Chapter 15 Response to: Testing and Failure

by April

I was glad you talked about diversity in terms of assessment. I was very interested in the example where the teacher looked back and realized that she may have disadvantaged her students in her testing by using examples from a "city" culture where most of her students had probably never experienced anything outside their farming/ranching culture. I would never have thought of this without this example. As you know, I grew up all over the place. I've lived in tiny towns (Petersburg, IN), big cities (Las Vegas, NV) and everything in between. I've lived near mountains, deserts, ocean, farm-land and even glaciers. I MUST be aware that not everyone has had the same life experiences as I have had. This will require much purposeful thought on my part as I prepare not only tests but also instruction. This program has been helpful in teaching the value of self-reflection and knowing one's self so that we can be aware of our personal biases and cultures and how that could inhibit our ability to reach all students. Hopefully by being aware, we will be more successful!