Culturally De-Centered Test Design for Pictorial Reasoning Assessments

Although methods have been developed for developing culturally “decentered” assessments that use languages, such as transadaptation strategies, pictures are often assumed to be culture-neutral and have not received similar attention. This paper describes CogAT test development in 2007-2011 on the adaptation of verbal and quantitative reasoning formats that relied exclusively on pictures for students in grades K to 2. In the course of the test development, we applied cross-cultural test adaptation practices and developed new resources for cultural fairness reviews that explicitly addressed cultural loading of pictures and concepts beyond the usual achievement domains. This paper describes these applications and provides resources for others seeking to develop culturally decentered, picture-based assessments.