By: Erica Romero

Most individuals and government entities agree that you cannot improve what you do not measure. Because of this, campuses, states, and the federal government all value the insights gleaned from assessments. 

But what do educators think about assessments and accountability?  

In 2022, Latinos for Education released “Latinos Speak: A Candid Reflection on Assessments and Accountability,” an unbiased summary of what we heard from nearly 540 Latino parents and educators. While the report did not advocate for any particular viewpoint regarding assessments and accountability, we did glean a diverse set of viewpoints from our community.  

Between 2023-2024, Latinos for Education conducted additional research on teacher recruitment and retention that informed focus groups of educators who shared their thoughts on this topic. This discussion included not only the assessments used to evaluate teachers, but also the assessments used to evaluate students since in most cases the two are intertwined. 

What has remained clear to us through our research is that we must continue work on how we assess both educators and students and in turn create accountability.  

Educators told us that assessment tools must be tested for biases. Whether an assessment is a student standardized test, an educator certification test, or the evaluation of an existing teacher, research shows that bias enters into the equation. What we’ve gleaned from our networks of educators is that we must ensure assessment tools remain fair and here is why:  

1. Educator certification exams are the first barriers that educators face to entering the teaching profession, and we know that the exams disadvantage our students of color. Exam writers must be intentional about eliminating bias while licensure programs shour effectively prepare candidates for the exam. We must also create multiple pathways for our future educators to ensure they have every ability to prove that they belong in the classroom.   

2. Educator assessment exams are the second barrier teachers face – this time impacting their ability to remain in the classroom. Various types of assessments are used to evaluate teachers and they vary in frequency as well as methodology. Some are simple checklists to ensure that certain criteria are met, while others are far more in-depth 360 assessments that may include those who know the teacher best.  

Important in each case is to gauge the amount of implicit bias in the assessment and then reducing and eliminating this. Resources should also be made available to help teachers educate their students on the assessment. Additionally, the benchmark against which teachers are measured should be clear and should consider teachers who are in areas that have more privilege and resources, or varying student populations within the same school.  

3. Student assessment exams are the third barrier teachers face, which also affects their ability to remain in the classroom. Student assessments are often used to measure their teachers’ efficacy; yet research consistently shows they are biased against students of color.  

We must consider whether exam preparers have done everything they can to eliminate bias and if the results of these assessments truly measure what students are learning in the classroom. For example, are they comparing students to their own progress, or are exams comparing them to others who have different lived experience and may be significantly more advantaged? 

4. Finally, we cannot talk about the use of assessments without addressing the information shared with students, parents, and educators. Results must be shared in a way that is culturally and linguistically appropriate so that various audiences can understand exactly what they mean. They should also be offered in a timely manner and given in such a way that everyone involved is clear on what happens after the assessment, too. 

All these questions raised during our recent focus groups continue to show the importance of ensuring that assessments are carried out in an equitable manner that allows teachers, students, and parents to feel that they are being treated fairly.  

The results of our focus groups are what our educator community has experienced – our hope is that they can be fully understood by the education sector at large. Most importantly, these results tell us that we must continue to work diligently to eliminate bias in the assessment tools that may be keeping teachers of color from entering or staying in the classroom. 

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Erica Romero is responsible for providing thought leadership, policy analysis, policy development, and cultivating key partner relations with decision makers and influencers in the federal education space. She previously served as Assistant Vice President of State Advocacy at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, as well as Vice President of External Relations at the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities. She is a graduate of both UC Berkeley and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.