After reading the article for todays class I got to thinking about how my IQ has been defined throughout my educational career. I don't even remember having a test done in elementary school to decide if I was AG or not, maybe I just blocked the memory or something I don't know. But touching on the point that Gould made in the article, are Standardized Tests such as the IQ or even the SAT biased? I have always heard people complaining that it is biased against African Americans as well as other minorities. The big question here though, I believe, is it biased or are the minorities not given the same opportunities as white people? They usually live in big cities with big class rooms and probably do not get the benefit of having wonderful teachers that take the time to catch them up if they are behind. There schools are usually below standard compared to the "rich" part of town.

All the talk today made me start thinking about the fairness of IQ tests. At my school the IQ test was taken in the 2nd or 3rd grade and then the students who were found to be "smart" were put in to AG. My 5th grade teacher was angry because she said that somehow I must have been overlooked to take the test and had me to take it. I did well on it was was then placed in AG and then into Honors classes in middle and high school. It just makes me wonder how many advantages I had going through school because of this one test and how I may have missed out on them if it hadn't been for this one teacher.
If not for this test there is a possibility that I would not have been placed on the College Prep program and I would have been back with the others who were only taught what it took for them to graduate and get a job.
Its really sad that these biased tests can determine someones future. Its also even worse that I was in 5th grade before I had a teacher who noticed my potential.
That makes our jobs so important. We need to recognize every child's potential to learn (and even if they do not do well on the IQ test) so that they will have all the same chance to do well in school and go to college.

i feel as if i'm not suppose to write what i feel, but i'm going to anyway.

i believe i grew up in a multi-cultural and generally financially stable community. although my family wasn't the poorest and were exposed to many things outside the african american stereotype, we were closer to the bottom portion of the wealth ladder and had our own lifestyle. i vivdly remember taking the SAT's and coming across a handful of questions that i could not comprehend simply because of the subject matter. one question asked something about an oar (a boat paddle). at the time, i had no clue as to what an oar was and had to make an educated guess to answer the question.

i believe if i had even a little trouble comprehending the things mentioned in the SAT test, then the minority students attending inner-city schools would have a greater issue answering them correctly. with any idea, or opinion made by man, there will be somekind of bias whether we realize it or not.

I agree with you Matthew I do not remember ever taking an IQ test in elementary school either. I think that a lot of test in general are biased. I think it is hard for test to be made fair for everyone anyways , thats why I just do not think we should use test like that to tell someones academic achievement. I just think we put why too much on test like that.

I agree with you all. I think we place way to much emphasis on these tests. This single IQ test in elementary school determines what you will be doing up to ten years later. What if you are a bad test taker? What if you were just in a horrible environment in the third grade when you took the test? And what if you simply had skipped breakfast that morning or just wanted to get the test over with? These things are temporary "setbacks" and don't determine the "permanent intelligence" or how you are going to do in life. Kids who tested low in third grade may have improved in higher grades. A lot of kids at my elementary school were tested in third grade, did poorly, and their parents had them retested in fifth grade. The kids' scores improved and they were placed into AG. This just seems very easy, like Nikki said, to have some really qualified students slip through the cracks. As teachers, it is important that we look at many things to determine a child's achievement and success. Tests alone will not do!

I can not stand IQ test or the SAT. I do not think they say anything about the abilities of the testee. During elementary school we had an AG program, but all it seemed like was just more work nothing thought provoking. When we went to middle school they separated the AG students, the average students and the low performing students. This accomplished nothing! All it did was set some up for success and some for failure. When we moved on to High school it was the same way, they "adviced" us on which classes we would succeed in and of course the"AG" students were told to take the Honors and the lower performing students were put on a vocational track. That sad thing is that most of the "AG/Honors" students were idiots. THey could hardly keep up with work and were happy with C's, so the test didnt predict anything about there success only that at that moment in time they were alittle bit more advanced. I think the test could be useful but not how we use them today.

I too am not a big fan of IQ testing or the SAT. I can remember being in the 3rd grade and the anxiety I felt on the day were took our IQ test. I was so worried I would do poorly and not place into AG like my two older brothers had. I don't know if I was just odd for feeling this pressure at such a young age but I know I can't be the only one. I do not feel that children that young should have to worry about a test determining their destiny in schools.
I also have a problem with the fact that an SAT score does not reflect how hard working or dedicated a student is. I think hard work can make up for supposed academic shortcomings. I know that my SAT score was not accurate to my college performance and have talked with many other people who have agreed because we we're that strong of test takers. I know other aspects are taken into consideration during the college admissions process but the SAT seems to be one that people stress about the most.

Another thing I notice about this is that we place such emphasis on a standardized test while as up and coming teachers we realize how biased all tests are. Some kids aren't good test takers, they were having a horrible day, etc. So why then should we place our faith in a test administered to a 3rd grader?

I agree that IQ tests are quite unfair. In class last week, someone mentioned that if an object/objects show up on an IQ test and a kid has never been exposed to that object, they're not going to know what that object is. From what I understand, IQ tests don't seem to be much of a test of knowledge and ability, but rather they seem to benefit the more advantaged students who have more resources and have been exposed to more. That's really not fair, especially since IQ tests are used to categorize kids rather than to help them as they were originally intended to do.

Reading everyones' posts reminded me of an instance that occurred in elementary school that proves how unreliable IQ tests and AG testing can be. I was tested for AG in third grade and I was brought into a separate room with the AG facilitator and another student. That student happened to be a boy that I had a huge crush on and of course, being a typical 3rd grade girl, I could not concentrate whatsoever on what I was doing. I failed the test even though I should not have failed. The next year I got into AG, but I think that I was cheated out of a year of more challenging classes because of the way that the test was administered.

In 3rd grade I was tested too but I did not want to be in AG. The AG students in my classes were taking out during the activity part of the school day, so I didnt really care about the test and I did not get into AG. I am sure there are some more examples about students not caring about a test and just takes it to get it over with. Another example I have is the SAT. I took the SAT 2 times and both times it was on a Saturday morning after a football game. I had to get up at 6 in the morning to drive somewhere to take a unGodly long test after I just played football until 10 the night before and prob didnt get home until 12. Everytime I took the test I was struggling and just wanted to get it over with. I do not believe that those 2 tests showed how well I was going to do in college considering right now I am ranked number 2 in my program and in the top 3 percent in the university.

I don't ever remember taking any IQ test. I went to Elementary, Middle and High school in Maryland. My elementary school was a French Immersion school which is maybe why they never gave it to us? I'm not sure. All I know is that I'm just fine. I'm in the same place as everyone else in our class even if I wasn't in Honors classes my whole life. I'm sure there are people in our class who were in the lower level classes as well as the higher level classes, and were all in the same University classroom.
I also believe that children learn well with a mix. If we put all the "smart" kids in one room and all the "not smart" kids in another room they are losing a great learning experience. If we place them all together then the less advanced learn from the advanced and the advanced learn from helping the less advanced. IQ tests are ok for getting an idea how the child is doing but I think its a bad idea for deciding the fate of a child.

From my knowledge, I don't think I have ever taken an IQ test. As for the SAT, I think it shows absolutely nothing about how "smart" a person is. I did not do extraordinarily well, but I did wonderful in high school and now in college. I know this is off topic, but it really made me think of the AG program at my elementary school. My AG program was very unorganized and we were told it was based on our academic grades and recommendations from teachers. The program was so biased; only white middle to upper class students were asked to be a part of AG. We were taken to a separate, isolated school one day a week. Looking back, this was so ineffective because we missed and had to make up schoolwork for an entire day. I also can imagine how the other students in my class felt when I was chosen to get the privilege to leave for the day. I'm sure this really tampered with quite a few children's self-esteem.