The basic tenet of this paper is that the difference between black and white children on IQ measures is not due to genetics but describes the cultural distance between the two groups. The cultural distance approach is described as an amalgam of the environmental and social psychology points of view. It holds that any subculture operating according…

This study describes intergroup guessing differences in response to tests and to test-like tasks. It is a composite of seven component inquiries with three substudies in Phase 1 and four in Phase 2. These seven studies cover the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) item-type domain from a number of viewpoints relevant to implicit guessing behavior.…

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the cognitive processes of Montagnais Indians under conditions that would reduce bias and allow for a contextual interpretation of the results. Fifty-eight Montagnais children were compared to French-Canadians of the same age and grade groups whose data had been collected through previous…

The testing of many American Indian children using standardized exams (achievement, aptitude, ability, and intelligence tests) developed for the majority American society represents a case of cross-cultural testing which is likely to produce invalid results in the form of underestimation of student performance. Requirements for obtaining accurate…

This book presents a review and analysis of specific questions about education as it relates to black children. Part I contains the methodology, literature review, program narratives, and principles and summary activities charts of the Model Black Child Development Program Description Project. The program narrative section contains ten descriptive…

Intelligence tests are really only systems of classification of individuals with reference to others. Thus with such classification systems it is impossible to interpret a deficiency reflected by test scores in other than a socio-cultural frame of reference. Some 150 Black and White seventh grade children between the ages of 12 and 14 were…

In order to look for evidence of possible racial bias in six of the Navy tests for the Enlisted Advancement System, statistical data for a group of black personnel were compared with data for a selected matching group of whites. The first step was to compute item difficulty indices (the percent passing each item) for the black group, for the…

Black educators and black teacher education are directly affected by the "back to basics" movement, the minimum competency testing program, and the use of standardized test scores as a criterion for teacher certification. Black educators have a high stake in the back to basics movement, and it is important for them to be involved in the…

Educational achievement tests, career interest inventories, and aptitude tests are reviewed for examples of sex bias, and changes in policy concerning the use of these tests are suggested. These suggestions are within the authority and responsibility of local and state educational administrators, teachers, counselors, parents, and students. The…

Professional assessment of mental retardation (MR) and learning disabilities (LD) is crucial to the implementation of P.L. 94-142 because it necessarily precedes the employment of trained teachers and because a plan for remediation depends on accurate assessment. Intelligence is a key element in the identification of MR-LD, but competent, fair…

This paper discusses some of the problems involved in the testing of minority group children, focusing on the testing of bilingual minorities and emphasizing the special problems involved in testing Hispanic children. Considered are a variety of ways in which tests have been misused and misinterpreted in working with these children. It is…

The concepts of competency can be conceptually separated into two dimensions: minimum competency testing (MCT) and competency based education (CBE). One of the major weaknesses of the MCT movement is the growing reliance on single test scores as indicators of the total capability of students. Minorities do not reject the idea of competence, but…

The strengths and weakness of standardized tests, and trends in achievement testing in the last 15 years are examined. The discussion of achievement tests includes survey, instructional, diagnostic, and basic skills tests, as well as tests used for formative and summative evaluation. Minimum competency tests are not examined in detail. Advantages…

The several statistical methods described for detecting test bias in terms of various internal features of a person's test performances and the test's construct validity can be applied to any groups in the population. But the evidence regarding groups other than U.S. blacks and whites is either lacking or is still too sketchy to permit any strong…

Results of teacher ratings of test questions, performance of students, and analyses of achievement test scores indicate that the College Board Science Achievement Tests are now equally appropriate for students in both regular and special courses in biology, chemistry, and physics. (MS)