Educational Assessment and Educational Equity

Educational testing and assessment pose a serious obstacle to the educational progress of underrepresented groups, primarily because of the manner in which these tools are used. If assessment were to be used primarily as a form of feedback for enhancing the learning process rather than for screening and selecting, the cause of educational equity would be much better served. To accomplish such a change in our use of assessment will require a major revision in our traditional notions about educational "excellence."