Immigrant Student Achievement and the Performance Disadvantage

Aiding culturally responsive assessment in schools in a globalising world

“…For the purpose of this study, we define migrant students as those born abroad or whose parents were born abroad (e.g. Bilgili et al 2018;OECD 2015). Migrant students are a heterogeneous group that comprises students from diverse social and cultural backgrounds and includes, for instance, refugees as well as children from families who have migrated for work and educational purposes.…”

“…Migrant students form a heterogeneous group, with diverse backgrounds, legal statuses and rights (Bilgili et al 2018), all of which can affect assessment in schools. Language, ethnicity, country of origin, religion, gender and social or economic status or class differences often arise in current political and educational debates (e.g.…”

“…However, according to Klinger et al (2018), few policies exist that explicitly target the education of migrant students. Although education policies may be purposefully designed to narrow the achievement gap between majority and migrant students, such policies can have unintended consequences and may even increase the gap (Bilgili et al 2018). The Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX 2015) is used to assess how open and supportive a country is towards its migrant population through the analysis of various policy dimensions.…”

“…The situation may even be related to curriculum or the presence (or absence) of inclusive integration policies that promote intercultural approaches (Arikan et al 2017). According to Bilgili et al (2018), 'immigrant students' education can be viewed as a factor and indicator of integration' (p. 5). As such, achievement gaps also indicate that work remains to be done to ensure that teaching and assessment practices enhance equity and equality in schools for both migrant and majority students.…”

Policy approaches to integration of newly arrived immigrant children in schools

“…National policies across OECD countries show great variance with regards to the integration of children with a migration background in schools (Bilgili, Volante & Klinger, 2018). The education system, history of migration, and policy traditions play a crucial role in shaping the ways in which national governments approach the question of how the academic and social resilience of immigrant and refugee children can be enhanced.…”