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Some of the controversial issues involved in the use of objective tests by institutions of higher education, as this use affects the selection and attendance by members of minority groups, are reviewed. Admissions committees now rely on the ability of a test to predict students' performance at their institution to guide their selection. However, minority group members have criticized such uses of test scores. Three potential sources of bias against minority groups include: irrelevance of the test content, particularly verbal content, to their culture and background; discriminatory administration of the testing program; and discriminatory use of the test results. Research investigating the comparative performance of minority and majority group members, the predictive validity of tests, and the influence of the testing environment on performance is reviewed. Efforts to isolate culturally biased test items have been unsuccessful. Evidence indicates that minority group members tend to score less well on most tests; however, tests seem to validly predict academic success regardless of the student's background. In addition, the physical and psychological atmosphere in which the test is administered seems to have a significant influence on performance. Suggestions for supplementary research are delineated. (PR)

1Boy Crusoe

By Allan Eric

Also published as" A Yankee Crusoe" . A 15 year old hard working and studious farm boy finds the lure of adventure on the seas as a merchant seaman more than he can resist. This is his story. " I was born in a little town in the State of Maine, near the close of the Civil War. My boyhood life did not differ materially from that of the average farmer's son in the remote country districts of New England--except, perhaps, that I read more and thought more. Hard work on the rugged soil, two terms each year in the little yellow country schoolhouse, a day's fishing now and then filled the early years of my life full to over-flowing. " What he gets is enough excitement and adventure to overflow his wildest dreams. How he experiences disaster and uses his wits and knowledge to overcome every problem makes for a great read. - Summary by Phil Chenevert