"The decline of American intelligence will be more rapid than the decline of the
intelligence of European groups, owing to the presence here of the Negro."
Carl Brigham, 1924, developer of the SAT and dean at Princeton
This week I read about standardized testing. Getting ready to blog I found this quote which I have serious problems with. Standardized testing is a way of measuring how well a person obtained what was taught. But don’t say a person is not intelligent because they score low on a standardize
test. Learning about testing makes me believe that students, no matter what color, are a result of their educators and not of their race. We need to educate our students not only on objectives but also on life. I hope that all teachers understand the concept of testing as a tool to measure objectives or standards and not a weapon to destroy our learners’ belief in themselves.
Looking at the SAT-10 score of the ELLs at my school and those at some of the private high schools on Guam, those ELLs at the private school have a lot higher scores even though they come from some of the same ethnic backgrounds. I think the problem comes from socioeconomic status and not ethnicity. Even a lot of poorer Caucasian students do not perform well on standardized tests.
ReplyDeleteHi Marvin!
ReplyDeleteI agree, just because a person does not pass a standardized test does not mean they are not intelligent. I believe that everyone is intelligent in their own way.