Tabor City tribune., 1959-04-29

perdicting scholastic succe s.
Intelligence Is an important
factor In scholastic achievement:
however. there Is overwhelming
evidence that many other fact
ors affect both the nature and
the extent Of academic achieve
ment.
The idea of the I. @. as a con-
slant factor is slowly but surely
being abandoned. It is difficult
to understand how and why It
persists at all. The dominant
view Is not whether intelligence
score can be changed. but rath-
er how much 1t can be changed
and what specific environment
al conditions are necessary to
bring about the desired changes.
1t Is to be emphasized that we
are here talking about that
which Is measured by tests. not
about inmate ability. In the ab-
sence of adequate controls of
past experience, innate capacity
cannot be inferred. Many who
insist on the theory Of I. @. con-
stancy will gibly report that
studies comparing earlier I. @.
scores with later scores discover
a high correlation coefficient.
Celdom is the meaning of the
correlation explained even IL it
is understood. For example: a
longitudinal study by Honzik ct.
al. showed a correlation 81 for
comparison of scores at 6
years and at ID years. An ex-
PLANTATION of the correlation re-
veals that go per cent of the
group studied changed Is or
more points, about 80 per cent
changed 20 or more points, and
about 8 per cent changed 80 or
more point. Parents interested
in the individual children in
volved and not in a single sta
tistic. would not be convinced
on the basis of this study that
I. Q.'s are constant.
Any reasonable person will
realize that this writer does not
wish to discredit reliable intel
ligence tests. Carefully selected,
administered, and cautiously
interpreted. intelligence test S
can serve as a useful tool in
helping us to understand all the
children whom we are at
tempting to help. On the other
hand. the view that administra-
tive adjustment 70 differences in
l. Q. scores is an adequate ad-
justment in individual differ
ence is flight from reality. Al
best the intelligence test is one
means of locating one type OF
gifted child-the child of alb
stract intelligence. 1t will not
enable us to locate or accurately
measure all types of abilities
nor will it provide an accurate
measure of the ability of some
children who come to us from
impoverished or underprivilegeo
homes. 1t is categorically stated
many students with eXceptiona
talents and abilities cannot b,
4 identified by intelligence test
because of the low relationship
between I. @. tests and abilit.
in areas such as art, creativ
writing, and music, as we'll a
the low relationship betweeI
abstract intelligence and mech
anical ability and social leader
ship. Granted we need man.
who are skilled in the sciences
On the other hand, as one writ
er has pointed out our most cry
ing need is not for scientists anc
college professors, but for polit
ical and economic leaders. Their,
is every evidence that success
full leadership ability in govern
ment, the professions. and th'
arts involves factors in addition
to intellectual capacity.
Let us make no mistake abou
il. There are thousands of chill
dren in our schools whose po
tential abilities. talents, anc
skills are not being discovered
and are not therefore. being de
veloped. They will not be dis
covered by the simple evpedient
of a single test score. There
could perhaps be no surer way
of "ploughine them nder'
Whatever the system used if il
is to be successful. it will laval!
itself of every possible clue to
capacity or talent and S h ou d
range from the comparatively
J subjective judgment of teach.
ers to the relatively much more
objective individual Standardiz-
ed tests"
In telligence. giftedness. talent
ability, skill. or whatever the
term is that we use to describe
some superior potential in indi-
vidualS is not a quality that
shows itself like measles for
any quack to see, nor are intel
ligencc tests to be used like the