This paper grew out of a presentation made as part of a panel discussion on the Bakke case, and is second in a series of Institute for the Study of Educational Policy documents on important educational issues and problems. Many of the factors that impact test performance or scores are examined. The primary thesis of the paper is that it is…

Data are summarized in Scheuneman's Score x Group x Response frequency table in order to investigate item bias. The data can arise from two different sampling models: (1) multinomial sampling in which a fixed sample size is used and the responses are cross-classified according to score, group, and response; and (2) product-multinomial sampling in…

The purpose of this study was to determine how teachers use group I.Q. test scores for planning instruction. Teachers were surveyed on: 1) use of I.Q. tests, 2) reasons for nonuse of I.Q. tests, and 3) instructional strategies based on test results. The widest use of test scores was in parent teacher conferences. The major reasons for not…

Effects were studied of 12 teacher and 11 student characteristics (including SES and ethnicity) on 7 student outcomes--cognitive, affective and coping skills. Fifty-three sixth grade teachers and 1,190 Black, Chicano and Anglo students participated. A series of covariance and regression analyses showed significant curvilinear and interaction…

There is currently a conflict between educational accountability and the distrust of standardized testing. Concern for the quality of education is based on evidence of students' academic dificiencies, the decline in test scores, and increasing education costs and school taxes. As a result of criticism, states have mandated, or are considering,…

Four topics were emphasized during this conference on testing problems: (1) the selection of appropriate score scales for tests; (2) the experimental approach to the measurement of human motivation; (3) trends in public opinion polling since 1948 and their probable effects on predictions of the 1952 election; and (4) techniques for developing…

A review of the literature indicates that sex-role stereotyping is common in basal readers, in children's novels, and in content-area reading materials. This study analyzed three frequently used individualized reading tests for evidence of sex bias: the Diagnostic Reading Scales, the Durrell Analysis of Reading Difficulty, and the Classroom…

Presented in the annotated bibliography are approximately 50 citations (1974-1976) on nondiscriminatory testing of handicapped and culturally different students. Information is said to have been drawn from volume eight of Exceptional Child Education Resources. Entries are arranged by accession number and usually contain information on author,…

Four statistical methods for identifying biased test items were used with data from two ethnic groups (1,691 black and 1,794 white high school seniors). The data were responses to 150 items in five subtests including two traditional tests (reading and mathematics) and three nontraditional tests (picture number test of associative memory, letter…

Men's and women's immediate reactions to completing the Self Directed Search (SDS) and the Strong Campbell Interest Inventory (SCII) were assessed, as well as the impact of this testing on their subsequent behaviors four weeks later. A random sample of college freshmen at the University of Kansas (N=96) completed either the SDS, SCII, or both…

The purpose of the present study is to examine the April, 1974 Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for item-content bias between the sexes. By so doing, this study forms a logical extention of the work of Coffman (1961) on the '54 SAT, and Donlon (1973) on the '64 SAT. A study of item-sex bias was conducted using the method of delta-plots (Angoff,…

This report lists various factors of psychological testing which might be more relevant and appropriate for elementary school age children in such areas as Appalachia. The areas covered are group individual testing, individual intelligence testing, achievement testing, special clinical testing, social maturity, and personality evaluation…

This report discusses the relationship between bilingualism and mental development of bilingual children. After a review of the relevant literature, a specific study is described. The linguistic background of 648 children from 29 schools, age 10 through 12 inclusive, was measured with the Welsh Linguistic Background Scale. General intelligence was…

This volume includes eight essays. In his "Foreword," Carl Senna examines the revival of the hereditarian position by Arthur Jensen. "Race and Intelligence" contains a critique of Richard C. Lewontin of Jensen's argument, revealing what appear to be deeply embedded assumptions derived from a particular world view. David Z. Robinson, in "If You're…

This book includes nine essays. In the Introduction: "The Lingering Infatuation with IQ," the editors argue that since the IQ test has again risen as an instrument of conservative policy, the test and the arguments built around it must be reexamined. Noam Chomsky criticizes the well-known "Atlantic" article, "IQ" (September, 1971), in "The Fallacy…