While many standardized assessment measures exist to track child mental health treatment outcomes, the degree to which such tools have been adequately tested for reliability and validity across race, ethnicity, and class is uneven. This paper examines the corpus of published tests of psychometric properties for the ten standardized measures used…

This paper summarizes and analyzes data from studies of differential validity and differential prediction for blacks versus whites and females versus males. Forty studies on racial differences and 53 on gender differences were selected from searches of the ERIC, PsychInfo, and Dissertation Abstracts International databases; Buros' Mental…

This paper focuses on the methodology of cross group comparisons of regression coefficients commonly used to identify group differences in status attainment. Using the study of race differences in educational attainment as an example, the paper reviews a number of relevant published studies and demonstrates that evidence for such differences is…

The paper discusses test bias; presents the rationale of the System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment (SOMPA), a test instrument which assumes equal cultural and racial intellectual potential but asserts that there is not one normal curve of measured intellectual performance; and suggests that the test would correct racial and cultural test…

Procedures mentioned in this article include: (1) developing a new test, (2) modifying test items or keyed responses on existing tests, and (3) developing new norms for existing tests. Examples are given for each procedure, and advantages and disadvantages are discussed. (Author)

Investigates the stability of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition (SB:FE) and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) by testing a sample of 65 children from low socioeconomic status families. Mean scores for the group were roughly equivalent, correlation coefficients were high, and change scores for the majority of…

Addresses the impact of the ideology of IQ testing on African Americans and Asians. Presents an overview and an analysis of scholarly treatises that illustrate that IQ testing continues to be one mechanism for maintaining racial prejudice and inequality in the United States. (JS)

Recent information from established testing programs was used to investigate the nature and limitations of essay and multiple-choice tests of writing ability, the statistical relationship of these types of tests, the performance of population subgroups on each, the possible need of different disciplines for different tests of composition skill,…

Research on assessing the cultural fairness of individual test items is reviewed, with emphasis on Birnbaum's three-parameter logistic model. As defined in this review, differential item characteristics are exhibited when examinees from one group have a lower probability of answering correctly than do examinees of equal ability from another group.…

The role of testing in American education is becoming increasingly important in grouping students for educational purposes. This article reviews practices adopted by educators or administrators to improve student test scores. Stopgap measures for improving standardized test scores include (1) switching to easier tests; (2) eliminating certain…

After a period of striving for equal educational opportunity and progress toward that goal, American society is now shifting toward more emphasis on educational quality. However, some fear that the rise of Minimum Competency Testing (MCT) may hinder rather than help minority students' opportunities for equal education. Despite gains in the number…

The history and use of intelligence testing are reviewed, with emphasis on the validity of intelligence tests for black populations. Different definitions of intelligence are summarized, followed by an historical review of intelligence testing. The work of Alfred Binet is discussed, as well as the validity and reliability of his scales. A…

Research conducted by the Law School Admission Council since the development of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) in 1948 is described. An overview of the research topics is provided, and relevant published reports are cited in 61 footnotes. The following topics of study are discussed: (1) use and validity of traditional predictors of law…