Towards culturally responsive assessment: “If you give me the tools and steps, I’ll give you my best self”

Within all levels of the education sector there have been increasing calls for culturally relevant and affirming assessment practice. This article reports on an investigation of the assessment experiences of Cook Islands tertiary students. A qualitative approach underpinned by an interpretivist research paradigm was utilised for this study. Three key aspects of the assessment experience were identified. These related to language usage, cultural values, and acknowledgement of affective factors. By considering the findings through a framework of culturally responsive pedagogy which recognises the importance of students’ cultural references in all aspects of learning, this study proposes possibilities by which tertiary education providers can discover and implement assessment approaches that allow for more inclusive and culturally responsive assessment.