Disparate Impact of Teacher Competency Testing on Minorities: Don\u27t Blame the Test-Takers - or the Tests

Spurred by the recent spate of Commission reports that have decried the state of education in America, many states have recently enacted legislation to raise educational standards. By 1984, over half of the states had implemented some form of standardized testing requirement to assess the competence of prospective teachers. By 1988, nine more will join their ranks. In addition, a number of states have enacted legislation requiring incumbent teachers to prove their competence through standardized examinations