The feasibility of criterion referenced testing is held to be dependent on the tenability of two postulates: (1) that bias can be controlled in a principled manner from one test to the next; and (2) that one mental process measured by such tests may lawfully interact with another. Without the first postulate, criterion scores could not be…

The reports presented in this volume are intended to provide a theoretical foundation for and practical applications of multicultural education. Included are the following titles: "Introduction," by Charles D. Moody, Sr.; "Cultural Pluralism: Curriculum Assessment, Development, Implementation and Evaluation," by Loretta Webb; "Multicultural…

This paper describes the development and investigation of a new approach to determining the existence of bias in multiple-choice test scores. Previous work in this area has concentrated almost exclusively on bias attributable to specific test items or to differences in test score distributions across racial or ethnic groups. In contrast, the…

Issues related to ability testing and affirmative action are discussed, including the fair use of tests in academic and occupational selection, the effects of testing upon the tested individual, and implications of the issues for the major participants. Types and functions of ability tests, both aptitude and achievement, are described. Studies of…

The validity of a screening process for the early identification of gifted and educable mentally retarded children was examined. The process was originally developed by Lambert and Bower, for the identification of learning handicaps. Twenty-five kindergarten and first grade classrooms were studied. The information collected included the teacher,…

A classical model for achievement test development was influenced by: the educational tradition of selecting a sample of questions appropriate to a subject and counting the proportion of acceptable responses; the emphasis on obtaining a large and homogeneous sample of questions to insure reliability; and the tradition in psychological testing of…

Three alternative strategies for college selection, their associated cost and benefits are described in this study. These include a strict meritocratic procedure, a minority quota procedure and a disadvantaged quota procedure. The strict meritocratic procedure was operationalized in terms of predicted probability of success; the minority quota…

A series of papers and guidelines, resulting from the National Institute of Education (NIE) Career Education Program's study of sex bias and sex fairness in career interest inventories, are presented in the document. Intended for publishers and users of career interest inventories and related services and materials as standards for evaluating sex…

The learning potential (LP) procedure represents an alternative method of measuring ability of Spanish-speaking students who tend to score low on traditional IQ tests. This study sought to determine the relative predictive power of LP and IQ measures on achievement of 188 first through sixth grade Spanish-speaking students. Subjects participated…

Samples of Anglo, Black, Mexican-American, and Papago Indian students (N=260 per group) were administered the Metropolitan Achievement Test and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). Various concepts of cultural fairness were identified from the literature and then used to design analyses of these data. Regression equations…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether option weighting improved the internal consistency and intercorrelation of the subtests. The differential option-weighting scheme employed in this study is based on one devised by Guttman. The tests were first scored with Guttman-type weights and then with conventional correction-for-guessing…

The six issues of selected readings present annotated bibliographies of resources available from CHIME (Clearinghouse for Immigrant Education). CHIME facilitates public access to literature, research, teaching materials, and human resources to promote the effective education of immigrant students. The first five issues in this series pertain to…

Research indicated that English language proficiency may influence student performance, and that standardized assessments may be biased against students who have limited English proficiency (LEP). This study investigated the influence of language on student performance differences in reading and mathematics. The content area of reading was…

In the rush to implement world-class standards supported by systems of accountability in public schools, education leaders have compromised the educational future of Hispanic students by making high-stakes decisions based on inaccurate and inadequate testing information. State policies often require that Hispanic students be assessed in English…

Multicultural perspectives on assessment challenge traditional perspectives by advancing an additional source of variation in test responses that is presumed to escape test developers and test users. Increasing and convergent evidence from multiple sources indicates the following types of ethnocentric errors in test development, administration,…