Question

should babies/young children’s IQ be tested before starting kindergarten? Explain. Based on the results of the IQ testing, would it be fair to place some young children in more advanced or remedial classes based on the results? Why or why not? Based on the chapter, do you believe such testing might result in disparate treatment or in identifying children as potential offenders or as being feeble-minded? Explain.

Answer 1

The IQ of children can be tested before starting kindergarten. The IQ usually develops upto the age of 6 and then as an individual grows, the IQ keeps increasing. However, by the age of 6 it is pretty stable. By testing the IQ of a child, one can get a fair idea about the pace of teaching which must be followed. It also helps in understanding how much a child knows and how much they will easily be able to retain.

Once the IQ has been tested, this information can be used effectively to understanding the grasping ability of a student. However, based on IQ a distinction should not be made between children. Placing some children into advanced and some in remedial classes is not fair. The reason behind this is that as a child starts attending school, a lot of factors play a crucial role. The environment of the child helps in shaping their personality, this too contributes to their intelligence. Further, the kind of peer group they have, the teachers teaching them also influence their knowledge. Making distinctions may inhibit the growth of children. Also, such an early distinction may hamper potential students from having access to advanced education.

If such distinctions are made, there are high chances of disparate treatment. Children who initially may not have high IQ can always show an increase, but this may not be possible if they are already put into remedial classes. Putting the children into remedial classes solely on the basis of their IQ is also extremely demotivating. For convenience sake they may also be identified as potential offenders or feeble minded - which is extremely unfair.

Intelligence is a by product of both nature and nurture. All factors apart from only IQ must be considered before making any kind of classifications.