Research bears out the assertion that the traditional tests and measures used to define achievement have incorporated societal attitudes about class, race, and gender. Cultural factors, teacher behaviors, and teacher bias can account for early differences in the reading achievement of girls and boys. Furthermore, girls' grades for English and mathematics decline as they age, while those for boys improve. Whites perform better than Blacks on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), although middle-class or affluent Blacks also do well. Organizations such as the National Center for Fair and Open Testing favor banning standardized tests before the third grade because of the inaccuracy of such tests. More equitable ways of measuring achievement are under review. (KM)