Fairness in Access to the Construct(s) as Measured
The goal that all intended test takers have a full opportunity to demonstrate their standing on the construct being measured has given rise to concerns about accessibility in testing. Accessible testing situations are those that enable all test takers in the intended population, to the extent feasible, to show their status on the target construct(s) without being unduly advantaged or disadvantaged by individual characteristics (e.g., characteristics related to age, disability, race/ethnicity, gender, or language) that are irrelevant to the construct(s) the test is intended to measure. Accessibility is actually a test bias issue because obstacles to accessibility can result in different interpretations of test scores for individuals from different groups. Accessibility also has important ethical and legal ramifications.