Assessing Minority Student Performance

Abstract

Recent studies suggest that minority students do not perform well on standardized assessment measures commonly used to evaluate their preparation for and performance in college. This chapter examines student outcomes and criticisms surrounding standardized achievement testing and discusses strategies for employing alternative assessment approaches. Assessing Minority Student PerformanceRomero Jalomo Jr.Reports on minority student preparation for and performance in college continue to yield contradictory results. While today's minority students appear better prepared for college success than the generation that preceded them, their performance on achievement tests and persistence in college leaves cause for concern. Despite inconclusive findings, minority student outcomes continue to draw the attention of external constituencies (accreditation organizations, state and local legislators, district boards, taxpayers, and parents) and internal constituencies (administrators, faculty members, institutional researchers, counseling staff members, and academic advisors) who function as stakeholders in an era of higher education accountability (Cress, 1996). Today's colleges and universities enroll a more diverse student population in terms of demographic makeup, learning styles, and academic preparation than at any other time in American history (Jalomo, 2000;Terenzini and others, 1996). However, colleges and universities remain under the watchful eye of multiple stakeholder groups to ensure their efficiency and effectiveness in delivering quality instruction.In an era of public debate and scrutiny concerning college access, educators are challenged to provide meaningful, substantive, and conducive learning experiences to a diverse population of students. In addition, the challenge remains to select and administer appropriate measures to assess their preparation for college, skills acquisition, and college outcomes. This chapter examines how traditional assessment measures of minority student preparation for and performance in college have produced differential results, and offers suggestions for alternative approaches to measuring skills acquisition in the college environment.

Culture as a Parameter in Assessing Students Performance

“…Students are therefore required to undertake active roles in the assessment process. Jalomo (2013) suggests there is a need to analyze the manner in which educational issues of different learners should be explained. The rationale for utilizing culture as a parameter in establishing students' performance is that it will help develop independent life-long students who have the capacity to determine their progress and make improvements in their lives.…”

“…In this regard, it is vital to establish that there are no standardized assessment instruments that are perceived as flexible to the choices of the methods and approaches used. Learning institutions, therefore, need to ensure that their learning environments embrace culture as a parameter of assessment with the primary objective of establishing the performances of learners (Jalomo, 2013). Moreover, a culture of assessment ensures that the faculty members of an institution determine the results the institutions produce and the manner in which these results may be translated to the required institutional and learning outcomes for the students, their parents, and the stakeholders.…”

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“…Culture as an assessment instrument follows an implicit approach that requires students to decode and understand elements that are intended to enhance academic meaning as compared to literal meanings. Linguistically, non-native students need to ensure they recognize their practical frameworks in their learning processes to understand the sense of differences in socio-economic, cultural, and gender backgrounds that allow them to acquire opportunities aimed at demonstrating the extent of their skills, knowledge, and abilities (Jalomo, 2013). Culture as an assessment tool may additionally be utilized in reporting and determining the progress of learners and in the decision-making process that relates to the promotion of the student's abilities.…”

Utilizing Traditional Cognitive Measures of Academic Preparation to Predict First-Year Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Majors' Success in Math and Science Courses

“…With those two points in mind, my research study was conducted to try and develop a model for predicting those STEM students who might be likely to receive poor grades in math and science during their first year. According to Jalomo (2000), students who experience academic success and develop a positive academic self-concept early on are more likely to persist. All the more reason to develop prediction models like the ones utilized in my study so that those students who are more likely to fail can receive additional support and resources or be placed into less rigorous courses at the beginning of their college careers.…”