The hypothesis of acting White has been heatedly debated and influential over the last 20 years or so in explaining the Black-White test score gap. Recently, economists have joined the debate and started providing new theoretical and empirical analyses of the phenomenon. This paper critically reviews the arguments that have been advanced to…

Purpose: In common with most standardized admissions tests, the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores disproportionately screen out applicants from disadvantaged and underrepresented minority groups, relative to their demographic importance. The impact of programs to prepare students for the MCAT has not been adequately addressed. The…

Discusses why and how to improve the performance of minority college students on standardized tests. Emphasizes the importance of providing instruction in effective test taking and reinforcing acquired skills on practice tests. (KH)

Teaching students test wiseness can have a number of positive results, including improving the validity of the tests themselves and improving the scores of minority students on tests. (AEA)

The authors suggest solutions are emerging to the problem of attracting and retaining minority teacher candidates. Developing testwiseness programs and providing minority students with mentors and role models are discussed. (MT)

With a predominantly Black student body, Grambling State University has prevailed against the nationwide trend of low minority passing rates on teacher certification tests. This was accomplished by a determination to train students for certification and by development of specific test-taking skills. (MSE)

The development of an intervention program initiated by the Kentucky Department of Education to ensure that minority education majors have access to training in skills needed for standardized tests is described. (MT)

Suggests that many disadvantaged minority students lack the test wiseness that would permit them to score well on standardized tests and recommends that such students be taught how to take tests. (TJ)

Reviews research on the effectiveness of teaching test-wiseness. Finds that minority group members, members of culturally different groups, special education students, and students at every educational level benefit from instruction in test-taking strategies. (RS)

Using college entrance exams as a primary criterion for college admission discriminates against minorities and the poor, but the practice continues. Coaching for these exams is done in test preparation clinics. One clinic run by the NAACP substantially raised the scores of Blacks but not those of minorities as a whole. (VM)

Achievement gaps in standardized tests consist of the differences between test scores of students of color and those of white students and between scores of poor children and those of their wealthier peers. Maylone determines student testing behaviors, herein referred to as TestThink, which reflect differences in students' abilities to behave in…

Studies response style characteristics among 1,908 Hispanic Americans and 14,425 non-Hispanic whites in 4 studies. Hispanic Americans prefer extreme responses on rating scales more than do non-Hispanic Americans. Hispanic Americans are more likely to agree with a given item. Results are discussed in the contexts of acculturation and education.…

The role of standardized tests in American education is being challenged as many feel that they are unfair and actually reinforce and legitimize existing inequalities. The Educational Testing Service, the SAT, meritocracy, test coaching, and economic bias are discussed. (MLW)

Describes a University of Texas project for increasing the pool of future minority teachers. Academically knowledgeable secondary students who lacked skills for coping with minimum competency testing were given "The Effective Test Performance Study Guide" to help prepare for standardized testing. Results indicate the guide contributed to…

Minority students made up approximately 25% of the student population at Central High School in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1995. The composition of Central's honors and challenge classes did not reflect this diversity, however, few minority students were taking challenge classes as underclassmen and even fewer were taking AP courses as seniors. In fall…