ABSTRACT
Drawing upon the foundations laid by culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogy, we advocate in this chapter for assessment practices that honor and empower the diverse cultural and linguistic identities of students. We propose three fundamental principles for culturally sustaining assessments: first, ensuring validity for diverse populations by centering assessments on students’ cultural and linguistic identities; second, promoting equity and inclusivity by recognizing the unique assets and perspectives students from diverse backgrounds bring to the learning environment; and third, preparing students for success in an increasingly interconnected world by fostering cultural competency.
Through a case study detailing the development of a scenario-based writing assessment program, we demonstrate the application of an Integrated Design and Appraisal Framework (IDAF) that we have evolved to support the design of culturally sustaining assessment programs through the application of these principles. Exploring three iterations of our design journey, we demonstrate the importance of acting on our convictions, learning as we engage in each iteration of design, and recommitting through each iteration to creating assessments that serve diverse populations of learners.
