Defending A High School Graduation Test

This special issue is a case study of a recent legal challenge to a graduation test, GI Forum v. Texas Education Agency. Its purpose is to provide updated, relevant information to the many statewide and district testing programs, measurement professionals, and policymakers currently involved with the implementation of new educational standards and tests. The GI Forum Court's decision provides a road map for creating legally defensible graduation tests, and by analogy, may also provide useful guidance for other high stakes uses of standardized achievement tests. The GI Forum case is an extension of the landmark Debra P. v. Turlington case.