Examined differences in Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) scores between persons of differing educational levels and family income in the MMPI-2 normative sample to determine if MMPI-2 scores are differentially accurate in predicting relevant extra-test characteristics of persons of differing socioeconomic levels. MMPI-2…

The background and rationale for the 2 tests are described and results of a norming and validation study involving 804 Mexican-American college freshmen in 5 border community colleges are reported. The results provide evidence that the DTES and VAT are reliable and effective for Mexican-American students, having overcome inadequacies of other…

Effectiveness of the Mantel-Haenszel statistic in detecting differentially functioning test items was studied when the internal criterion was varied, using a dataset from a life skills examination taken by 1,000 Anglo-American and 1,000 Native American high school students. Choice of criterion variable has a substantial effect on detection. (SLD)

A lawsuit involving the National Board for Respiratory Therapy illustrates that certification examinations are vulnerable to complaints of discrimination and employers' misuse of test results. The board's five-step process--position-viability study, personnel survey, job analysis, item writing/test development, and criterion-related validity…

This paper reviews difficulties in assessing students from linguistic and ethnic minority groups in Ontario (Canada), noting problems with assessment instruments and disproportionate numbers of minority children referred to special education, and describing alternative approaches used in North York which emphasize capitalizing on the first…

Presents analyses that highlight how racial context influences the SAT's ability to predict black students' collegiate success. SAT items are shown to denigrate the black experience and demonstrate a bias toward science. The test's predictive validity is shown to depend on college racial environment, adjustment issues, gender, and black identity…

Profound problems in public schools require solutions that are often difficult to implement. Although we, as a society, see the future embodied in the students, our promise to educate them is often not reflected in our practices. A lack of will is evident. The following article explores the notion of "schools at work" and provides…

In 2002, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act. In addition to providing additional funding for schools and encouraging local autonomy, the new law focuses on accountability in an attempt to close the achievement gap for all students, leaving no child behind. Perhaps the most striking manifestation of Bush's new law is the…

This article focuses on the construction of dyslexia in higher education and explores the nature of negotiations between students, lecturers and academic institutions over diagnosis, support and assessment. Disabled students are now entitled, under the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), to reasonable adjustments in assessment.…

Educational assessment, as it is typically conducted in U.S. schools, does not successfully capture or build on potentially important content knowledge and understanding of Indigenous students. In fact, current policies (such as the No Child Left Behind Act, 2002) are interfering with the implementation of many of the things we know about making…

Research bears out the assertion that the traditional tests and measures used to define achievement have incorporated societal attitudes about class, race, and gender. Cultural factors, teacher behaviors, and teacher bias can account for early differences in the reading achievement of girls and boys. Furthermore, girls' grades for English and…

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) were used to predict achievement (measured by the Stanford Achievement Test) for 200 students with mild handicaps, in grades K through 6 in a rural western school district. Males scored significantly higher than females for every…

The 15 chapters of this book address issues related to the continuing test score gap between black and white students. The editors argue against traditional explanations which emphasize differences in economic resources and demographic factors, and they urge that more emphasis be put on psychological and cultural factors. The book suggests studies…

The effectiveness of the current selection system used to hire eligibility technicians was studied, and the predictive relationship between existing selection instruments and job performance criteria was investigated. Eligibility technicians are employees of San Diego County (California) whose duties include determining the eligibility of…

In 1992, a study was conducted to determine whether student placement rates into college-level courses varied across subgroups of students at Golden West College (GWC), and, if so, the extent to which this disproportionate impact (DI) occurred. The standard of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for employee selection holds that DI…