There is no current evidence that Minimum Competency Testing (MCT) used to deny high school diplomas has enhanced equal educational opportunities for minority students. Test results, largely indicate that MCT requirements impact disproportionately on black students. Black students' scores may reflect a long history of racial discrimination in the schools, as well as bias in the testing process. While MCT programs may beneficially focus on teaching basic skills, there is no evidence that the diploma sanction is necessary to achieve this focus. The MCT movement may have advanced the thinking of judges and legal scholars about standards of good educational practice. These results of the MCT movement are not direct benefits of the programs which have been implemented. The educational standards articulated for MCT programs and the disproportionate racial impact of MCT require recognition that the problems of racial discrimination still exist in the schools, and the fundamentals of good teaching and testing practices are not always implemented. The promised benefits and goals of MCT are not yet realized. There is no assurance that the programs are effective in increasing educational achievement since it has not been proven that the tests are accurate measures of such achievement. (CM)