ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the status and performance of black students on standardized tests as reported and presents the context of test fairness and bias. It discusses the meanings of the findings for the educational development of black youth. Greater school and community efforts are needed at the junior and senior high school levels to increase academic preparation for college and employment. Therefore, the measurement community has a responsibility to use the tools to improve the quality of instructional experiences available to black children. The personal characteristics that affect and are affected by school achievement among black teens are found to be quite similar to those affecting achievement among their peers of other racial or ethnic groups, and include self-concept, locus of control, and self-perception of ability. The status of reading achievement among all Americans, as well as among black, Hispanic, and white subpopulations has been a major focus of the National Assessment of Educational Progress since its inception.
