Checking for bias
“When working towards consistent assessment based on teacher judgment there is a need to consider how information about aspects of students’ behaviour or knowledge, special education need, or the general verbal ability of a student can impact on teachers’ judgments of performance in a particular task”. (Harlen 2005)
Assessment that relies on a significant degree of teacher judgment is primarily subjective. It can be useful to examine bias with teachers as “bias can result , unconsciously, from prior dealings with students based on attitude, behaviour, gender, race or disability.” (Adie, 2008)
Some common biases in assessing student work include:
- considering longer texts more worthy than shorter ones
- considering neater handwriting more worthy than untidy writing
- use of internalised, unstated standards that individual teachers have developed over time ‘in their heads’ instead of agreed criteria
- notions of being ‘fair’ to a student by giving them the ‘benefit of the doubt’ rather than what the evidence shows
- judging work on what teachers consider students deserve based on prior knowledge or inferred judgment of student effort.