Why are using IQ scores for placement in school, controversial now?
 

It didn't used to be. I would like to preface this discussion with the disclaimer that I do NOT think people who score high on IQ tests are superior in life. Or more valuable. In fact watching Jeopardy will make you see that very bright people do not always have the jobs you might expect and some continue to go to school for years.

I believe that knowing an I.Q. score can help a person make choices and also guide his/her educators. I also believe that I.Q. scores do not move much, no matter HOW much education a person gets. It is innate intelligence that is measured. I remember the Wechsler, The Stanford Binet, the Whoopsie (for little kids) and others. My question is to why I.Q. tests are a touchy subject nowadays.

What say you?

I is smart.

I be smarter to.

I think the question is does the design of the test favor one group of people over another group that has a different culture background. The question is if two people actually have the same IQ but different backgrounds will they score the same.

Although excellent nutrition, a pleasant and supportive home environment and access to learning resources may all play parts in optimizing a child’s intelligence development one is born with a certain intellectual capacity. A Schnauzer cannot be turned into a Doberman.

I made it a long way through life....a long way....not knowing (or caring actually) what my IQ was/is.

I do not recall anybody ever asking what it was through all my schooling and throughout my corporate career.

I was and remain a believer the cream always rises to the top and have found over the years that IQ/number of degrees are no substitute for experience and an individuals drive.

Yes, for some, there is an advantage.....for some.

It is not as though the calculation for an IQ is an exact science........from Google:

mental age ÷ Physical age × 100 = IQ. No matter what the child's chronological age, if the mental age is the same as the chronological age, then the IQ will equal 100.

Today there are different so called "intelligence testing".

My problem with the concerns of today are the new attitudes whereby there are no failures....the lowering/massaging of measurements to make more folks equal.....does that include IQ calculations as well????

Your points are well taken. However many "gifted" kids are short in other areas, may be clunky socially, not as athletic, tend sometimes to zero in on one subject to the exclusion of another. Just as kids with low I.Q. need guidance to be the best they can be and able to succeed in life, so do some of the gifted.

When I went to school, kids were offered college prep based on I.Q. Others were offered stenography, etc, shop, woodworking, plumbing, electrical etc. Geeks weren't in then, now they are applauded.

I still say acting gooney is acting gooney, no matter what the score says and if someone gets you to acceptable behavior, your chances at success go up in life.

I think the worst advice you can give to a child is recommend that they not go to college. Anyone can and should get a college degree. IQ has nothing to do with it. There are many dumb people with college degrees making big incomes, especially in the Government. The best Government jobs and white collar jobs go to those with a college degree. Being a plumber or carpenter is fine, but you are very limited in your employment opportunities and income potential.

I cannot wait to see the replies to this!

I think you always need to train for 2 professions at the same time. Learn a trade and prep for college. I told my sons to take the networking classes offered in high school along with the college prep courses.

The government jobs where I'm from went to the candidates with military service first. That's fair. We're grateful. They were prepping for 2 careers.

When you are in HS you don't think that way. If you are from a family with wealth you can take your time. If not--get a part time job someplace where you can learn a trade or borrow a few bucks and go to a county college at night while you are in HS and learn a trade..

Performing well on Jeopardy is dependent upon a fund of general knowledge. One can have an abundant fund of general knowledge but not necessarily have a high IQ. It is only one aspect of "intelligence" that is measured on IQ measures, especially on the Wechsler scales.

Additionally, some IQ measures (i.e. Wechsler scales) yield both Verbal and Non Verbal scores. The Verbal score better predicts academic success in our school systems, while the Performance score is more closely aligned with visual, hands-on abilities. Incidentally, the subtest on the Wechsler scales that correlates most highly with the Full Scale IQ is a measure of vocabulary.

It is thought that most IQ measures can be best described as predictors of school success, not measures of innate intelligence.

Relying on I.Q. scores for classroom placement has always been a crapshoot.
The test is most often given and scored by schoolteachers like it was an everyday school quiz.
Without proper instructions before the test and a professional interview after the test, the results should be considered suspect.
If you don't understand the algorithm you shouldn't evaluate the score.

Duplicate post

Geez even