Critical issues such as unbiased assessment and expected incidence of students with emotional and behavior disorders are addressed in terms of such issues as unbiased assessment. Recommended practices are described in terms of a five-step process to aid in determining eligibility and making placement decisions. (CL)

The article describes the background of Larry P. v. Riles, a class action law suit involving disproportionate placement of minorities in classes for the educable mentally retarded in California, and outlines the specific findings and remedies underlying issues, including stigmatization of being classified retarded and the nature/nurture debate.…

The authors suggest solutions are emerging to the problem of attracting and retaining minority teacher candidates. Developing testwiseness programs and providing minority students with mentors and role models are discussed. (MT)

The author discusses the complex nature of assessing bilingual special education students, recommends a textbook on the topic, notes the contributions of J. Mercer's System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment, and cites the need for special educators to focus on the issue. (CL)

Several items from the Information and Comprehension subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children were cited by Judge Grady in his opinion in the PASE (Parents in Action in Special Education) case as being culturally biased against Black children. Error analysis showed no significant "cultural" differences between White and…

Three types of test bias are discussed: content bias, atmosphere bias, and use bias. Use bias is considered the most important. Tests reflect the bias in society, and eliminating test bias means eliminating racism and sexism in society. A six-stage model to eliminate racism and sexism is presented. (Author)

With regard to the DeFunis vs. Odegaard law school admission discrimination case, selection models were applied to hypothetical situations based upon evidence in the literature concerning such matters as mean differences between majority and minority groups on predictors and criteria, slopes of the within group regression lines, and correlations…

Few issues have provoked as much controversy as the methods for detecting item and test bias. A recent illustration of the controversy surrounding this issue could be seen in the emotional reactions to the publication of "The Bell Curve." This paper reviews methods of evaluating both item and test bias. Small heuristic data sets are…

In the United States, standardized educational tests have been used for assessment purposes in grades K through 12 almost since the inception of the testing movement in the early 1900s. Because test-based assessment can have wide-ranging positive or negative effects on K-12 students, the test user must ensure that the tests used for assessment…

This paper describes a study to determine whether Chamoru students at the University of Guam, evaluating a standardized self-esteem instrument, agree that the test does measure self-esteem. The instrument used is the Index of Self-Esteem (ISE) and was developed and normed in the United States. There can be a problem using instruments with…

This article proposes a general perspective for thinking about sex bias in the delivery of vocational guidance in order to suggest revisions in current practices and social actions as well as new directions for research. Biases in employment practices, media, or curricular materials are not dealt with. (Author/RP)

The author explores the cultural biases of I.Q. tests and their implications for education. Culture specific tests are also discussed as a possible alternative to both standard and culture free I.Q. tests. (RP)

Retired vice-president of Educational Testing Service asserts that chances for tests being misused are greater than ever. Speech delivered at ETS's Invitational Conference on Testing Problems on October 28, 1972, in New York, New York. (DS)