In the attempt to identify or prevent unfair tests, both quantitative analyses and logical evaluation are often used. For the most part, fairness evaluation is a pragmatic attempt at determining whether procedural or substantive due process has been accorded to either a group of test takers or an individual. In both the individual and comparative…

Responds to an article that explored heterosexist bias in seven widely used assessment instruments. Praises the article's authors for raising this issue and explores their recommendation that norms appropriate to lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations be developed. Argues that bias can pervade the whole assessment process--not just the testing…

Reviews the evaluation by the National Academy of Science (NAS) of the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), which was developed to predict the job performance of potential employees. Proposes that the NAS recommendation to correct the GATB's racial bias by "race-norming" was a political decision and not scientifically justified. (FMW)

Twenty-one studies that reported mean score differences between the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability (WJTCA) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) Full Scale are summarized. The differences are found to be minimal and are attributed to data bias and WJTCA's higher correlation with achievement. (EGS)

Normative data for 198 urban children (four to eight years old) who speak Black American English (BAE) were obtained on the Test of Language Development. Results revealed speakers of BAE differed significantly in performance from children on whom test was standardized. Difference in performance was reflected in overall test scores and in…

The generalizability of norms and concurrent validity of the Adaptive Behavior Inventory for Children (ABIC) was investigated with samples of 482 first-, third-, and fifth-grade children stratified by sociocultural group (White, Black, Hispanic, and Native American Papago). (Author)

Evaluated 11 of the most popular tests used by school psychologists in Illinois as to their technical adequacy along three dimensions: norms, reliability, and validity. Results suggested that the most popular tests used by school psychologists are not typically technically adequate devices. (Author)

This study of 12 children (ages 7-13) with mild to moderate bilateral sensorineural hearing loss found that psychoeducational diagnostic tests standardized on students with normal hearing may be used with confidence to assess both cognitive and academic levels of functioning in students with sensorineural hearing loss. (Author/JDD)

Available test score evidence does not support the common claim that student achievement has declined. On the other hand, the existing evidence cannot be used to prove that student achievement has risen. This paper offers reasons why student achievement in the past cannot be compared accurately with student achievement today: (1) tests, curricula,…

The effects of testing on Native Americans and the outcomes of test use are discussed. Native Americans are exposed to a wide variety of tests during their lifetimes, in Bureau of Indian Affairs Schools, in high schools, in employment, and for college entrance and placement. Too much reliance can be placed on tests taken by Native American youth…

The predictive validity of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) aptitude test has been investigated for foreign students at the University of Kansas. A total of 148 students whose first language was other than English were selected for this study. Verbal and quantitative scores on the GRE, field of study, sex, and year of initial enrollment 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…

The National Commission on Testing and Public Policy is conducting a 3-year policy-oriented investigation of the role of tests, especially standardized, norm-referenced tests, in the allocation of educational, training, and employment opportunities in the United States today. This document reports on the first hearing, which focused on the…