Bliss, Leonard B.2022-01-182022-01-18413https://hdl.handle.net/2139/52515A model for the validation of standardized tests of academic achievement upon populations not represented in the samples used to standardize the tests is presented, and the results of a field testing of the model are described. The 1973 editions of the Stanford Achievement Test and the Test of Academic Skills were administered to a sample of predominantly West Indian students in the public schools of the Virgin Islands of the United States. Analysis indicated characteristics similar to those obtained from the continental United States standardization sample in terms of reliability, content validity, and item discrimination indices. Item analysis revealed differences between the local and standardization samples based on the cognitive complexity of items on all subtests. There were also indications of effects of local dialects on responses to language subtests. Finally, the data indicated that most students were unable to complete the reading comprehension subtests in the standard time allottedAchievement tests