Which case addressed concerns about the use of IQ tests for placement decisions and potential racial bias?

Which case addressed concerns about the use of IQ tests for placement decisions and potential racial bias?

• A. Rowley
• B. Larry P. v. Riles
• C. Timothy v. Rochester
• D. Brown v Board of Education

Answer: (B)

The central idea is fairness in how students are placed into programs based on testing, especially when race can influence outcomes. Larry P. v. Riles addressed concerns that standardized IQ tests used for placement decisions were culturally biased and disproportionately labeled minority students as needing more restrictive programs. In this 1979 case, a federal court ruled that using IQ scores as the sole determinant for placement into classes for the intellectually disabled violated students’ rights. The remedy was to replace reliance on a single IQ measure with a multi-criteria assessment approach that includes adaptive behavior, achievement, teacher observations, and parental input, along with ensuring non-discriminatory procedures and appropriate safeguards. This case underscored that assessments must be fair across cultural and linguistic backgrounds and that placement decisions should rest on a broad, unbiased view of a student’s abilities and needs. Other cases in this area focus on different issues, such as ensuring an appropriate educational benefit or addressing desegregation, rather than testing bias in placement decisions.

The central idea is fairness in how students are placed into programs based on testing, especially when race can influence outcomes. Larry P. v. Riles addressed concerns that standardized IQ tests used for placement decisions were culturally biased and disproportionately labeled minority students as needing more restrictive programs. In this 1979 case, a federal court ruled that using IQ scores as the sole determinant for placement into classes for the intellectually disabled violated students’ rights. The remedy was to replace reliance on a single IQ measure with a multi-criteria assessment approach that includes adaptive behavior, achievement, teacher observations, and parental input, along with ensuring non-discriminatory procedures and appropriate safeguards. This case underscored that assessments must be fair across cultural and linguistic backgrounds and that placement decisions should rest on a broad, unbiased view of a student’s abilities and needs. Other cases in this area focus on different issues, such as ensuring an appropriate educational benefit or addressing desegregation, rather than testing bias in placement decisions.