The Testing Dilemma for Minorities.

The document states that certain steps need to be taken immediately for rectifying and containing the injustices of testing. Until such time that the State can demonstrate unequivocally that their statewide testing and evaluation program is fair to all groups, and that every student has had an equal exposure to quality school environments before evaluation then there should be a moratorium on testing. The State should establish a task force for the development of an Office of Consumer Affairs in Testing and Student Evaluation. The State should establish a Research and Development Office which will have the latitude to study empirical questions of teacher and pupil performance. It is most important that evaluative agencies recognize that tests and their ensuing social judgments are instruments of racism by virtue of minority exclusion in all phases of test utilizations. Moreover since minorities have limited access to the opportunity (mainstream) structures of this society, much less policy making positions, it is obvious that decisions on criterion variables (job or education) have negligible minority inputs. Since racism has been an integral characteristic of the power brokers in this country, and the testing industry caters to the power brokers, there is no reason to assume that testing has the best interests of minorities at heart. (Author/JM)