The paper discusses the ethical bases for practices in identifying learning disabilities (LD) in children. The state of the art in identification is briefly highlighted, as is the controversy over responsibility and abuse in the process. The author asserts that concerns over current practices do not change the underlying responsibility to provide…

To investigate the effect of time restraints on the diagnostic test scores of Native American students entering Bureau of Indian Affairs schools, two groups of students at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, were given the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test, (Blue Level), 1977 edition. The test scores…

The author presents his view that the public has not been well informed about the limitations of college entrance examinations. Several educational trends are discussed: (1) since World War II, college admissions testing has underscored the classic American tension between egalitarianism and meritocracy; (2) more students have aspired to attend…

The average scores of high school students on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) have been dropping for the past twelve years. From 1974 to 1975, average scores dropped ten points on the verbal section and eight points on the mathematics section. These dramatic declines, the largest ever reported by the College Entrance Examination Board, have…

This paper considers the question of bias in group administered academic achievement tests, bias which is inherent in the instruments themselves. A body of data on the test of performance of three disadvantaged minority groups--northern, urban black; southern, rural black; and, southwestern, Mexican-Americans--as tryout samples in contrast to…

The aim of this paper is to describe the rationale and evaluation of the Black Intelligence Scale of Cultural Homogeneity (BITCH). A "culture specific" test is used to determine the taker's ability to function symbolically or to think in terms of his own culture and environment. A combination of dialect specific and culture specific…

This digest focuses on academic testing and American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students. Ideally, test results should be used to improve student learning. Proponents of high-stakes testing say it is needed to measure student achievement and school quality and to hold students and teachers accountable. High-stakes testing is also used to…

Provides data and discussion about the effect of different kinds of testing upon the distribution of scores for racial minorities. Also considers the issue of direct versus indirect measures of writing ability and the place of usage testing in the measurement of writing ability. (RL)

A defense of the System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment (SOMPA) in response to previous articles in this issue of this journal is presented by the test developer. The defense is detailed and addresses each previous article. (JKS)

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)

The validity of several criticisms of objective tests is addressed, and the viability of some alternatives to objective testing is discussed. Evidence against multiple-choice tests is not as strong as has been claimed. Authentic assessments may not always be better, and research about new forms of assessment is necessary. (SLD)

Stephen Jay Gould points out in "The Mismeasure of Man" (1981), "Science, since people must do it, is a socially embedded activity. It progresses by hunch, vision, and intuition." The legacy of the traditional construct of intelligence and its measurement through intelligence quotient (IQ) tests has not been educational improvement. Its legacy in…

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,…

Data from test administration timing records, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) history file, and a survey questionnaire were used to investigate the issues of comparable testing time and eligibility for special test accommodations for SAT examinees with disabilities. In 1986-87 and 1987-88, 17,632 special test administrations were given.…

This paper discusses equity issues that may arise from the widespread use of high stakes computerized testing. The literature relevant to computerized testing is examined from the perspective of equity concerns from within the framework of research and from the perspective of possible uses of computerized testing if equity issues are considered…