In addition, there are few books available for them to read. Personal and community poverty, aggravated by lack of industrial development and employed role models, does little to stimulate student awareness of mathematics and its applications. Prior to the administration of standardized tests to American Indian students or to the interpretation of American Indian test data, the test administrator can do several things that may contribute to better student performance. For ability, aptitude, and intelligence testing, one should ensure that the students have had exposure to the experiences assumed in the design of the test, the opportunity to develop the requisite skills, and the circumstances they need in order to value a successful test performance. A few of the national testing corporations, such as the developers of the California Achievement Test, are developing Indian norms for their tests.
Several papers offer additional reading and help in the area of testing Indian students.
Recommendations for future research appear fraught with problems. The natural recommendation for most tribes to become involved in the process of developing their own tests has to be considered in the light of the high costs and resource requirements needed to develop a quality test. Tribal differences and dispersion of many Indian students would suggest that tribally developed tests may lack enough general applications across tribes for merit. Further research may be better invested in documenting the similarity and differences of test reactions and in the development of intervention programs to teach test administrators to use tests in an appropriate manner with American Indian students. Boloz, Sigmund A., and Richard Varrati.