Entry Testing and the Overrepresentation of Romani ... - UR Research

R28PITFALLS AND BIASBias in test administrationWhen using translated versions of assessments and interpreters to administer assessments to children whoseprimary language is not the dominant language, there are still issues to consider in diagnosis and placement.Direct translations of assessments might be inappropriate to use with individuals who speak different dialects(Olmedo 1981, 1,083). In a review of school psychologists’ reports for English Language Learners in California,Figuero and Newsome (2006) determined that only one test was used to collect data (rather than using varioustests across multiple domains as is best practice), tests were not administered in the child’s home language,the tests were not administered by individuals who had any familiarity with the child’s cultural, ethnic, or languagebackgrounds, and when interpreters were used (which was rare) no notes were made in the report about theinterpreter possibly affecting the validity of the assessment (209). The sample size in this study is small, at only 19reports, but anecdotal evidence indicates that these instances of test administration bias happen frequently inthe case of Romani children. Test examiner bias may also be a factor in how the test is administered. Skiba,Knesting, and Bush (2002), in a review of literature related to culturally competent testing, report that examiners’ethnic and class prejudices and unfamiliarity with children’s cultures can significantly impact children’s performanceon standardized assessments (64).ISSUES IN COMMONLY USED TESTSWechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children was first published in 1949, revised in 1974 (WISC-R), then again in1991 (WISC-III). The most recent revision was in 2003, as the WISC-IV. The test is administered to children individually,and the administration of the core battery of the test takes 65–80 minutes. The full-scale IQ score (FSIQ) isdetermined by the sum of four index scores: Verbal Comprehension; Perceptual Reasoning; Working Memory, andProcessing Speed. The index scores are derived from subtests; there are ten subtests that make up the corebattery and five supplemental subtests. Please see Annex 2 for a more in-depth description of the components ofthe WISC-IV.There are particular issues with scoring the test that might apply when it is administered to children who mightnot come from the dominant culture or who do not have exposure to early schooling. When scoring the question“How are an apple and an orange alike?”, two points are given if the child responds they are both fruits, butonly one point is given if the child responds they are both food, both round, and so on. Pupils who attend schoolare more apt to engage in activities that would foster deeper degrees of similarity classifications, which wouldresult in higher IQ scores (Ceci 1991, 718). Additionally, in letter-number sequencing, children must understand theconcepts of “alphabetical order” and “ascending order” (Whitaker 2008, 131), which is also fostered throughclassroom activities.