Multiracial Individuals and Educational Testing

Abstract

A literature review focused on quantitative measures and methods regarding multiracial individuals and educational testing revealed that multiracial individuals are uniquely different than monoracial individuals in terms of their racial identity and these unique identities interact with test scores. Until recently, this uniqueness has been ignored by institutions and within the field of educational testing. The uniqueness of multiracial identity should be taken into consideration when using test measures to make decisions for selection and when comparing group outcomes. The review provides a brief picture regarding the history of categorization of multiracial individuals and current research which connects the multiracial experience to test score performance, followed by information on data collection, data coding, data analysis, implications, and recommendations. Suggested methods to address the methodological and analytical challenges of how to categorize multiracial individuals for purposes of group comparisons are challenging and frankly, unsatisfying. Yet, there are some clear recommendations such as allowing individuals to check as many racial/ethnic categories that apply to their identity versus forcing a choice of one race or using “Other” as an option. The limited research regarding multiracial individuals and educational tests supports the need for further research in this field.