Responsive Assessment Tools in an Inclusive Education Setting

Within a South African context, facilitating the increased participation of marginalized groups within society has become a cornerstone of social policy. In institutions of higher education, this has generally involved the targeting for support of individuals representing groups traditionally excluded on the grounds of socio-economic and disability status. The focus has tended to be more on physical access issues and some technical supports. For students with disabilities, assessment practices are fraught with additional limitations. One will say that access issues within higher education have been inadequately conceptualized and as a result failed to address fundamental issues around assessment for students with disabilities. Hence, this chapter explores diverse assessment practices that are used as a tool in responsive inclusive education settings particularly in institutions of higher learning. It comprises of a literature review focusing on the analysis of inclusive education and diverse assessments practices that can be used to respond to challenges of inclusive education.