School-based Assessment with African American Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Data and information gathered from school-based assessments are frequently utilized to make critical decisions about curriculum, instruction, and school personnel. The outcomes of these assessments have the power to alter the educational trajectory of a student or determine the perceived value of a school. When approaching school-based assessment of African-American children and adolescents, specific considerations should be made to promote culturally responsive assessment, preferably from a population-based lens, that will provide authentic information regarding the student’s performance. This chapter discusses school-based assessment approaches for social–emotional and academic performance. Both population-based and curriculum-based assessment approaches are highlighted and implications of their use with African-American students are discussed. Additionally, considerations for approaching school-based assessments with African-American populations are provided.