Guidelines for test developers and users are provided to insure that construction and selection of test instruments are conducted fairly. In addition to development and selection, issues of interpretation of scores; provision of information to test takers; and prevention of test bias based on race, gender, or ethnicity are addressed. Twenty-one…

The issue of interpretation of standard test scores of minorities is discussed. The history of the issue is reviewed. The National Academy of Science's decision to reinterpret the scores of minorities is summarized. (YP)

Describes the Second International Science Study. Analyzes several variables mitigating the interpretative power of the study, including different needs and agendas, cultural bias, equivalence of data, data analysis, student retention rates, comparability of target populations, and test validity. (YP)

This study examined differential item performance in the Progressive Achievement Tests for Mathematics (PAT Math) by both Pakeha (reference--majority) and Maori (focal--minority) students in New Zealand using both Item Response Theory (IRT) and non-IRT techniques. The PAT Math, a 50-item standardized test used in part to guide within class and…

To show the difficulty of eliminating test bias and to develop a methodology for distinguishing between the effects of prior knowledge and of skill development on reading comprehension, 207 eighth grade students from rural and urban areas were administered an 18-question reading comprehension test. Quantitative and qualitative effects of prior…

The Test of Language Development--Intermediate (TOLD-I) was administered to 26 learning disabled (LD) and 26 nonLD elementary aged black children. The subjects were matched for age, IQ, and class placement. Statistically significant differences were found between the two groups on four of the five subtests of the TOLD-I. The data also were…

Criticism of standardized tests is extensive, and a number of claims of test misuse have been made. Test misuse is discussed in six common circumstances. (1) Test users accept the title of a test as an accurate and complete description of the variable being measured, not having full knowledge of the test, its items, and the test manual. A…

Normal black adolescents were given neuropsychological tests of brain damage, and the interpretation of these tests was reviewed with respect to culturally relevant data. Subjects were 50 male and 50 female black students, aged 12-13, with no history of central nervous system trauma, and average scores on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for…