Legal issues associated with competency testing of teachers are reviewed, with an emphasis on the problem of bias against minority examinees taking standardized tests. The central legislative foci of legal activity in this area are Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII requires employers to show, with validation studies, that occupational tests are predictive of the work behavior of the job for which the examinee is being considered. Title VI requires defendants to demonstrate a statistically significant correlation between the test and the examinees' success in a job training program. Cases reviewed include "Griggs v. Duke Power Co." (1971), "Ablemarle Paper Co. v. Moody" (1975), "Washington v. Davis" (1976), "United States v. State of South Carolina" (1977), "Debra P. v. Turlington" (1979), "United States v. "LULAC" (1986), and "Anderson v. City of Bessemer" (1985). Use of the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) and the Pre Professional Skills Test and the involvement of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in test construction and validation efforts are outlined in the context of the case reviews. A new multiple-choice examination--to be developed by ETS to supersede the NTE--which concentrates on successful classroom performance, does not purport to be useful as the sole criterion for teacher certification. (TJH)