PAGE TURNER
by Dena Kniess and Tony W. Cawthon
The National Center for Education Statistics tells us that the number of students attending college from marginalized populations has increased in recent years and will continue to do so for the next half-decade. Though campus populations are becoming more diverse, campus environments have not adequately supported students from marginalized backgrounds, leading to inequitable achievement in learning outcomes, retention, and graduation rates. Understanding this disparity, the book Reframing Assessment to Center Equity: Theories, Models, and Practices (edited by Gavin Henning, Gianina Baker, Natasha Jankowski, Anne Lundquist, and Erick Montenegro) examines the intersection of equity with assessment; as the editors state, “It is about making the case for positioning assessment of student learning as a vehicle for equity in higher education.” The authors offer practical examples and strategies on how practitioners can fully integrate equity into assessment practices. While the primary audience for this book is assessment professionals, the lessons can extend to anyone who supports the student learning process.
The book is organized into four parts covering the “why, what, how, and now what” of equity in assessment. Part One covers the “why” of focusing on equity and assessment, and in Chapter 1, the authors make the case that equity is not completely without bias, since everyone has a lens through which they approach assessment. In order to achieve equity, higher education professionals need to understand the paradigms they operate from and how these paradigms influence their assessment choices. Chapter 2 identifies how equity through assessment can be a form of activism. Instead of approaching assessment in the way it has always been conducted, professionals need to examine their practices and approach the process through a socially just mindset. Chapter 3 reviews the history of equity in assessment, noting that assessment has not always been used with equity at the forefront and that we need to rethink how we collect data and interpret results.
In Part Two, which addresses the "what” of equity and assessment, Chapter 4 reviews the state of scholarship on assessment, including anti-racist, bias-free, culturally responsive, and decolonized assessment. The role of narratives in assessment is covered in Chapter 5, which explains how stories can provide rich detail and important counternarratives to assumptions that individuals have about student success. Chapter 6 provides an overview of cultural theories that can be integrated into assessment practice, including critical race theory and social justice, while Chapter 7 discusses equity-minded assessment with a focus on decolonization and indigenous ways of knowing. Examples of institutions approaching this work through the lens of decolonization are included.
Part Three focuses on the practical aspects or the “how” of conducting assessment from an equitable perspective. Chapter 8 contains information on assessment in the classroom in terms of making the process transparent to students, while Chapter 9 covers culturally responsive assessment with a specific focus on examining assignment types in the classroom. Honoring the place of assessment in terms of ‘Āina, or a culture’s connection to the land, is the focus of Chapter 10, while Chapter 11 explores how culturally responsive assessment can be taken to a higher level through universal design for learning and approaching learning through multiple modalities. For housing professionals, Chapters 12 and 13 are particularly important as they focus on assessment outside of classroom spaces. Chapter 12 includes a case study of the ALMA Leadership Program at the University of Michigan as a participatory action project, and Chapter 13 provides a blueprint for how to conduct assessment outside of the classroom through an equity lens. Chapters 14 and 15 cover equity in assessment in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields and community colleges. The final chapter in Part Three, Chapter 16, covers organizational cultural competence and teaching at HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities).
The final part of the book encourages readers to consider “now what and what next?” Chapter 17 identifies technology-integrated assessment that can be used to incorporate equity in assessment, and Chapter 18 focuses on the importance of examining our own processes and biases throughout the assessment process. In order to ensure equity, individuals must constantly reflect on the choices they make in assessment. Finally, in Chapter 19 the authors urge readers to remain focused on the goals of assessment and how to use assessment in policy and practice.
As noted by the authors, it is best to read the chapters in order rather than simply going to the sections of most interest, since each chapter lays a foundation for concepts and strategies, regardless of institutional type. As stated earlier, while not written specifically for housing professionals, this book is an excellent resource for housing departments and individuals.
Several chapters are especially pertinent to housing professionals. Chapter 3 will resonate with many as it explores the need for assessment to address equity in a systematic way. The authors remind us that assessment of student learning has not always been at the forefront of our profession, despite a long history in K-12 education. This chapter also explores the roadblocks that assessment professionals encounter and challenges campuses to stop ignoring equity in assessment and to approach this work in terms of how assessment can be utilized to dismantle unjust and discriminatory practices, policies, and structures. Readers are also encouraged to fully engage with Chapter 13, which explores combining equity with assessment specifically within student affairs. The hope is that strategies for leveraging assessment practices can move the equity needle by implementing the principles of good practice: valuing the student voice, creating space for agency, and offering solutions that can disrupt the power dynamics. These principles reflect the work that housing professionals are already doing on many campuses, and, as such, they are in an excellent position to use data to make data-driven decisions and to bring about campus change.
Our final thought to readers of this book would be that they ask themselves how they are reframing assessment to center equity on their own campus. What strategies, models, and innovative practices are they using to ensure that all voices are reflected in the data collected, reports generated, and information shared? Each one of us who is committed to student learning must ensure that such a process exists in our housing structure and on our campuses.
Dena Kniess is an associate professor of higher education administration and college student affairs at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton. Tony W. Cawthon, Ph.D., is an Alumni Distinguished Professor at Clemson. "Page Turner" is a recurring column that pairs Cawthon with a graduate student or professional colleague as they review books and scholarship of interest to campus housing and student affairs.
