Barriers to Cultural Proficiency Informed by Guiding Principles of Cultural Proficiency

5 Essential Cultural Cultural Cultural Cultural Cultural Cultural

Elements Destructiveness Incapacity Blindness Precompetence Competence Proficiency
At Standard
Intentionally use
culturally
Recognizing the Advocate for selecting
inappropriate test(s) Unaware that culture
connection between and designing
Assessing Cultural that reinforce impacts student Use multiple
culture and learning, assessment tools that
Knowledge misdiagnosis, performance on measures of
Use traditional and un- use multiple measures reflect the diversity of
extent to which educators misplacement, and assessment and that assessment that
accommodated that may begin to students.
understand the limitations invalid perspectives tests are culturally reflect students
assessments and data reflect student cultural
of standardized tests for about students biased, use single cultures and language
to sort, select, differences. Advocate for
diverse student learning outcomes measures of backgrounds.
remediate and justify collecting and using
populations, make and needs. assessment. Collect and use
the assimilation of Recognizing limited disaggregated data to
appropriate assessment disaggregated data to
culturally diverse knowledge about some analyze demographic
accommodations, use Avoid or resist Unaware of the need inform all
groups to the dominant cultural groups, use trends and anticipate,
multiple assessment tools, collecting data and/or to collect or sort data stakeholders about
school culture and disaggregated data but the needs of ever-
and use disaggregated misuse data to to learn about the the progress and
curriculum. may draw inaccurate changing student
data to shape practice to disseminate progress and/or needs needs of culturally
conclusions or make populations while
meet their needs. inaccurate of culturally diverse diverse groups.
decisions that may not closing gaps for
conclusions about groups.
meet their needs. current population.
diverse cultural
groups.
Believing that all
Valuing Diversity - Avoid, resist or Believe that student Aware of differences Recognize student students can meet Sustain a community
extent to which educators provoke dissent for cultural and language in achievement cultural diversity may high standards, seek culture that advocates
value the culture and making assessment differences are deficits between groups but lead to initial inquiry opportunities to learn for high standards for
languages of students in accommodations that and use single believe that about multiple about students underserved students,
the assessment process, meet diverse student assessments and test standardized tests and measures or cultures and and solicits community
thus ensuring assessment needs. scores to determine traditional assessments assessment languages. input about the
methods that are valid student learning and are valid and reflect accommodations. Commit to using cultural, linguistic, and
and reliable for diverse Avoid or resist placement in the status quo. valid and reliable learning patterns of all
student populations, and collecting or programs. Recognizing limitation assessment for students.
believe that all students disaggregating data Use aggregate data to of information from diverse student Inform all stakeholders
can meet classroom and that reflect cultural Use disaggregated promote homogeneity singular data sources, groups and to about the appropriate
Culturally Proficient Inquiry: A Lens for Identifying and Analyzing Educational Gaps. (2008) Randall B. Lindsey, Stephanie Graham, R. Chris
Westphal, Jr., & Cynthia Jew, Thousand Oaks, CA.: Corwin Press. Permission for exclusive use by purchasers of this book.
 Informed by Barriers to Cultural Proficiency Informed by Guiding Principles of Cultural Proficiency

5 Essential Cultural Cultural Cultural Cultural Cultural Cultural

Elements Destructiveness Incapacity Blindness Precompetence Competence Proficiency
At Standard
educating
parents/students
educators collect and uses of assessment,
differences in the data to justify test about the purposes
analyze data from advocate for reliable,
community. deficits among and uses of
state standards and and justify common multiple sources, and valid assessment
Use data to eliminate demographic groups assessments.
expectations. approaches. begin to learn which measures, and share
or restrict programs and to maintain Collect and use
may be invalid multiple sources of
and services for programs and services disaggregated data
unreliable, data to inform and
specific cultural that support the status from multiple sources
cumbersome or support the progress of
groups. quo. to develop an
inconclusive. all students.
accurate picture of
student achievement.
Believing that
traditional, singular Since differences Recognizing that
Advocate for authentic
Managing the Dynamics assessments and between groups is learning and Collaborate with
partnerships and
of Difference - extent to standardized tests lead expected, there is no achievement gaps exist other stakeholders to
collaboration that lead
which educators and Avoid, resist or to accurate need to seek further between demographic develop and use
to assessment methods
parents collaborate to provoke dissent for information about information about groups, educators reliable and valid
and tools that reflect
ensure that assessment information that students progress, cultural issues that begin to seek input assessments that
the cultural and
produces valid results for would lead to resist seeking could influence about the implications support student
linguistic assets
diverse learners and does different methods of additional or student performance of culture on learning and are used
of diverse student
not lead to negative assessment for alternative information and assessment, assessment. to make decisions
groups.
educational and life- underserved students. about students about student
Use learning and
consequences for Minimize collecting, Assessments practices progress.
achievement gap data
students; seek cultural Use data about Use data about disaggregating and and accommodations
to initiate actions that
understanding about achievement gaps of learning and analyzing data that may be superficial or Use learning and
narrow and close
students in order to demographic student achievement gaps to provide information applied across the achievement gap data
learning and
bridge learning gaps and groups to justify their promote deficit about the status, needs, board to all to provoke on-going
achievement gaps for
use data to shape deficit status and thinking about and gaps between demographic student inquiry, investigation,
students while also
conversations, and unworthiness of underperforming cultural groups due to groups, and risk and decisions to meet
addressing and
understanding about resources. demographic groups discomfort in noticing making inaccurate or the needs of diverse
removing the systemic
student needs and leading to decisions difference and a belief unreliable conclusions student groups.
barriers that contribute
educational gaps. that serve to widen the in a prevailing about student needs
to gaps.
gaps between them. meritocracy. and gaps.
Adapting to Diversity - Avoid, resist or Believe that Use assessments and Recognizing that Change classroom Advocate for formal
extent to which educators provoke dissent for traditional, singular data to diagnose the assessments do not assessment practices and informal
adapt or change practices any accommodations assessments and learning progress of all adequately or to reflect students assessments that meet
based on knowledge of to assessment standardized tests lead students without accurately measure cultures and the needs of diverse
Culturally Proficient Inquiry: A Lens for Identifying and Analyzing Educational Gaps. (2008) Randall B. Lindsey, Stephanie Graham, R. Chris
Westphal, Jr., & Cynthia Jew, Thousand Oaks, CA.: Corwin Press. Permission for exclusive use by purchasers of this book.
 Informed by Barriers to Cultural Proficiency Informed by Guiding Principles of Cultural Proficiency

5 Essential Cultural Cultural Cultural Cultural Cultural Cultural

Elements Destructiveness Incapacity Blindness Precompetence Competence Proficiency
At Standard
to accurate
students.
information about
practices for diverse some students Create a data-driven
students progress and
students cultures and student groups; learning or potential, culture ensuring that
therefore avoid
languages and promote dispute that diverse make superficial or languages while all stakeholders
making any
assessment practices and groups have special generic adaptations maintaining rigorous collect, disaggregate,
accommodations to
decisions that help learning/ assessment that may not meet content. and analyze data from
formal and informal consideration of
students rather than needs. learning needs of some multiple sources to
assessments. cultural or linguistic or
hinder their progress; demographic groups. Use assessment data examine progress of all
differences.
and, use data to shape Use assessment data to make decisions cultural groups.
practice to meet the needs to avoid, resist, Use incomplete data to and adaptations to Develop plans and
Use assessment data to
of demographic groups sabotage, and provoke make programmatic improve learning and initiate actions to make
justify the status quo
and close learning and dissent against adaptations that may achievement for all system-wide changes
and for remediating
achievement gaps. adaptations to better not meet the needs of demographic groups. to meet learning needs
students rather than
meet the needs of demographic groups or and close gaps
examining system
some cultural groups. narrow and close gaps. between all
barriers to learning
demographic groups.
and achievement.
Maintain Advocate for policies,
Institutionalizing Promote and develop policies, practices, and Policies, practices, and Recognizing that System-wide practices and structures
Cultural Knowledge - policies, practices, structures that impose structures rely on the traditional or structure and at the district and state
extent to which everyone and structures across one-size-fits-all adequacy of current standardized resources allow levels that ensure that
in the school community the system that ensure assessments across the state and district assessments and tests educators to assessment
demonstrates a culture of one-size-fits all system that do not assessment systems to assessments do not collaborate on alternatives,
advocacy for underserved assessments, resulting adequately measure provide adequate adequately measure all assessment strategies accommodations, and
students and a in data which does not progress for diverse information about the students learning, effective with diverse accountability systems
commitment to provide valid, reliable student groups. needs and progress of begin to learn about student groups, are valid, reliable, fair
monitoring the extent to information about all all student groups. accommodations or analyze student work, and equitable for all
which access, learning, students progress and Use data from such This limits the assessment alternatives create common demographic student
and achievement gaps are needs. assessments to capacity to use that provide valid or rubrics and deepen groups.
being narrowed and Use data to make reinforce deficit assessment reliable data-informed their assessment
closed; use assessment decisions that limit or perceptions about alternatives that better decisions for diverse literacy and improve The data driven culture
data to determine the deny resources to student potential and meet the needs of student groups. learning for of the school provides
needs of all demographic meet the needs of all make decisions that diverse student groups underserved ongoing structures and
groups and develop demographic groups. have negative and to close learning demographic groups resources for analyzing
strategies to close educational and achievement gaps. appropriate school and
learning and achievement consequences for student data to close
gaps. diverse student groups. learning and
Culturally Proficient Inquiry: A Lens for Identifying and Analyzing Educational Gaps. (2008) Randall B. Lindsey, Stephanie Graham, R. Chris
Westphal, Jr., & Cynthia Jew, Thousand Oaks, CA.: Corwin Press. Permission for exclusive use by purchasers of this book.
 Informed by Barriers to Cultural Proficiency Informed by Guiding Principles of Cultural Proficiency

5 Essential Cultural Cultural Cultural Cultural Cultural Cultural

Elements Destructiveness Incapacity Blindness Precompetence Competence Proficiency
At Standard
achievement gaps.

Culturally Proficient Inquiry: A Lens for Identifying and Analyzing Educational Gaps. (2008) Randall B. Lindsey, Stephanie Graham, R. Chris
Westphal, Jr., & Cynthia Jew, Thousand Oaks, CA.: Corwin Press. Permission for exclusive use by purchasers of this book.