Wick, J. W. (1983). Reducing proportion of chance scores in inner-city standardized testing results: Impact on average scores . American Educational Research Journal , 20 (3), 461–463. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312020003461

Also available at weblink: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1162612 ​

The author used data from district wide assessment conducted in the Chicago Public Schools in 1974 and 1975 to extend and support the findings from research conducted by Doscher and Bruno (1981). Doscher and Bruno analyzed simulated data, concluding that test scores will be an overstatement of actual performance when a large proportion of chance scores are included.

Low performing students in grades 5–8 in the Chicago Public Schools (U.S.) participated in 1974 and 1975.

Iowa Test of Basic Skills served as the dependent variable.

Wick found that when functional level testing was introduced in the Chicago Public Schools in 1975, chance level scores dropped from 42% to 8%. This reduction in chance level scores was accompanied by a reduction in mean grade equivalent scores. This finding is consistent with Doscher and Bruno's assertion that high proportions of chance level scores will provide an overestimation of performance.