Assessment of Academic Achievement in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students


Wednesday, June 18, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (EDT)
Category: Training

Register Here

Abstract 

This seminar will explore how psychologists should (and should not) use of tests of academic achievement with students who are culturally and linguistically diverse. Issues of test content, purpose (e.g., screening vs. diagnosis), bias, and fairness will be discussed for major standardized tests and approaches to measuring academic achievement. Although the available evidence suggests that achievement tests are not biased when used with students whose primary language is English, the evidence suggests that how tests are applied (i.e., fairness), and their use with students whose primary language is not English, may harm students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. We will consider strategies to enhance student outcomes and minimize unintended (i.e., harmful) effects for psychologists who use academic achievement tests with students who are culturally and linguistically diverse.\\


Presenter

Dr. Jeffrey P. Braden | North Carolina State University 


Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of the Webinar, attendees will be able to:

  1. Provide an overview of current research regarding the accuracy of standardized tests of achievement applied to culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
  2. Define opportunity to learn (OTL) and explain how it interacts with culture and language.
  3. Explain how tests of achievement may either promote or restrict OTL for culturally and linguistically diverse students.
  4. Distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate definitions of cultural and linguistic bias in achievement tests.

Continuing Education Statement 

The Society for Personality Assessment (SPA) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. SPA maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Society for Personality Assessment is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0218. 

Adams, J. L. (2018). Employing progress monitoring measures to create homogenous small groups and predict reading performance among English language learners and non‐English language learners [ProQuest Information & Learning]. In Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences (Vol. 79, Issue 4–A(E)).

Adkins, J. (2014). An examination of bias in oral reading fluency: Differential effects across race, gender, and socioeconomic status [ProQuest Information & Learning]. In Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, 75(4–A(E)).

American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, National Council on Measurement in Education (2014). Standards for educational and psychological testing. American Education Research Association. 

APA (American Psychological Association) (2004). Code of fair testing practices in education. Joint Committee on Testing Practices.

APA (American Psychological Association) (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/ethics‐code‐2017.pdf

Betts, J., Reschly, A., Pickart, M., Heistad, D., Sheran, C., & Marston, D. (2008). An examination of predictive bias for second grade reading outcomes from measures of early literacy skills in kindergarten with respect to English‐language learners and ethnic subgroups. School Psychology Quarterly, 23(4), 553–570. https://doi.org/10.1037/1045‐3830.23.4.553 

Braden, J. P., & Niebling, B. C. (2012). Using the joint test standards to evaluate the validity evidence for intelligence tests. In D. P. Flanagan & P. L. Harrison (Eds.) Contemporary intellectual assessment: Theories, tests and issues (3rd ed.; pp. 739–757). Guilford.

Breaux, K. C. (2020). Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (4th ed.): Technical & Interpretive Manual. NCS Pearson.

Byrd, D. A., Rivera Mindt, M. M., Clark, U. S., Clarke, Y., Thames, A. D., Gammada, E. Z., & Manly, J. J. (2021). Creating an antiracist psychology by addressing professional complicity in psychological assessment. Psychological Assessment, 33(3), 279–285.

Coleman, J. S. (1966). The concept of equality of educational opportunity. US Office of Education.

Commission on Chapter 1. (1992). Making schools work for children in poverty. American Association for Higher Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED362618).

Daly, E. J., III, Hoff, N., Kane, E. J., Hawkins, J., Kruger, A. M., Bricko, N., Heifner, A., & Scanlan, L. (2020). Functional assessment of the academic environment 30+ years later. Contemporary School Psychology, 24(1), 1–15. https://doi‐org.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/10.1007/s40688‐019‐00251‐2

Darling‐Hammond, L. (2007). Race, inequality and educational accountability: The irony of ‘No Child Left Behind’. Race ethnicity and education, 10(3), 245‐260.

Evans‐Hampton, T. N., Skinner, C. H., Henington, C., Sims, S., & McDaniel, C. E. (2002). An investigation of situational bias: Conspicuous and covert timing during curriculum‐based measurement of mathematics across African American and Caucasian students. School Psychology Review, 31(4), 529–539.

Elliott, S. N. (2015). Measuring opportunity to learn and achievement growth: Key research issues with implications for the effective education of all students. Remedial and Special Education, 36(1), 58–64.

Frisby, C.L. (2013). The problem of quack multiculturalism. In C. L. Frisby (Ed.) Meeting the Psychoeducational Needs of Minority Students: Evidence‐based guidelines for school psychologists and other school personnel (pp. 9‐72). Wiley.

Goodrich, J.M.; Koziol, N.A., & Yoon, H (2021). Are translated mathematics items a valid accommodation for dual language learners? Evidence from ECLS‐K. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 57, 89‐101.

Hosp, J. L., Hosp, M. A., & Dole, J. K. (2011). Potential bias in predictive validity of universal screening measures across disaggregation subgroups. School Psychology Review, 40(1), 108–131.

Jensen, A. R. (1980). Bias in mental testing. Free Press.

Kaufman, A. S., & Kaufman, N. L. (2004). Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement–Second Edition (KTEA‐II). American Guidance Service.

Kaufman, A. S., & Kaufman, N. L. (with Breaux, K. C.). (2014). Technical & interpretive manual. Kaufman test of educational achievement, third edition. NCS Pearson.

Kim, J. S., Vanderwood, M. L., & Lee, C. Y. (2016). Predictive validity of curriculum‐based measures for English Learners at varying English proficiency levels. Educational Assessment, 21(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10627197.2015.1127750

Kranzler, J. H., Miller, M. D., & Jordan, L. (1999). An examination of racial/ethnic and gender bias on curriculum‐based measurement of reading. School Psychology Quarterly, 14(3), 327–342. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0089012

Kurz, A. (2011). Access to what should be taught and will be tested: Students’ opportunity to learn the intended curriculum. In A. Kurz, S. N. Elliott, R. J. Kettler, & P. A. Beddow (Eds.), Handbook of accessible achievement tests for all students: Bridging the gaps between research, practice, and policy. (pp. 99–129). Springer.

Kurz, A., Elliott, S. N., Wehby, J. H., & Smithson, J. L. (2010). Alignment of the intended, planned, and enacted curriculum in general and special education and its relation to student achievement. Journal of Special Education, 44(3), 1–20.

Lewno, B. (2019). An examination of gender bias in cognitive ability predictors of math, reading, and writing achievement: Evidence from a nationally representative sample [ProQuest Information & Learning]. In Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences (Vol. 80, Issue 11–A(E)).

Lu, R., Guo, H., & Dorans, N. J. (2021). Robustness of weighted differential item functioning (DIF) analysis: The case of Mantel‐Haenszel DIF statistics. Research Report. ETS RR‐21‐12. ETS Research Report Series.

McGrew, K. S., LaForte, E. M., & Schrank, F. A. (2014). Technical Manual. Woodcock‐Johnson IV. Rolling Riverside.

Mitchell, C. (2017, 23 October). Some states with ‘English‐Only’ laws won’t offer tests in other languages. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/policy‐politics/some‐states‐with‐englishonly‐ laws‐wont‐offer‐tests‐in‐other‐languages/2017/10

Mitchell, C. (2019, 30 October) ‘English‐Only’ laws in education on verge of extinction. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching‐learning/english‐only‐laws‐in‐education‐on‐verge‐ofextinction/ 2019/10

National Assessment of Educational Progress (n.d. 1). Achievement levels. Retrieved 19 Nov., 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/ndehelp/webhelp/achievement_levels.htm 

National Assessment of Educational Progress (n.d. 2). Achievement gaps. Retrieved 23 May, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/studies/gaps/ NASP (National Association of School Psychologists) (2020). The professional standards of the National Association of School Psychologists. http://www.nasponline.org/

Pearson (2018). aimswebPlus Efficacy Research Report April 2018. https://www.pearson.com/content/dam/one‐dot‐com/one‐dot‐com/global/Files/efficacy‐andresearch/ reports/efficacy‐assessment‐reports/aimsweb‐Plus‐research‐report.pdf

Pearson Assessments (nd1). KTEA‐3 product details. https://www.pearsonassessments.com/store/usassessments/en/Store/Professional‐ Assessments/Academic‐Learning/Reading/Kaufman‐Test‐of‐Educational‐Achievement‐%7CThird‐ Edition/p/100000777.html?tab=product‐details.

Pearson Assessments (nd2). Wechsler Individual Achievement Test Fourth Edition. https://www.pearsonassessments.com/store/usassessments/en/Store/Professional‐ Assessments/Academic‐Learning/Wechsler‐Individual‐Achievement‐Test‐%7C‐Fourth‐ Edition/p/100002039.html?tab=overview.

Reynolds, M. R., Scheiber, C., Hajovsky, D. B., Schwartz, B., & Kaufman, A. S. (2015). Gender differences in academic achievement: Is writing an exception to the gender similarities hypothesis? The Journal of Genetic Psychology: Research and Theory on Human Development, 176(4), 211–234.

Richardson, R. D., Hawken, L. S., & Kircher, J. (2012). Bias using Maze to predict high‐stakes test performance among Hispanic and Spanish‐speaking students. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 37(3), 159–170. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534508411430320.  

Scheiber, C. (2016). Do the Kaufman tests of cognitive ability and academic achievement display construct bias across a representative sample of Black, Hispanic, and Caucasian school‐age children in grades 1 through 12? Psychological Assessment, 28(8), 942–952. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000236.supp

Scheiber, C. (2017). Does the KABC‐II display ethnic bias in the prediction of reading, math, and writing in elementary school through high school? Assessment, 24(6), 729–745. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191115624545

Schulte, A C. (2016). Prevention and response to intervention: Past, present, and future. In S. R. Jimerson, M. K. Burns, & A. M. VanDerHeyden (eds.) Handbook of Response to Intervention: The Science and Practice of Multi‐Tiered Systems of Support (pp. 59‐71). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978‐1‐4899‐7568‐3

Scheiber, C., Reynolds, M. R., Hajovsky, D. B., & Kaufman, A. S. (2015). Gender differences in achievement in a large, nationally representative sample of children and adolescents. Psychology in the Schools, 52(4), 335–348

Skopek, J., Triventi, M., & Buchholz, S. (2019). How do educational systems affect social inequality of educational opportunities? The role of tracking in comparative perspective. Research handbook on the sociology of education, 214‐232.

Smolkowski, K., & Cummings, K. D. (2016). Evaluation of the DIBELS (Sixth Edition) diagnostic system for the selection of native and proficient English speakers at risk of reading difficulties. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 34(2), 103–118. 

Soland, J. (2018). Are achievement gap estimates biased by differential student test effort? Putting an important policy metric to the test. Teachers College Record, 120(12),1‐26. http://www.tcrecord.org.22443

Turner, E. O., & Spain, A. K. (2020). The multiple meanings of (in)equity: Remaking school district tracking policy in an era of budget cuts and accountability. Urban Education, 55(5), 783–812.

University of Oregon. (2006). Guía en inglés para la administración y calificación de IDEL. In University of Oregon, Indicadores Dinámicos del Éxito en la Lectura (7a ed.). http://dibels.uoregon.edu/

University of Oregon (2018‐2020). 8th Edition of Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS®): Technical Manual. https://dibels.uoregon.edu

University of Oregon (2023). 8th Edition of Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS®): Administration and Scoring Guide, 2023 Edition.. https://dibels.uoregon.edu

Weiss, L. G., & Prifitera, A. (1995). An evaluation of differential prediction of WIAT achievement scores from WISC‐III FSIQ across ethnic and gender groups. Journal of School Psychology, 33(4), 297– 304. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022‐4405(95)00016‐F

White, J., Mather, N., Schneider, D. A., & Kirkpatrick, J. B. (2020). Achievement assessment. In M. Sellbom, & J. A. Suhr (Eds). Cambridge handbook of clinical assessment and diagnosis (pp. 160‐ 179). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108235433.013

Yeo, S., Fearrington, J., & Christ, T. J. (2011). An investigation of gender, income, and special education status bias on curriculum‐based measurement slope in reading. School Psychology Quarterly, 26(2), 119–130. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023021

Jeff Braden is Professor of Psychology at North Carolina State University. He has directed school psychology programs at NC State, University of Wisconsin—Madison, San Jose State, and the University of Florida. Jeff has presented more than 300 papers at state, national, and international meetings and published more than 160 articles, books, book chapters, and other products on assessment, school psychology, intelligence, and deafness. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, and has chaired their Committee on Psychological Tests and Assessments. Jeff is also a member of the Society for the Study of School Psychology. He has conducted research with the Research Institute for Secondary Education Reform (RISER) for youth with disabilities, studied the treatment utility of assessment for educational consultation, conducted local (evaluated NCDPI’s problem‐solving model) and international research, and provided keynote addresses in New South Wales, Australia; Dublin, Ireland; Limassol, Cyprus (to 29 European countries); and as a Fulbright Scholar in Athens, Greece. Jeff also served as dean of the college of humanities and social sciences at NC State from 2008‐2021. His latest project is a special issue in the Journal of School Psychology devoted to report preregistration and replications.