New Approaches to Assessment and Placement of Minority Students: A Review for Educators.

The unprecedented influx of new settlers into Canada since 1962 has compounded the problems of minority student assessment and placement. This paper discusses the underlying issues involved in assessment and placement of minority students, then reviews related problems. Until the 1950s, Canada's school system, like that of Great Britain and the United States, relied heavily on psychometric testing to assess and place students, a practice that reinforced socioeconomic class distinctions. Because many minority students did not perform well on such tests, they were disproportionately placed in special education or vocational classes. The paper explores the incongruity of traditional assessment tests by examining the history and conceptual framework of intelligence testing. The report then focuses on how Ontario's multicultural objectives are reflected in policy and practice and what considerations are being taken into account regarding the assessment and placement of minority students. Several innovative approaches to assessment are discussed in the light of their use among minority children. The final chapter reports the findings of a consultative committee on minority testing. Nondiscriminatory assessment, the committee concluded, will depend on educators' awareness of and sensitivity to the following factors: (1) current research; (2) cultural and linguistic biases inherent in currently available ability tests; (3) different learning styles requiring different teaching modes; (4) a curriculum reflecting diverse cultural realities and acknowledging the contribution of minority groups; (5) opportunities within classrooms for students to express themselves in a variety of modes; and (6) regular and continuous assessment, including both formal and informal, both standardized and alternative, methods. A bibliography with 109 entries is appended. (CJS)