The aim of this study is to show how a many-facet Rasch measurement model (MFRM) can be used for quality control whilst monitoring a musical aptitude examination. The data used in this study was gathered from a musical aptitude examination which was applied in 2019-2020 academic year for selecting teacher candidates to a music education department…

Usually, methods for detection of differential item functioning (DIF) compare the functioning of items across manifest groups. However, the manifest groups with respect to which the items function differentially may not necessarily coincide with the true source of the bias. It is expected that DIF detection under a model that includes a latent DIF…

For educators seeking to differentiate instruction, cognitive ability tests sampling multiple content domains, including verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning, provide superior information about student strengths and weaknesses compared with unidimensional reasoning measures. However, these ability tests have not been fully evaluated with…

This study tracked gender differential item functioning (DIF) on the English subtest of the Korean College Scholastic Aptitude Test (KCSAT) over a nine-year period across three data points, using both the Mantel-Haenszel (MH) and item response theory likelihood ratio (IRT-LR) procedures. Further, the study identified two factors (i.e. reading…

The Air Force has long recognized the importance of selecting the most qualified officers possible. For more than 60 years, it has relied on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) as one measure of those qualifications. A variety of concerns have been raised about whether the AFOQT is biased, too expensive, or even valid for predicting…

Presents a recent history of the public controversy concerning academic aptitude/intelligence tests. Offers suggestions about test technology and research that may influence public interest groups to develop a better perspective. Urges better cooperation between professional and public interest groups. (Author/ABL)

Describes what publishers of major achievement tests are now doing to minimize bias and offers recommendations for changes still needed. (Author/ABB)

A supplementary treatment is proposed which helps identify sources of bias affecting groups of test items. This treatment is illustrated with the tranformed item-difficulty method as applied to an evaluation of a test used to help select applicants to be admitted to an aviation training program. (Author/BW)

The power structure of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the validity of its tests are examined. The test format, purposes, costs, and rankings and the potential reform of the ETS are discussed. (JD)

As test standards and research literature in general indicate, definitions of test bias and item bias vary considerably, as do the results of existing methods of identifying biased items. The situation is further complicated by issues of content, context, construct, and criterion. In achievement tests, for example, content validity may impose…

The project reported here consisted of a sensitivity review of the items of Forms 11, 12, and 13 of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). Because administration of this battery is a required step in the accession process, it should be free from perceived bias or offensiveness that could detract from the measurement process. In…

The first eight chapters of this book introduce the topic of test bias. The basic issues involved in criticisms of mental tests and arguments about test bias include: (1) variety of tests and test items; (2) scaling of scores and the form of the distribution of abilities in the population; (3) quantification of subpopulation differences; (4)…

Ability tests in use today and the educational programs of the schools are examined from a Black perspective. It is stated that it is incumbent upon educators to develop appropriate learning experiences in the classroom which relate to the Black child's background experiences. The following issues are raised: (1) I.Q. tests (predictor variables)…

Research on human cognitive abilities and jobs' aptitude demands reveals that the two domains have essentially the same structure. Counselor reluctance to use cognitive assessments may be overcome by addressing the following: Which cognitive abilities should be considered? How should occupations be classified for the purposes of assessing…

Analyzes the practice of race norming (adapting test scores on the basis of race/ethnicity) and its justification. Outlines the background of the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which prohibited race norming, and considers future implications for recruitment and selection. (SK)