Describes and analyzes the social organization of testing as an interactional phenomenon. Provides examples of exchanges between clinician and child in a diagnostic testing situation. States these coorientational activities demonstrate that testing has an interactional basis. Explores the implications for research on bias in mental testing. (NL)

Student test scores are increasingly used to judge the competence of the educational enterprise. Exaggeration of scores is the result of directing attention away from the individual student achievement to the average scores of schools, districts, and states. Implications and recommendations are discussed. (BJV)