Black teachers are struggling to pass new standardized tests

On a common licensing exam called Praxis Core, a new test given in 31 states or jurisdictions that was created to be more rigorous than its predecessor, 55% of white teaching candidates taking the test since October 2013 passed the math portion on their first try, according to the preliminary data from the Educational Testing Service, which designed the exam. The passing rate for first-time African-American test takers was 21.5%, and for Hispanic test takers, 35%. A similar gap was seen on the reading and writing portions. In New York, which now has four separate licensing tests that candidates must pass, an analysis of the most difficult exam found that during a six-month period, only 41% of black and 46% of Hispanic candidates passed the test their first time, compared with 64% of their white counterparts. The federal Education Department has said that more than 80% of public school teachers are white.