Comparisons between whites and blacks in models of educational achievement were found to be suspect when based solely on least-square estimates, since the estimates are biased by measurement error varying by race. In this study, white high school seniors were shown to report their parents' status characteristics more reliably than black high school seniors. Data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 as the seniors moved into early adult years. Variables included father's and mother's educational attainment in the base year and first followup year, and father's occupation measured by Duncan's socioeconomic index adjusted to the 1970 census occupation classification. Simultaneous covariance structure analysis methods developed by Joreskog were used in estimating measurement parameters for both groups. Explicit statistical tests of group differences in measurement error patterns are described. (Author/CM)