This study investigated bias at the item level in six subtests of the California Achievement Tests (CAT). Variability of performance across all individual items of the CAT for fourth graders from three ethnic groups was examined. A two-factor (item scores and ethnicity) ANOVA procedure was used to examine the interaction between Anglo and Hispanic children and between Anglo and black subjects on individual test items of the subtests. Significant F-ratios for the Items x Groups interaction were further examined by using Bonerroni's post-hoc test for the purpose of identifying specific items reflecting cultural bias. A total of twenty-one items was identified as culturally biased. Of these items, sixteen were biased against Hispanics, three items were found to contain bias against blacks, and two items reflected bias against both Hispanic and black children. Of these twenty-one items identified as biased, eighteen belonged to four verbal subtests and three items are part of the two mathematics subtests. In addition to these items identified as being statistically biased, this study suggests that ethnocultural differences exist on overall performance levels between groups. For example, on the verbal subtests, there was a total of only three items on which Hispanic children scored higher than Anglo subjects, and only one item which reflected a better performance by black children than Anglo students. Higher performance levels by Anglo subjects were also noted on mathematic subtests, wherein Hispanic children scored higher on six items than their Anglo counterparts, and black subjects outperformed Anglo children on only one item. These data reflected a tendency of higher performance by Anglo students across all subtests when by an examination of the number of items passed or failed by members of each ethnic group was made. The examination of the verbal subtests additionally showed that Anglos passed sixty-five items, Hispanic children passed twenty-four items and thirty-two items were passed by black subjects. This trend continued on the mathematics subtests, where thirty-one items were passed by Anglo students and seventeen and fifteen items were passed by Hispanic and black children respectively. The findings of this study led to the conclusion that the majority of items on the CAT does not reflect evidence of cultural bias. There were, however, a limited number of items on which either Hispanic or black children out-performed their Anglo counterparts. Implications of these findings were discussed and recommendations were made for future studies to examine bias at the item level.

Test bias is a current focus of concern in both education and psychology. No where are the polemics of test bias stronger than in the area of ethnic/racial group differences on measures of intellectual functioning. Th problem of test bias is exacerbated when verbal intelligence tests are administered to students in a language in which they have limited facility and/or cultural reference. This problem is most evident in the United States with Hispanics. This study was designed to evaluate the Raven's Progressive Matrices (RPM) as a measure of non-biased assessment for Mexican-Americans. The RPM was selected because it is a non-verbal intelligence measure. The subjects were 230 Anglo and 230 Mexican-American elementary school children from Douglas, Arizona. The data were evaluated by analysis of regression with the Total Reading and Total Math scores of the Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT). Both groups were analyzed together to identify any significant slope or intercept differences. All regression analyses were by grade level. Group validity coefficients were also computed for both math and reading by grade level and across grade level. The results of regression analysis indicated no test bias against Mexican-Americans. Slopes were equal at all grade levels. Some intercept variance occurred which would result in bias against Anglos, rather than Mexican-Anericans, if common regression lines were used. Also, validity coefficients of academic prediction for the RPM compared favorably to coefficients of the WISC-R Performance Scale for Mexican-Americans. Limitations of the study and areas of further research are discussed.

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Gender differences on Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores were analyzed by racial and socioeconomic groupings. Differences in SAT-Math scores, in SAT-Verbal scores, and in the difference between SAT-Math and SAT-Verbal scores were studied using four racial groupings (African American, Asian American, Caucasian American, and Hispanic American) and two socioeconomic groupings (average-to-high income and average-low income) of students. All differences were tested at the .05 level. Socioeconomic status was determined by using federal guidelines for free and reduced school lunches.The population of the study consisted of 7625 students (3962 females and 3663 males) from two school districts. School District A provided the SAT-M and SAT-V scores of 767 African American, 111 Asian American, 5202 Caucasian American, and 101 Hispanic American students. School District B provided the SAT-M and SAT-V scores of 139 African American,'179 Asian American, and 1126 Caucasian American students.Males, as a group, were found to be significantly higher than females in SAT-M scores and in the difference between SAT-M and SAT-V scores. Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans were found to score significantly higher than both African Americans and Hispanic Americans in SAT-M and SAT-V scores. Asian Americans were found to score significantly higher than all other racial groups in the difference between SAT-M and SAT-V scores. Hispanic Americans were found to score significantly lower than Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans and significantly higher than African Americans in SAT-M and SAT-V scores. African Americans were found to. score significantly lower than all other racial groups in SAT-M and SAT-V scores. A significant two-way interaction was found for gender and race in SAT-M scores, in SAT-V scores, and in the difference between SAT-M and. SAT-V scores. Gender differences in SAT scores varied significantly between each racial grouping.Average-to-high socioeconomic groups were found to have significantly higher scores than average-to-low socioeconomic groups in both SAT-M and SAT-V scores. These differences occurred regardless of gender and race. Significant linear differences were also found to occur in the difference between SAT-M and SAT-V scores over a seven year period. / Department of Educational Leadership