Further Exclusion: Standardized Testing in Chinese Inclusive Primary Schools

Chinas inclusive education, while progressive in policy discourse, is undermined in practice by a standardised assessment regime that structurally excludes students with special educational needs (SEN). This article conducts a critical analysis of how standardized assessments exacerbate the exclusion of students with SEN through policy analysis and current research, as well as through the perspective of critical disability theory. The research indicates that while policies advocate equity, standardized assessments marginalize students with SEN by emphasizing limited academic criteria, hence perpetuating stigma and epistemic injustice. The critical analysis highlights the paradox between Chinas inclusive commitment and standardized assessment mechanism rooted in historical keju tradition. In order to bridge the gap, integrate formative assessment and reconstruct teacher training programs to improve the celebration of cognitive diversity. Otherwise, without systematic shifts towards equity-driven evaluation, the advocacy of inclusive education in China would remain a utopian vision. The article underscores the necessity for meaningful and inclusive structural reforms in primary education in China.