This article discusses a model of nesting based on race/ethnicity, language, and origin. Using data from the High School & Beyond national survey, it demonstrates how this model can be used to examine cultural diversity and disaggregate achievement test results both within and across LI.S. racial/ethnic groups. The argument is made that such a model holds greater pedagogical utility than do simple White-non-White academic performance comparisons. The resulting call for culturally sensitive pedagogy leads to a proposition for new assessment strategies that are growth-oriented rather than driven by social comparisons. INTRODUCTION In an influential review of the research literature on assessment and diversity, Garcia and Pearson (1994) outline a number of critical issues facing educators concerned with cultural pluralism and educational equity. Most salient among these issues, and possibly subsuming all others, were the following two questions: (a) Can assessment prove to be helpful to students of cultural, linguistic, and economic diversity? and (b) Can we learn to use new reference points to evaluate performance? The answer to both questions should be unequivocally yes. However, the persistence of the achievement gap between White and non-White students in the United States is proof enough that, in practice, the answer remains elusive. The assessment instruments used have often been criticized, and justifiably so, but a critical analysis of the concept of cultural diversity may also be in order. The present study focuses on the construction of a more powerful lens for examining cultural diversity and demonstrates that the use of such a lens facilitates the disaggregating of assessment data both within and across U.S. ethnic groups. The study next reveals the theoretical juncture at which cultural diversity and pedagogy may best meet to enhance academic achievement. Finally, it describes a mechanism for putting assessment fully in the service of pedagogy. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Most studies on cultural diversity, whether rooted in a multicultural perspective (Carter & Goodwin, 1994) or in critical race theory (Tate, 1997), address in priority the inequality in performance between non-White and White students (Rumberger & Willms, 1992). This emphasis has often been justified, not only with regard to the practical significance of the problem (Garibaldi,1997; Stedman,1997; Tharp, 1989), but also to counter errant inferences about genetic and racial superiority (Herrnstein & Murray, 1994). However, this quasi-exclusive focus on White-non-White gaps has had several unfortunate consequences. First of all, it has distracted attention from the dual task of making a thorough inventory of the cultural assets generated within each ethnic group and of establishing the relevance of those assets to education. Second and relatedly, it has sustained a tendency to gloss over the special characteristics and unique educational needs of particular subgroups. Third, it has led to some theoretical explanations that lack rigor or hold little heuristic value. Facets of Cultural Diversity Many observers have noted the remarkable diversity within the Black community in the United States (Mintz & Price, 1976). This diversity not only fuels the continuing cultural vitality of that community, but has served people of African descent well in putting their unmistakable stamp on mainstream American culture. Yet, this proven asset has not been systematically utilized for educational purposes. Basic knowledge about even the numerical importance of particular subgroups of African Americans is lacking. The unique contributions of deep-rooted cultural traditions such as those of the Gullah (Creel,1988) or the Cajuns (Holloway, 1990) remain unearthed, and the many lessons they could teach about cultural resiliency or linguistic syncretism are largely lost. Similarly, the possibilities for cultural renewal created through the immigration of non-White peoples from Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, Africa, South and Central America, and elsewhere in the past 40 years have gone, for the most part, unrecognized. …