This paper reviews the research in the area of achievement tests. The findings indicate: (1) there is little evidence that educational decision makers use the large amount of test data collected; (2) a larger number of tests are being required of students for personal certification; (3) reasons for the lack of application of test results include…

Since literacy tests determine instruction, they should be designed to match well-defined instructional goals. They should be evaluated and implemented by those who teach literacy in consultation with other interested parties and should function to improve teaching as well as to evaluate students. Writing abilities should be measured directly or…

Empirical evidence is presented regarding the use of the estimated learning potential (ELP). The data reported come from three instruments: the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), the reading and math components of the California Achievement Tests, and the System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment (SOMPA) Sociocultural…

Sex restrictiveness and sex bias in occupational interest scales are reviewed, and some alternative solutions are briefly discussed. Traditionally, it was thought that sex restrictive interest inventories merely reflected the inherent differences between males and females. The author defines sex restrictiveness according to the degree that the…

Testing in the United States has had a checkered history since tests were developed and used at the beginning of this century. In the earlier part of the century, test results were used to justify the exclusion of immigrants from parts of Europe. More recently, they have come under attack as restricting the access of blacks to jobs and education.…

A review of court cases, involving the use of various standardized tests, highlights the kinds of test validity and the interpretation by the courts of test fairness in setting personnel selection standards. Guidelines established by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) are shown to support the use of predictive validity in…

Presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in New York City in September, 1976, the paper sets forth the position that, in general, the individual requirements that allow a student to be classified as learning disabled are subtle but significant contributors to an assessment that discriminates against pupils from…

The paper discusses the various problems related to the current concerns with nonbiased assessment, with particular emphasis on the placement of minority group students in classes for the mildly retarded. Sections address the following topics: special education litigation; underlying issues in court cases (including the meaning of IQ test results,…

The organization of nine selected cognitive abilities from Guilford's structure-of-intellect model (SI) was explored in a sample of Spanish-English bilingual students. One hundred and ninety-four seventh and eighth graders were assigned to take a battery of nine cognitive ability tests in Spanish or English. The nine tests measured convergent…

Based on John Rawls' theory of justice as fairness, a nine-item rating scale was developed to serve as a criterion in studies of test item bias. Two principles underlie the scale: (1) Within a defined usage, test items should not affect students so that they are unable to do as well as their abilities would indicate; and (2) within the domain of a…

This document begins with an outline of events seen as noteworthy in the search for fairness in general and includes a brief discussion of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, and the Tower Amendment (Title VII). These events are placed in perspective with recent events which have impacted the notion of…

Three types of test bias are discussed: content bias, atmosphere bias, and use bias. While much concern has been expressed about the content of tests or the atmosphere in which they are given, it is more important to focus on how tests are used in making decisions about people. Four models of test use are defined: regression model, constant ratio…

Recent harsh criticisms that educational and psychological tests are unfair and inadequate measures of the capabilities of minority, poverty, and other educationally alienated groups are discussed. The authors suggest that there are two main issues, the first scientific, the second ethical: (1) Is a test a valid measure of the characteristics it…

Recommendations and criticisms are made which might result in a more reliable assessment of the Puerto Rican child's intelligence as measured by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). Many of these recommendations and criticisms involve typographical and grammatical errors, incorrect language usage, difficulty of item sequence and…

The paper provides information concerning legal issues relating to sex bias which may be inherent in the present popular usage of standardized interest measurement instruments, focusing on current laws and guidelines, and the possible implications of judicial decisions which relate to sex bias and interest testing in education and employment…