Assessment exercises (items) in three different formats--multiple-choice with an "I don't know" (IDK) option, multiple-choice without the IDK, and open-ended--were placed at the beginning, middle and end of 45-minute assessment packages (instruments). A balanced incomplete blocks analysis of variance was computed to determine the biasing…

This guide is a compilation of factors considered important in the selection of tests for bilingual/bicultural programs. It is intended for use by test selectors or teachers in bilingual education, and does not presume to be exhaustive or authoritative. Basically the guide consists of questions the test selector or teacher should ask when…

Differential prediction of grade point average for black and white freshman students was empirically investigated at 13 integrated institutions by comparison of regression planes. Particular attention was given to the possibility that prediction procedures that are appropriate for white (majority) students would under-predict the performance of…

This paper is concerned with the accusations made by such groups as the Association of Black Psychologists in their call for a moratorium on testing, that standardized tests are biased. A biased test measures one trait in one group of people but a different trait in a second group. Evidence about the amount of bias in tests is thin. Bias must be…

The "Griggs vs. Duke Power" decision of the Supreme Court specifies that job relatedness is the only lawful reason for using tests for the purpose of selection when their use results in the disproportionate exclusion of minority group members. One of the main implications of the "Griggs" decision for the test producer and user…

Differences between black and white, male and female groups who took the Admission Test for Graduate Study in Business (ATGSB) during February 1971 were examined in three studies. The studies were: (1) a study of the biasedness of the test with respect to the groups, (2) a comparison of the mean criterion scores for those candidates who omit…

Alternate admission systems are reviewed in respect to the minority applicant in an attempt to assess the nature of the bias frequently referred to in connection with standardized testing. The connection between the use of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) as a standardized test and the admission system was explored, concluding that the role…

This report reviews sex discrimination in guidance and counseling in secondary and post secondary education. The primary focus of the study is vocational guidance and counseling. Personal social counseling and mental health are examined briefly. The discussion is based on an extensive literature review, a re-analysis of existing data, and…

Intended for educational assessors, school administrators, and those involved in the education of teachers and assessors, the manual presents guidelines for nonbiased educational assessment of culturally different children. Addressed are three major issues (sample subtopics are in parentheses): standardization of tests (norms, validity,…

Characteristics which should be considered in reviewing any standardized reading test include validity, reliability, standardization sample, areas assessed by the test, type of response required by the child, individual versus group administration, time needed for administration, availability of equivalent forms, scoring options available,…

Urban EMR students' WISC-R scores (N=20) were compared with their previously administered WISC scores. The results of this study indicated that WISC-R scores in comparison to WISC scores appeared to be more stable in the lower IQ ranges and less vulnerable to cultural bias. (Author)

Item response theory bias detection procedures were applied to data from Black and White seniors on the High School and Beyond data files. Overall, the sums-of-squares statistics (weighted by the inverse of the variance errors) were the best indices for quantifying item characteristic curve differences between groups (Author/BW)

The impressively high factor congruence coefficients observed in cross-cultural studies with the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) cannot be taken as sufficient evidence for the "similarity" or "essential identity" of these factors in the cultures concerned. Cross-cultural comparisons of factor scores on the EPQ are…

The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children and Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) were administered to Anglo- and Mexican-American children aged four to six. Both scales measured similar, but not identical, intellectual and achievement factors, indicating concurrent validity. Anglo children scored higher on WPPSI verbal…

This article rebuts comments by G. R. Anrig (1987) on the Settlement Agreement that resolved the racial discrimination suit brought by the Golden Rule Insurance Company against the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the Illinois Department of Insurance. (TJH)