1st Edition
Fair Game? The Use of Standardized Admissions Tests in Higher Education
Despite the onslaught of editorials and articles on the subject of standardized admissions tests, few people outside the rarefied world of psychometrics-the statistical analysis of test scores-know about the procedures used to develop, score, and evaluate these tests. Rebecca Zwick demystifies these procedures to present a common-sense view of the politics of education. Highly informed and convincingly argued,Fair Game? connects the mechanics of assessment to broader issues raised by test critics and supporters alike.
Do accusations of race- and gender-based test discrimination hold up to the statistics? Do tests favor those who can afford expensive preparatory programs? Can tests reliably measure our nation's educational achievement? Zwick slices through the incendiary rhetoric that surrounds these controversial questions, and offers solid and straightforward recommendations for more equitable educational policy.
Biography
Rebecca Zwick is Professor of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an expert on testing. She formerly worked for the Educational Testing Service, studying whether tests like the GRE and GMAT are fair and predict success. Her articles have appeared in Education Week and Phi Delta Kappan.
"Zwick does a superb job of demonstrating that these tests are part of larger social and educational problems that cannot be solved simply by eliminating their use. I know of no other book that tackles this issue in such user-friendly language." -- Patricia Gándara, author of Over the Ivy Walls: The Educational Mobility of Low-Income Chicanos
"Fair Game? is even-handed and fun to read. Rebecca Zwick demolishes long-standing testing myths on both sides of the political spectrum." -- Paul W. Holland, Director, ETS Center for Statistical Theory and Practice
"This book is essential for policymakers and educators seeking a balanced grasp of admissions testing. Rebecca Zwick's clear and thorough contribution offers new research-based directions for policy." -- Michael Kirst, Stanford University
"Fair Game is essential for policymakers and educators who need a readable and balanced grasp of admissions testing before they act. Many testing policy debates are replete with charges and counter charges about testing that are partial and misleading. Fair Game is comprehensive, and ends with new research-based directions for policy." -- Michael Kirst, Professor of Education, Stanford University School of Education
