Debra P. v. Turlington

Florida required students to pass a competency exam (the SSAT II) to receive a high school diploma, and while a significant number of students, disproportionately Black students, failed the test, evidence suggested the state's content-validity study assumed certain material was taught in classrooms without verifying that assumption, and at least one teacher testified he hadn't covered the entire relevant textbook. Failing students sued, alleging due process and equal protection violations; the trial court ruled for Florida, and the students appealed.