Item bias, when present in a multiple-choice test, can be detected by appropriate analyses of the persons x items scoring matrix. Five related schemes for the statistical analysis of bias were applied to a widely used, primary skills multiple-choice test which was administered in either its English- or Spanish-language version at each of the two…

Results of a pilot follow-up study conducted on Spanish dominant students in transition from bilingual programs to English only instructional settings was reported. The sample group was predominantly Mexican American and native Mexican students. Three types of data were collected: individual scores on Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS),…

The effects of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on basic skills achievement and attitudes toward instruction were compared for two groups of third- through sixth-grade Spanish-speaking migrant children. Results indicated that students who used CAI had greater achievement gains, but students in the non-CAI program had more favorable attitudes…

Potential sources of bias in dual language achievement tests were identified and examined. Content, concepts, and vocabulary presented in monolingual English curricula may differ drastically from those presented in bilingual curricula. The Spanish or English versions of the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) were administered to 1259…

As part of an investigation of the appropriateness of the original Anchor Test Study equating results for black and Spanish-surnamed students, this Appendix lists the detailed results of the analyses for grade four, organized by vocabulary, reading comprehension, and total reading scores. For each analysis, a two-page set of results is presented.…

As part of an investigation of the appropriateness of the original Anchor Test Study equating results for black and Spanish-surnamed students, this Appendix lists the detailed results of the analyses for grade five, organized by vocabulary, reading comprehension, and total reading scores. For each analysis, a two-page set of results is presented.…

As part of an investigation of the appropriateness of the original Anchor Test Study equating results for black and Spanish-surnamed students, this Appendix lists the detailed results of the analyses for grade six, origanized by vocabulary, reading comprehension, and total reading scores. For each analysis, a two-page set of results is presented.…

An external evaluation of the Title VII Bilingual Education Project was designed to: (1) gather a subjective assessment from personnel working with the project; (2) observe classroom teaching and activities utilized in bilingual instruction; and (3) to measure differences in levels of achievement on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS)…

The testing of bilingual students poses particular problems for analyses of performance, item bias, and test adequacy. A test administered in two languages to children selected for their language facility provides a special arena for the study of these problems. The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) was selected because the test content…

This article reports on an ethnographic research project that investigated the relationship between home language use and acquisition of academic English as determined by the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) scores. The subjects were 33 children ages 10 to 14 from bilingual Spanish-English families. Data on home language use was collected…

A Los Angeles bilingual elementary school was evaluated for the effectiveness of its dual reading program for bilingual first graders, the effectiveness of the native language literacy approach for Spanish dominants, and evidence of bias in the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS). One hundred thirty-one Spanish and English dominant children…

The Anchor Test Study provides a method for translating a pupil's score on any one of eight widely used standardized reading tests for Grades 4, 5, and 6 to a corresponding score of any of the other seven tests, as well as furnishing new nationally representative norms for each of the eight tests. In addition, the Study presents new estimates of…

The Redwood City School District Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title VII Bilingual Education Program offered instruction in English and Spanish through an integrated approach, to take advantage of students' strengths and help them progress as rapidly as possible in concept development while they acquire English proficiency. The limited…

The Anchor Test Study (ATS) yielded equating tables for vocabulary, reading comprehension, and total reading scores for eight commonly used reading tests at the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade levels. Because of the original ATS sampling design which resulted in a nationally representative sample of school children at those grades, the equating tables…