What are some examples of bias in standardized tests?

What are some examples of bias in standardized tests?

Standardized tests can exhibit bias in various ways, such as cultural bias, language bias, and socioeconomic bias. For instance, questions may favor students from certain cultural backgrounds or use language that is more familiar to some groups than others.

Can you give me a specific example of cultural bias?

Sure! One example is a math problem that references sports or activities that are more familiar to certain cultures, like American football, which may disadvantage students from cultures where that sport is not popular.

What about language bias? How does that work?

Language bias occurs when the wording of test questions is more accessible to native speakers of a language, potentially disadvantaging non-native speakers. For example, idiomatic expressions may confuse those who are not fluent.

How can we address these biases in testing?

To address biases, we can use diverse test development teams, conduct bias reviews, and implement adaptive testing that considers individual backgrounds.