It Ain’t Near ‘Bout Fair: Re-Envisioning the Bias and Sensitivity Review Process from a Justice-Oriented Antiracist Perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT In a justice-oriented antiracist assessment process, attention to the disruption of white supremacy must occur at every stage – from construct articulation to score reporting. An important step in the assessment development process is the item review stage often referred to as Bias/Fairness and Sensitivity Review. I argue that typical approaches to the item and test review process miss the opportunity to actively disrupt white supremacist and racist logics – in other words, to be anti-racist. Using Critical Race and Critical Whiteness Theory as a frame, this paper challenges the field to re-envision the purpose and outcomes of the bias and sensitivity review process by (a) identifying common themes and/or recommendations found in bias and sensitivity guidelines that, even if unintentionally, center whiteness and/or the paradigm of white dominant culture; and (b) recommending a set of bias and sensitivity principles that promote an antiracist approach to assessment design, specifically item review.