Discuss and give three examples of how cultural bias can affect standardized tests

Cultural bias in standardized testing can manifest in the following three forms:

1. The topic or content of a question- The topic or content of a question may make sense only to individuals from certain dominant cultures or urbanized areas. For instance, if the topic or content of a question is about New York subways, people in rural America or other parts of the world will not be able to answer the question since the New York subway system is unfamiliar to them.  

2. Use of computers and technology in standardized tests negatively affects less privileged members of society- Nowadays, standardized tests are largely administered and performed on computers. This makes it harder for less privileged individuals to perform well on these tests. While less privileged individuals might actually know the answers to test questions, they might fumble while answering questions on a computer, because they have never been able to afford having a computer at home- unlike their wealthier counterparts. 

3. Language Discrimination- Standardized tests such as NAPLAN and SATs require test takers to be fluent in English in order to understand questions and answer them. This is an issue for bright individuals who are capable of answering all answers on a test but are unable to do so since they are not proficient in English. Standardized tests in this way are biased towards individuals who are native or fluent English speakers.