Traditional norm-referenced measurement has received criticism concerning cultural unfairness. Responses to such accusations primarily have consisted of new instrumentation aimed at a culture-fair assessment. Little response has addressed a conceptual standpoint concerning issues of purpose and use of test results. Although many have turned to…

The requirement of higher scores on standardized tests for admission to colleges and universities and to teacher education programs discriminates against Blacks, who have less advantaged backgrounds than Whites. This requirement and poor Black performance on the Florida Teacher Certification Examination may diminish the pool of Black teachers in…

Discusses two cases in which Black schoolchildren challenged the validity and cultural fairness of standardized, individually administered intelligence tests; Larry P. versus Riles and PASE versus Hannon. Describes the diametrically opposed outcomes of the decisions, highlights important similarities, and critically analyzes each court's reasoning…

New research shows that Japanese achieved significantly higher average IQ scores than did their American counterparts. These results provide the focus of a discussion on the nature/nurture controversey, validity of using IQ scores in comparing mental capacity of races and nationality groups, and other factors related to intelligence testing. (JN)

While some forms of test bias (for example, bias in selection and prediction) appear amenable to definitional consensus, a definition of cultural bias will remain problematic so long as it is confused with the nature/nurture issue. (Author/BW)

Discusses the meaning of intelligence, the social functions that tests serve, the appropriate use of personality tests, controversies regarding IQ measurement, minimum competency testing, test disclosure, test bias, and "truth in testing." Stresses that testing is as much a social and political issue as it is an issue of scientific measurement.…

Evidence suggests that the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), in combination with high school grades, is a good predictor of college success for students from different ethnic groups and income levels. Although legislation stemming from the Nader investigation of the Educational Testing Service purports to protect consumers, it may actually work…

Test materials in English and social studies, reflecting Black and White culture, were developed and administered to Black and White high school students. Analyses of variance indicated that performance by either group was not affected by Black or White culture content. White examinees scored higher on all tests. (SJL)

To test the validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) for minority groups, factorial similarity across race was investigated with separate principal-factor analyses for White and Black children from the nationally representative WISC-R standardization sample. On every measure, the White and Black groups were highly…

When a number of school readiness tests were used with a group of 322 kindergarten children to predict end of first-grade Metropolitan Achievement Test scores, no evidence of racial bias and only minimal effects of sex bias were found in the predictions based on analysis of variance. (CTM)

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)

Three trends in adaptive behavior measurement are noted: (1) an awareness of the paucity of suitable scales; (2) sensitivity to the effects of adaptive behavior in the declassification of students previously labeled under outdated procedures; and (3) the use of measures for identification and intervention with emotionally disturbed students.…

The scope and nature of sex differences in the Graduate Record Examination are explored by identifying individual test items that differ from the other items in terms of the magnitude of the difference in item difficulty for the sexes. In general, limited evidence of differences was established. (Author/CTM)

A critical view of the underlying theoretical rationale of the System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment (SOMPA) model for student assessment is presented. The critique is extensive and questions the basic assumptions of the model. (JKS)

Examines several decisions of district and appeals courts and the Supreme Courts, both State and Federal, under title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and their implications for personnel and training management. In a reversal of the appeals court decision, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Washington vs. Davis that the…