Test bias detection methods based on item response theory (IRT) are reviewed. Five such methods are commonly used: (1) equality of item parameters; (2) area between item characteristic curves; (3) sums of squares; (4) pseudo-IRT; and (5) one-parameter-IRT. A table compares these and six newer or less tested methods. (SLD)

This article suggests that mechanical application of Golden Rule-like procedures is inappropriate. The fundamental idea embodied in them, namely, that of taking issues of equity into account in test construction, may reasonably be done without doing violence to test validity. (JAZ)

This is a reprint of a 1986 letter by the former president of the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) to New York and California legislators. The author outlines why NCME is opposed to legislative initiatives to extend Golden Rule procedures to tests in those states. (JAZ)

This article discusses the application of the Golden Rule procedure to items of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Using item response theory, the analyses indicate that the Golden Rule procedures are ineffective in detecting biased items and may undermine the reliability and validity of tests. (Author/JAZ)