Racial and Ethnic Bias Tn Achievement Tests and What to Do about It

A description of two proposals for alleviating the racial and ethnic bias in tests of achievement used in schools is presented. One of them entails adding steps to the construction procedures used in building norm referenced achievement tests; the second entails using criterion-referenced achievement tests rather than standardized tests for certain purposes. The principal uses of achievement tests are to: (1) evaluate the status of a student or a set of students in a class, school, or school system; (2) evaluate programs, curricula, and instructional materials; (3) diagnose problems; and (4) provide a basis for planning individual, class, or system programs. The bias built into tests arises in the minds of those who write and edit the tests and from the procedures used to improve the tests. It is suggested that members of each of the groups concerned with the test participate in constructing the examinations from the start and to use item writers and editors that represent all major ethnic and cultural groups in the population. Criterion-referenced tests should be designed to show exactly what the pupils have learned; these tests should be used for specific diagnosis of school and program problems. (CK)