I forget the exact numbers but minorities were passing at a rate statistically significantly below what would be expected based on number of applicants and length of service. That is an objective, repeatable criteria. I'm happy to consider other criteria but the more subjective the criteria the more you run into people trying to game the system, the more lawsuits you get, etc.
Judah On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 10:37 AM, Michael Dinowitz<[email protected]> wrote: > > A question is fair if it accurately portrays the rules that must be > obeyed, gives options that may feel 'right' but are against the rules, > and gives a correct option that reflects the rules. I was commenting > on a particular question so I should have said question rather than > test but the point is the same. If 'cultural' stereotypes are coming > up against the rules then one or the other has to change. And this was > not an entry test, it was an advancement test. Should people breaking > the rules, rules put in place to save lives, be allowed to advance? > > If the criteria for the test not being fair was an all white passing > class or not, were there really only whites passing? Where there any > 'sometimes whites' like Hispanics? Was it only that there were no > blacks passing but there were other minorities? Was the same test used > in other places where those who passed were not all white? What was > the ratio of colors? Was the criteria used to determine that the test > was bias a statistically significant one or a 'it felt right' one? > 100 whites and 2 blacks take a test. No blacks passed it. Was it > biased based solely on no blacks passing? > > On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 1:20 PM, Judah McAuley<[email protected]> wrote: >> Out of curiosity, what criteria are you using to decide that the test >> is fair? I'd agree that the test was fairly administered..everyone >> received the same test. But on what basis are you saying that the test >> itself is fair? Are you presuming that the test is fair by default and >> then requiring someone to show that it is not fair? >> >> The test may have been fair or not fair, I don't really know. I do >> know that the city of New Haven had objective criteria for determining >> if the test was fair or not. You are welcome to disagree with their >> criteria. But what I have not seen is a proposed alternate set of >> objective criteria to judge the fairness of the test. >> >> Let's hear another set of criteria upon which to evaluate the test and >> then we can decide which criteria seems more fair and just and >> correct. >> >> Judah >> >> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Want to reach the ColdFusion community with something they want? Let them know on the House of Fusion mailing lists Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:299308 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
