ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the Test Standards definition of fairness and making the connection between the terminology and the terminology of standards-based classroom instruction and assessment. It outlines important issues and obstacles in promoting fairness in assessment and share key messages for achieving fairness in classroom assessment. The chapter considers how these messages relate to broader views of fairness in assessment and conclude with implications for classroom practice and future directions for measurement. The diversity within classrooms demands classroom assessment practices that are equitable and inclusive of all students. Classroom assessment provides important feedback throughout the process about where students are in their learning and what action may be needed to enable students to meet the goal(s). The key issue in classroom summative assessment, then, is offering alternatives that hold all students to the same high standard and do not change the construct being assessed or simplify and reduce the rigor of the learning goal.
