To IQ or Not To IQ

To IQ. or Not To IQ.

IQ Definition: “ A simple way to describe intelligence by assigning a number that represents the ratio of mental intelligence to chronological age, multiplied by 100. Average I.Q is therefore 100 and is based on comparison between an individual's performance and that of other comparable people.”

Mental Age Definition: The level of mental development compared to others.

IQ Formula: MA/CA x 100

Four Myths About IQ

1. IQ measures some mysterious property. Truth: Measures the one score on one day.
2. IQ is constant. Truth: IQ can change.
3. IQ is the only point we need to know about kids. Truth: IQ is only one of many points.
4. IQ tests are impartial. Truth: The test is full of Bias.

One Fact About IQ

1. IQ scores are correlated with academic success.

Should Kids IQ's Be Tested?

I am completely for testing kids IQ's, but only for the knowledge not for placement purposes. Knowing a child's IQ for the bases of knowing where the child stands on a academic level can be helpful. If the IQ test shows that the child has a low mathematic level, but a high vocabulary level allows the tester to suggest improvement in certain areas. IQ should in no way be used as a placement object, because it in no way inclusive education. The only children who will benefit from exclusive education are those with a irregularly high score, by allowing them to achieve greater than they would in a regular classroom, but in some ways I think this would be a disadvantage to their social skills. Children should not be dumb down by placing them in a class with children who happen to share the same IQ score, it treats the children as if the have leprosy where just because they are different from the norm they should be treated differently. IQ should be tested regularly to be taken seriously, because one test is not the defining word, a child may perform bad one day,but excellent another. This shows that we must be wise consumers of what IQ states. IQ should be used as a tool for figuring out issues in a child's education, not a way to decide the fate of a student. Because IQ is correlated with academic success, that is the only use for it, it does not show how creative the student is, or their ability to deal with situations, or even social skills, having a low IQ does not make a child dumb, it just shows one way to measure intelligence on a particular day.