Do not put red with our children: a thematic analysis of Somali perspectives on score reporting for State assessments

Abstract

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, states must provide parents with score reports for their statewide accountability assessments. Although many of these exams are designed primarily for system-level accountability, parents are given little guidance and expected to interpret individual student score reports, which raises validity concerns and underscores the need to understand how families make meaning from these reports. This is especially true for communities who do not equitably receive the report in their primary language, such as the Somali community in Minnesota. This quasi-deductive phenomenological study, guided by questions of access and understanding, explores the lived experiences of Somali parents as they navigate these score reports. Through a series of eight focus groups conducted in Somali, parents discussed their experiences with the official Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) score report before reviewing and reacting to mock-up reports designed using published best practices in both English and Somali. Data were analyzed through Reflexive Thematic Analysis, resulting in five themes. Findings indicate that direct translation is insufficient; reports must be culturally sustaining to be truly accessible. Parents expressed a strong desire to understand the reports, yet faced systemic barriers that prevented them from doing so. Many interpreted static scores as indicators of progress, reflecting their desire for tools that help them understand their children’s growth. At the same time, they relied on salient visual cues to make quick, binary judgments about performance while overlooking technical measurement features. Ultimately, parents viewed score reports as a call to action, motivating them to engage with teachers and advocate for their children. This study concludes that even when individual scores have limited utility, the reports themselves can serve as powerful tools for fostering parent engagement. The results yield actionable recommendations for developing more equitable score reporting practices that prioritize the perspectives and needs of marginalized families.