Despite efforts made by educators and policymakers, disproportionality in special education and discipline persists for low-income, African American students. Through the lens of Multicultural Counseling Theory (MCT), this quantitative study investigated the likelihood of school counselors recommending students for advanced and remedial…

This qualitative study examines 26 White middle school teachers' perceptions of their experiences in a predominantly White middle school with a growing African American student population. Utilizing in-depth focus group interviews, teachers elaborated on their experiences with navigating racial, ethnic and cultural boundaries as they attempted to…

This study employed qualitative research methods to explore preservice teachers' thoughts about the effectiveness of interventions designed to resolve a cultural conflict involving an African American student. Ninety-five preservice teachers in the Southwest read a 300-word case study that was followed by four experienced teachers' responses and…

Discusses challenges to the development of culturally responsive assessments, focusing on issues of validity that include construct underrepresentation, score generalizability, curricular relevance, value implications, and content/experience bias. (SLD)

How do we bridge the mismatch between teachers and students based on race and ethnicity currently in our nation's schools? The teaching force remains overwhelmingly White, while the percentage of K-12 students of color continues to rise. Because of cultural dissonance, teachers may not understand the needs of their students. This study shows…

Uses data from the High School & Beyond national survey to show how a model of cultural nesting can be used to examine cultural diversity and disaggregate achievement-test results within and across U.S. racial groups. Suggests that the model is more useful than simple white/nonwhite academic-performance comparisons. (SLD)

Provides a rationale for advocating the development of culturally responsive performance-based assessments as a means of achieving equity for students of color. Notes arguments for and against these assessments and explores psychometric concerns. Recommends the modification of existing test-development procedures to incorporate the participation…

Reviews literature on the various dimensions of culture to assess the implications for student learning and the development of culturally responsive assessments. Uses data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 to examine the cultural context in which students live as a basis for understanding context effects on academic…

Considers the real authenticity of performance-based assessments, exploring their relationship to pedagogical practices that address ethnic and linguistic diversity. Describes an effort to transform English instruction and assessment in ways that draw on the cultural funds of knowledge of African-American students. (SLD)

The articles in this special theme issue discuss the relevance and effectiveness of strategies for developing assessments with students and teachers of color as the focal point. They contribute to a critical discourse on the potential of culturally responsive performance-based assessments. (SLD)

Describes several instructional activities that allow students to express their own cultural heritage through the development of World Wide Web pages and video dramatizations of important historical events and people. These activities raise the possibility of innovative performance assessments suited to new forms of achievement. (SLD)

Members of academia must cultivate the three virtues of community, collegiality, and diversity. A radical tolerance of differences must be fostered if approachable communities of scholars are to be sustained. Valuing others and making diversity welcome are vital for the well-being of society as a whole. (SLD)

Discusses the research and steps needed to develop performance-based and computer-adaptive assessments that are culturally responsive. Supports the development of a new conceptual framework and more explicit guidelines for designing culturally responsive assessments. (SLD)

Calls for education that acknowledges the multiple perspectives of our multicultural society to build a community that is attentive to differences and open to the idea of cultural plurality. African Americans and other minority groups must be allowed to tell their own stories. (SLD)

Early efforts at multicultural education have largely been compensatory attempts to address inequities in cultural representation. What is needed is a rewriting of the entire master script of curriculum to eliminate implicit racism, classism, and sexism. Examples from U.S. history illustrate the scope of revision needed in education. (SLD)