4 ms·
> It is insane to say standardized tests "punish disadvantaged students and minorities" A test can be written with a bias that favors or punishes any group. I
by spamizbad 13y ago
> It is insane to say standardized tests "punish disadvantaged students and minorities"
A test can be written with a bias that favors or punishes any group. I don't think its intentional, as it is quite difficult to create them without these issues.
A simple example to show the point:
Which of the following is not like the others:
A) Chicken
B) Moose
C) Cow
D) Pig
E) Dog
Many people would answer A: A chicken is a bird and everything else is a mammal.
But if you come from an agricultural background, in addition examining the animals based on their Biological Kingdom, you might be tempted to say B, Moose: It's the only animal that has no role on a farm. B is not an illogical answer from that perspective, but within the context of the test it's likely wrong.
When people say a test has a socioeconomic bias, they're saying a question can become easier or harder depending on a student's economic background. The question above is easy for most of us, but would probably be solved slower by anyone who grew up on a farm.
- xname 13y ago> When people say a test has a socioeconomic bias, they're saying a question can become easier or harder depending on a student's economic background. That's not their argument. However, actually the issue you mentioned has long been noticed by psychologists / test makers. Experts in SAT / ACT know a lot about these things. Please refer to Differential Item Functioning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_item_functioning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_item_functioning
- spamizbad 13y ago> Experts in SAT / ACT know a lot about these things. Experts at ACT maybe. But didn't the SAT recently announce it's re-tooling much of its test to address these issues?
- xname 13y agoSAT / ACT both have best experts (psychometricians and statisticians). Those are very basic things for them. Can you tell me what is your reference? From what I read, I think SAT is addressing other issues.
- barry-cotter 13y agoThe new changes haven't been tested at all from what I've read. They're dropping vocabulary tests, for example, which are astonishingly predictive. From the media coverage it doesn't look like the College Board are as interested in scholastic aptitude as plaudits for Doing the Right Thing™.