Purpose: The purpose of this research as part of an Erasmus+ funded project tilted Aiding Culturally Responsive Assessment in Schools (www.acras.eu) is to provide an exploratory analysis of survey responses related to culturally responsive assessment policies, professional development and practices that were administered to school principals in four European countries (Austria, Ireland, Norway and Turkey).

Research Methods: The research method used in this study was a quantitative comparative analysis. A purposeful sampling strategy was adopted based on geographical spread of the participants in Austria, Ireland and Turkey. The survey was also administered to all principals in four out of eighteen Norwegian counties. Descriptive analysis and nonparametric analysis were used.

Findings: There is evidence to suggest that the foundations for culturally responsive assessment practices are beginning to take shape albeit varying degrees of difference in each country. However, the survey results also indicate the need for training and professional development, and this study also implies that not enough emphasis is being placed on culturally responsive assessment despite the rhetoric that espouses interculturalism.

Implications for Research and Practice: The research points the need for upskilling in culturally responsive leadership as well as the development of an overarching culturally responsive assessment framework and toolkit that can be used by policy makers and schools to allay the various interpretations of what it means to satisfy the assessment needs of teachers and students with migrant backgrounds.

• Aceves, T. C., & Orosco, M. J. (2014). Culturally responsive teaching (Document No. IC-2). Retrieved from University of Florida, Collaboration for Effective Educator, Development, Accountability, and Reform Center website: http://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/tools/innovation-configurations/ on 10 May 2017
• AFAD (2016). Suriye afet raporu (Syria disaster report) (Retrieved from, https://www.afad.gov.tr/tr/2372/Afet-Raporu-Suriye, in 22.11.2016).
• Baker, E. L., O'Neil, H. F.Jr., & Linn, R. L. (1993). Policy and validity prospects for performance-based assessment. American Psychologist American Psychological Association, 48 (12), 1210-1218
• Banks, J. A. (2006). Diversity in american education: Foundations, curriculum and teaching. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
• Banks, J. A. (2008). Teaching strategies for ethnic studies. Boston Allyn & Bacon.
• Bennett, J. M. (2009). Cultivating intercultural competence: A process perspective. In Deardorff, D. K. (Ed.), The SAGE handbook of intercultural competence (pp. 121-140). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Bilgili O., Volante L., & Klinger, D. (2018). Immigrant student achievement and the performance disadvantage. In Volante L., Klinger D., Bilgili O. (Eds.), Immigrant student achievement and education policy- Policy implications of research in education (pp. 3-150). Springer, Cham.
• Bledsoe, K., & Donaldson, S. I. (2015). Culturally responsive theory driven evaluation. In S. Hood, R. Hopson & H. Frierson (Eds.), Continuing the journey to reposition culture and cultural context in evaluation theory and practice (pp. 3-28). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing Inc.
• Borjas, G. J. (1995). The economic benefits from immigration. Journal of economic perspectives, 9(2), 3-22
• Brown, M., McNamara, G., & O’Hara, J. (2016). Quality and the rise of value-added in education: The case of Ireland. Policy Futures in Education, 14(6), 810-829
• Brown, M., McNamara, G., O’Hara, J., Hood, S., Burns, D., & Kurum, G. (2017) 'Evaluating the impact of distributed culturally responsive leadership in a disadvantaged rural primary school in Ireland'. Educational Management and Administration. Retrieved from https://doi-org.dcu.idm.oclc.org/10.1177%2F1741143217739360 on 15 April 2018
• Brown, M., McNamara, G., O’Hara, J., & O’Brien, S. (2017) Inspectors and the Process of Self-Evaluation in Ireland. In: Baxter J. Eds) School Inspectors. Accountability and Educational Improvement. Springer, Cham. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52536-5_4
• Brown, M. (2013) Inquiry into the education and training ınspectorate (ETI). Northern Ireland Assembly, Northern Ireland. doi: https://doi.org/10.13140/rg.2.2.17129.80486
• Brown, M. (2007). Educating all students: Creating culturally responsive teachers, classrooms, and schools. Intervention in school and clinic, 43(1), 57-62.
• Burns, D., Devitt, A., McNamara, G., O’Hara, J. ,& Brown, M. (2018). Is it all memory recall? An empirical investigation of intellectual skill requirements in Leaving Certificate examination papers in Ireland. Irish Educational Studies, 37(3), 351-372. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/03323315.2018.1484300
• Caldas, S.J., & Bankston, C. (1997) Effect of school population socioeconomic status on individual academic achievement. The Journal of Educational Research, 90(5), 269-277. Retrieved from
• Caspersen, J., Smeby, J.C., & Olaf Aamodt, P. (2017). Measuring learning outcomes. European Journal of Education, 52(1), 20-30.
• Castagno, A.E., & Brayboy, B.M.J., (2008). Culturally responsive schooling for Indigenous youth: A review of the literature. Review of educational research, 78(4), 941-993.
• Castles, S., De Haas, H., & Miller, M.J., 2013. The age of migration: International population movements in the modern world. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Cavalli Sforza, L. L., & Pievani, T. (2012) Homo sapiens-The great history of human diversity. Codice, Turin
• Central Statistics Office. (2017). Census 2016 summary results. Dublin : Central Statistics Office.
• Cheng, W., & Warren, M. (1997). Having second thoughts: Student perceptions before and after a peer assessment exercise. Studies in Higher Education, 22(2), 233-239.
• Chung, R.Y.N., & Griffiths, S.M. (2018). Migration and health in the world: a global public health perspective. Public Health, 158, 64-65.
• Cummins, J., (1979). Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children. Review of educational research, 49(2), 222-251
• Cummins, J. (2000). Language, power and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the Crossfire. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. eBook.
• Czaika, M., & De Haas, H. (2014). The globalization of migration: Has the world become more migratory ?. International Migration Review, 48(2), 283-323.
• De Backer, F., Van Avermaet, P., & Slembrouck, S. (2017). Schools as laboratories for exploring multilingual assessment policies and practice. Language and Education, 31(3), 217-230. http://dx.doi.org.dcu.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/09500782.2016.1261896
• Demmert, Jr, W.G. (2001). Improving Academic Performance among Native American Students: A Review of the Research Literature. Retrieved 01 January 2018, from http://www.eric.ed.gov./ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/0d/de/70.pdf. Department of Education and Skills. (2012). Circular 09/2012, Staffing arrangements in post-primary schools for the 2012/13 school year [Online]. Available from: https://circulars.gov.ie/pdf/circular/education/2012/09.pdf [Accessed 12 March 2016].
• Department of Education and Skills. (2010). Intercultural Education Strategy, 2010 – 2015. Retrieved from http://www.education.ie/en/Schools-olleges/Information/Intercultural-Education-Strategy/Intercultural-Education-Strategy.html#sthash.m6ty0EoB.dpuf on 01 February 2018. Earley, P. C., & Mosakowski, E. (2004). Cultural intelligence. Harvard Business Review.
• Eurostat. (2017) Migration and migrant population statistics. Available from:http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=File:Non-national_population_by_group_of_citizenship,_1_January_2017_.png [Accessed 01 February 2018]
• Espinosa, L. M. (2005). Curriculum and assessment considerations for young children from culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse backgrounds. gayPsychology in The Schools, 42(8), 837-853.
• Fillitz, T. (2002). Interkulturelles lernen. zwischen institutionellem rahmen, schulischer praxis und gesellschaftlichem kommunikationsprinzip. Innsbruck: Studienverlag.
• Ford, D. Y., & Kea, C. D. (2009). Creating culturally responsive instruction: For students' sake and teachers' sake. Focus on Exceptional Children, (41), 1-18.
• Ford, D.Y., & Moore, J.L., (2013). Understanding and reversing underachievement, low achievement, and achievement gaps among high-ability African American males in urban school contexts. The Urban Review, 45(4), 399-415.
• Gay, G. (2010). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research and practice. (3rd ed.). Multicultural Education Series. New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia University.
• Geddes, A., & Scholten, P. (2016). The politics of migration and immigration in Europe. London: Sage. Government of Ireland. (1998). Education Act. Dublin: Stationery Office.
• Griner, A.C., & Stewart, M.L., (2013). Addressing the achievement gap and disproportionality through the use of culturally responsive teaching practices. Urban Education, 48(4), 585-621.
• Hancock, A. (2017). The challenges of multilingualism for schools. Conference presentation. Minority language pupils and the curriculum: closing the achievement gap. Marino Institute of Education. 25 April 2017
• Hanrahan, S.J., & Isaacs, G. (2001). Assessing self-and peer assessment: The students' views. Higher Education Research & Development, 20(1), 53-70. Harris, M.M. (2006). Cultural skill: An emerging construct for the 21st century. Global Forum, 43 (3), 43-47.
• Hempel, P.S., & Sue-Chan, C. (2010). Culture and the assessment of creativity. Management and Organization Review, 6 (3), 415-435. DOI: 10.1111/j.1740-8784.2010.00189
• Hood, S., Hopson, R., & Frierson, H. (Eds.). (2015). Continuing the journey to reposition culture and cultural context in evaluation theory and practice. Charlotte, NC.: Information Age Publishing.
• Hood, S. (1998). Culturally responsive performance-based assessment: Conceptual and psychometric considerations. The Journal of Negro Education, 67(3), 187 – 196.
• Hofstede, G. (2009). The moral circle in intercultural competence. In D. K. Deardorff (Ed.). The Sage Handbook of Intercultural Competence (pp. 85 – 94). Sage.
• Kim, K. H., & Zabelina, D. (2015). Cultural bias in assessment: Can creativity assessment help? International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, 6(2), 129-147. University of North Carolina.
• Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. American Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 465-491.
• Lovdata. (2016). Lov om grunnskolen og den vidaregåande opplæringa (opplæringslova). Retrieved from https://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/1998-07-17-61 on 01 February 2018.
• LaFrance, J., Kirkhart, K. E., & Nichols, R. (2015). Cultural views of validity: A conversation. In S. Hood, R. Hopson & H. Frierson (Eds.), Continuing the journey to reposition culture and cultural context in evaluation theory and practice (pp. 49-72). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
• Menken, K. (2010). NCLB and English language learners: Challenges and consequences. Theory Into Practice, 49(2), 121-128. Mitakidou, S., Karagianni, P., & Tressou, E. (2015) The challenges and agony of researchers in a diverse marginalised context. Researching Marginalized Groups, 16-36.
• MoNe. (2018). www.meb.gov.tr/meb_iys_dosyalar/2018_03/26191912_yonerge.pdf, Accessed at 20.10.2018.
• Morris, A. (2011) Student Standardised Testing: Current practices in OECD countries and a literature review. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Paris. NDET. (2017). The education mirror 2016. Oslo: NDET.
• National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). (2009). Key skills framework. http://www.ncca.ie/en/Curriculum_and_Assessment/PostPrimary_Education/Senior_Cycle/Key_Skills_Framework/KS_Framework.pdf.
• National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). (2006). Intercultural education in the post-primary school: Guidelines for schools. www.ncca.ie/uploadedfiles/publications/interc%20Guide_Eng.pdf
• National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). (2005). Proposals for the Future Development of Senior Cycle Education in Ireland. www.ncca.ie/uploadedfiles/SCycle%20Advice_0405.pdf.
• Nelson-Barber, S. and Trumbull, E. (2007). Making assessment practices valid for Indigenous American students. Journal of American Indian Education, 132-147. OECD (2017). Education at a Glance. OECD indicators. Paris: OECD.
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2016a). PISA 2015 results, excellence and equity in education (Vol. I). Paris: OECD Publishing. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264266490-en
• OECD (2016b). Education at a Glance, OECD Indicators Norway. Paris: OECD Publishing. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2016-73-en
• O'Connor, M. C. (1989). Aspects of differential performance by minorities on standardized tests: Linguistic and sociocultural factors. In B. R. Gifford (Ed.), Test policy and test performance: Education, language, and culture (pp. 129-181). Boston: Kluwer.
• Padilla, A. M. (2001). Issues in culturally appropriate assessment. In L.A. Suzuki, J. G. Ponterotto, & P.J. Meller (Eds.). Handbook of multicultural assessment (2nd ed.) (pp. 527). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Poole, P., Brown, M., McNamara, G., O'Hara, J., O'Brien, S., & Burns, D. (2018). Challenges and supports towards the integration of ePortfolios in education. Lessons to be learned from Ireland. Heliyon, 4(11). doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00899
• Qualls, A. L. (1998). Culturally responsive assessment: Development strategies and validity issues. The Journal of Negro Education, 67(3), 296-301. doi:10.2307/2668197
• Randen, G. T. (2015). Assessment of minority language proficiency in primary school. Norwegian as a Second Language, 30(1-2), 350 – 372
• Reynolds, M., & Trehan, K. (2000). Assessment: a critical perspective. Studies in Higher Education, 25(3), 267-278.
• Rothstein-Fisch, C., & Trumbull, E. (2008). Managing diverse classrooms: How to build on students’ cultural strengths. Alexandria, US: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development (ASCD), 2008. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 2 October 2016.
• Rychen, D., & Salganik, L. (2003). The definition and selection of key competencies: executive summary [Online]. Available from: http://www.oecd.org/pisa/35070367.pdf [Accessed 17 September 2018]
• Scheerens, J., Luyten, H., & van Ravens, J. (2011). Measuring educational quality by means of indicators. In J. Scheerens, H. Luyten, & J. van Ravens (Eds.), Perspectives on educational quality: illustrative outcomes on primary and secondary schooling in the Netherlands (pp. 35-50). (SpringerBriefs in education; Vol. 1, No. 1). Dordrecht: Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-0926-3_2
• Schapiro, K. A. (2009). Migration and Educational Outcomes of Children. Human Development Research Paper 57, United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report Office, New York.
• Shewbridge, C., Jang, E., Matthews, P., & Santiago, P. (2011), OECD Reviews of Evaluation and Assessment in Education: Denmark, OECD, Paris, available from www.oecd.org/edu/evaluationpolicy.
• Slee, J. (2010). A systemic approach to culturally responsive assessment practices and evaluation. Higher Education Quarterly, 64(3), 246-260.
• Smith-Maddox, R. (1998). Defining Culture as a Dimension of Academic Achievement: Implications for Culturally Responsive Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. Journal of Negro Education, 67(3), 302-17
• Stobart, G. (2008). Testing times: The uses and abuses of assessment. Oxon: Routledge.
• Tabachnik, B., & Fidel, L. S. (2007). Using multivariate statistics. (Fifth Edition) Boston: Pearson.
• Tan, J. S. (2004). Issues & observations: Cultural intelligence and the global economy. Leadership in Action, 24(5), 19-21.
• Taras, M. (2001). The use of tutor feedback and student self-assessment in summative assessment tasks: towards transparency for students and for tutors. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 26(6), 605-614.
• Tichá, R., & Abery, B. (2016). Beyond the Large-scale Testing of Basic Skills: using formative assessment to facilitate student learning. in W.C. Smith (Ed.) The Global Testing Culture: shaping education policy, perceptions, and practice. Oxford: Symposium Books,
• Topping, K.J. (2009). Peer assessment. Theory into Practice, 48(1), 20-27.
• United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2017a). International Migration Report 2017. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/publications/migrationreport/docs/MigrationReport2017.pdf
• United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2017b). International Migration Report 2017 – Highlights.
• Villegas, A.M., & Lucas, T. (2002). Educating culturally responsive teachers: A coherent approach. Suny Press: New York.
• Wood, D., & Kurzel, F. (2008). Engaging students in reflective practice through a process of formative peer review and peer assessment. ATN Assessment, On 18 July 2018, Retreived from search.ror.unisa.edu.au/media/.../53109106480001831.
• Young, C., McNamara, G., Brown, M., & O’Hara, J. (2018) Adopting and adapting: school leaders in the age of data-informed decision making. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 30(2), 133-158. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-018-9278-4