This displays thoughts about the relation of assessment to cultural diversity. Assessment And Diversity Assessment should be effective and fair for all. Models of assessment plans cannot be generalized to each and every student population, especially in the community college setting where today's student body is more diverse in terms of age, ethnicity, and cultural and linguistic background. Educators should care, not only about how our diverse student population and pluralistic society are reflected on the disciplines we teach and how we teach them, but also on assessment. Quality teaching benefits all students, not just minorities.
Quality assessment works the same way.
Well-designed assessment tools and processes determine achievement of specified learning outcomes, regardless of the student's ethnicity, cultural background, and learning style. The diverse characteristics of our students, however, should not be ignored when designing assessment processes and selecting assessment tools. These tools should be free of stereotypes, allow for outcomes in a variety of modes, and solicit varied and creative student performances. The greater number and richer opportunities we give our students to demonstrate academic achievement, the more effective we will be as a learning institution. Let's not forget the goals of assessment are not to punish but to promote student cognitive and personal development, to strengthen institutional programs, and to contribute to the institutional mission's success.