Idaho Drops Teacher Test

The Idaho state school board has suspended its requirement that prospective teachers pass the National Teacher Exam (NTE). The board is expected to permanently drop the test later this year and replace it with requirements such as local assessments. Critics have long argued that the NTE is race- and gender-biased and fails to adequately predict whether the test-taker will be a competent teacher (see Examiner Winter 1988-89, Winter 1987-88).