Investigating Student Achievement using Equitable assessment practices in secondary school classrooms

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the effects of equitable assessments and learning styles on the academic achievement of students in 9th grade Science course. This experimental study is designed as a post-test only control group model and was conducted at a semi government Secondary school in Pakistan.The total research participants were 64 ninth graders 32 in each group. The learning style of the experimental group was identified using VARK before the intervention. The experimental group was administered a UDL based teaching approach during the intervention, while the control group was taught with the traditional approach. A post-test (equitable assessment) was conducted after the intervention from both the experimental and control groups. Post-test analysis in dicates a significant difference in academic achievements of students between the two groups supporting equitable assessments and the UDL approach. The impact of learning styles on the academic performance of students was also investigated and no significant differences were found between different learning styles.The outcomes of the study rec ommend that quality of education can be improved using new assessment strategies and merging UDL into regular classrooms to promote lifelong learning.