DEE604 Politics of Assessment

This course critically explores implications, meanings, and uses of educational and psychological assessment in the social construction of ability/disability and the maintenance of social hierarchies. Historical, philosophical, and scientific foundations of assessment will be explored and interrogated. Historical and contemporary theories and practices of assessment will be considered from positions of race, ethnicity, gender, social class and disability. Social, educational, and political uses of assessment will be evaluated from critical sociological, educational and psychological perspectives. Assessment and accountability practices embedded in federal education laws will be scrutinized for their impact on particular social groups and institutional cultures. Prerequisite(s): Admission to a doctoral program in NCE, post-masters status, or consent of instructor. 3 semester hours