Maintains that, in the wake of unfavorable court decisions, many school boards in the South attempted to legitimize wage discrimination against black teachers through use of the National Teacher Examination (NTE). Examines questions of racial bias within the testing procedure. Profiles the NTE's leading proponent, Ben Wood. (MJP)

The National Teacher Examinations (NTE), were first administered in 1940. Teacher examinations had existed in the United States since colonial New England. During the late 1920's, intelligence tests became popular; teaching aptitude, subject matter competence, and knowledge of testing were also measured. In 1931, a cooperative program of the…

Trends in teacher competency testing, test bias against minority group teachers, and ways to encourage qualified personnel to join the teaching profession are discussed. Currently, 21 states require students to pass a test to enter a teacher education program, and 31 require teacher candidates to pass a certification test. Admission tests include…