Despite Ruling, Testing Debate Far From Settled: The U.S. Supreme Court renewed debate Monday over the fairness of high-stakes testing with its ruling that White firefighters in New Haven, Conn., who scored high enough to win promotion on an exam Black firefighters didn't, were unfairly denied promotions as a result of their race.
"The Supreme Court sides with the White (firefighters) without really exploring the test itself for possible biases or deciding whether or not the test was the only test that could determine who is fit to be [promoted]," said Dr. Darnel Hunt, director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.
"I would imagine, that the [opposition] will find solace in this decision and use it to try to argue that the test is the right measure of merit, and if minorities don't do well then that is their fault. This decision opens the door for that," said Hunt, who is concerned that this type of thinking could harm the college admissions bid of minorities who don't score well on admissions exams. The ruling could alter employment practices nationwide and make it harder to prove discrimination when there is no evidence it was intentional.
