Table: Highlights of Allen v. Alabama State Board of Education

Save to favorites
Print

Email Facebook LinkedIn Twitter

Copy URL

Return to the main story,

Petition May Scuttle Teacher Testing in Ala.

For more than two decades, Alabama has been trying to make a subject-matter-knowledge test a requisite for teachers to earn their licenses. A lawsuit has thwarted the effort along the way.

1980: National Evaluation Systems is awarded a contract to develop the Alabama Initial Teacher Certification Testing Program.

Summer 1981: Testing begins.

December 1981: Several Alabama State University students and the board of trustees file a class action. The plaintiffs allege that the test is racially biased.

1985: An out-of-court settlement is reached and a consent decree is presented to the court, which requires the state to issue teaching certificates to most teacher-candidates in the plaintiff class.

1988: The state ends the testing program as a result of the settlement.

2000: The consent decree is amended, but does not allow the testing of subject-matter knowledge.

2004: The consent decree is amended a second time, and the state board of education prepares to begin administering the Praxis II tests from the Educational Testing Service.

Oct. 15, 2004: Three students from ASU ask to intervene in the case.

SOURCE: Education Week

Table: Highlights of Allen v. Alabama State Board of Education

See Also

Events

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Read Next

Table: Highlights of Allen v. Alabama State Board of Education

See Also

Sign Up for EdWeek Update

Events

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Read Next

Sign Up & Sign In