Teacher testing began in Arkansas when the governor threatened to veto a 1% sales tax if a teacher testing bill were not passed. With enactment of Act 76 in 1983, an instrument was developed for field testing in 1984 over objections of the Arkansas Education Association. The test, the Arkansas Educational Skills Assessment, is comprised of 50 multiple-choice reading questions, 50 mathematics questions, and a 200-word writing sample. Many legislators attempted to modify or eliminate the Act but the governor strongly supported it. Disagreements over cutoff scores, test bias, confidentiality of results, and testing procedures marked the period prior to the test date, March 23, 1985. Problems, including mixed-up scores and content leaks, were associated with subsequent test occasions in 1987. Finally, 3.6% of the teachers were never able to pass the test. In spite of the comedy-of-errors aspects of the test controversy, public support for teacher testing seems to indicate that the education profession needs to confront its own problems and to take steps to ensure the competency of those who enter its ranks. (SLD)