Fair Game?: The Use of Standardized Admissions Tests in Higher Education

Rebecca Zwick

RoutledgeFalmer, 2002 - Education - 228 pages

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.

About the author

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.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Fair Game?: The Use of Standardized Admissions Tests in Higher Education
• Author: Rebecca Zwick
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: RoutledgeFalmer, 2002
• ISBN: 0415925592, 9780415925594
• Length: 228 pages
• Subjects: Education / General; Education / Philosophy, Theory & Social Aspects; Education / Schools / Levels / Higher; Education / Testing & Measurement; Study Aids / College Entrance