Test Bias or Real Differences?   A test publisher’s perspective
on closing the achievement gap.  Even with the years of effort
dedicatedMargaret A. Jorgensento equalizing education,
theachievement gap in the US persists.The question now facing
test developers iswhether the gaps are the result of
truedifferences in achievement or of bias in thetests. Test
publishers have developedmethods of detecting and eliminating
biasin their assessment products; however,despite all the
attention and resourcesdirected at closing the achievement gap,
adisparity in performance still remains. Butan “item design”
would enable assessmentsnot only to measure a student’s
academicachievement, but also to provide insightand detailed
information about whatlearning objectives a student has not
yetreached. By both serving as a thermometerand offering
educational prescriptions,standardized assessments can be a tool
fornarrowing the achievement gap.  With professional and ethical
responsibilitiesto remove barriers of bias in theirassessm