Applying a Culturally Responsive Pedagogical Framework to Design and Evaluate Classroom Performance-Based Assessments in Hawai‘i

Abstract

Previous writings focus on why centering assessment design around students’ cultural, social, and/or linguistic diversity is important and how performance-based assessment can support such aims. This article extends previous work by describing how a culturally responsive classroom assessment framework was created from a culturally responsive education (CRE) pedagogical framework. The goal of the framework was to guide the design and evaluation of curriculum-embedded, classroom performance assessments. Components discussed include: modification of evidence-centered design processes, teacher and/or student adaptation of construct irrelevant aspects of task prompts, addition of cultural meaningfulness questions to think alouds, and revision of task quality review protocols to promote CRE design features. Future research is needed to explore the limitations of the framework applied, and the extent to which students perceive the classroom summative assessments designed do indeed allow them to better show all they know and can do in ways related to their cultural, social, and/or linguistic identities.