Certain conditions are investigated as to whether they are necessary or sufficient to indicate the fairness of a test, or predictor, in its role in the college admissions procedure. Eight general positions are considered that have claimed to provide sufficient conditions for the unbiasedness of a standardized test or predictor: (1) equal test…

One of the most critical elements in the adaptation of productivity analysis to education is the adequacy of the instruments for measuring program output or achievement. Various aspects of standardized test construction make them less than desirable measures of productivity. The Test Development Notebook which the New York State Department of…

Four monte carlo simulation studies of Owen's Bayesian sequential procedure for adaptive mental testing were conducted. Whereas previous simulation studies of this procedure have concentrated on evaluating it in terms of the correlation of its test scores with simulated ability in a normal population, these four studies explored a number of…

The GRE Board established the Research Program to investigate ways to improve the GRE and its overall operation. Approximately 30 projects have been undertaken and funded by the GRE Board; perhaps a third of these have been completed. These projects can be divided into three groups: (1) those dealing with product or process or marketing…

There are many potential sources of test bias besides that of the particular item content within the test. The other potential sources, designated here as program and utilization must also be encompassed in any thorough and effective program to increase the accuracy of assessment for members of ethnic minorities. As usual, the research findings…

Referring principally to Indians on reserves, this summary paper discusses the role that poverty, health and nutrition, social conflict, language, and test motivation play in relation to interpretation of test data obtained on Indian children. It is reported that the 2 greatest problems affecting test reliability, validity, and validity of test…

An intelligence test for use with rural Filipinos was developed using 25 general information questions. The questions bear on experiences common to most rural Filipinos. The methods of development and analyses are described. It is suggested that this strategy could be used with other peasant groups where an assessment of intelligence is needed in…

This essay discusses testing of the disadvantaged and the possibilities for new approaches to the problem. The black community's resistance to testing and the legal implications of employment and educational discrimination which results from testing are discussed. The objections to testing the disadvantaged are reviewed. At the end, it is hoped…

The annotated bibliography on Nondiscriminatory Testing contains approximately 79 abstracts and associated indexing information for documents or journal articles published from 1962-1975 and selected from the computer files of the Council for Exceptional Children's Information Services and the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC). It is…

The existence of a time lag discovered in the cross-cultural application of Piagetian tests may result from a socio-economic bias in Piaget's theory. Abstract, formal cognition may reflect a particular social structure, embodying the principles of exchange value, reification, and alienation which govern production and exchange in the…

Questions the basis on which certain decisions are made and conclusions reached in schools with regard to intelligence testing. Discusses three distinct flaws in intelligence testing and how such tests must be designed to account for individual differences. (Author/RK)

Controversy and confusion surround the question of the appropriateness of tests for minority groups. It is believed that the matter should be approached rationally and that examining it relative to empirical, construct, and content validity will be helpful. (Author)

This research examines the effects of test format on achievement-test performances of Black children. Multiple-choice test items containing distractors (e.g., all correct, all incorrect) penalize Black children, since distractors appear to serve as blocking agents. The results also suggest that distractors encourage guessing. (Author/DOW)

In testing minority students, one should be guided by three maxims: (1) "Know Thy Test"--what is being tested, how to administer the test, what reliance to place on results; (2) "Know Thy Student"--understand the population and its sociocultural milieu; (3) "Know Thyself"--personal attitudes and the programs and practices under one's control. (MJB)