Kids took IQ test in AP Psych class.

[Anonymous]

My DD also took an "IQ" test in AP Psychology. It's honestly no big deal. The teacher gives plenty of context as to the limitations of testing, the reliability of the instrument, and the insights it might give. IQ tests are used by and administered by psychologists, so it's relevant for the kids to understand how they work. As it is an AP class, it would consist of high school juniors and seniors who are generally above average.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my high school psychology class, we talked about the limitations of IQ tests and their biases. This was in a small, midwestern, almost entirely white town in the 1990s. Our teacher first had us take an IQ test designed for a rural, Black population in the South in the early 20th century. It had questions like, “How long do you cook chittlins?” We all scored very low IQs because we were familiar with the references. They we took a more familiar sample IQ test, and across the board, we all had higher IQs. It was a valuable lesson. The point wasn’t to learn our actual IQs.

I hope the kids in OP’s child’s class very given some perspective on IQ tests not being the measure of a person’s worth.

That's really insulting.

[Anonymous]

Of course it’s appropriate. It’s the portion of the class where they learn about interpreting data. And, it’s an AP class. It’s a college level class.

[Anonymous]

You put your child into a class with college expectations - you live with it.

[Anonymous]

I had both my kids tested when they were young (initially because my daughter was told she needed to skip kindergarten). Both had solid scores but one was ten points higher than the other. I saw no reason for one child to feel lesser than the other. Now, one is in college. I finally told her her score over winter break when she brought it up. I asked that she not mention the score to her sister. They really wouldn't care at this point and no one would be surprised by the different scores but I wouldn't have wanted them to compare each other when they were younger. I am glad I was able to dole out the information when I felt it was appropriate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my daughter’s AP Psych test, the kids took an IQ test and received their scores today. I think this was totally inappropriate for the teacher to do.
To be fair, the kids didn’t have to take the test, and they were given the option to see their score - but still, they’re teens and probably couldn’t really appreciate how receiving a low score could play a number with their self image.
Do you think this was an appropriate assignment for an AP Psych class?

Appropriate? Sure. But I think as a parent it’s fair to expect notification/consent.

[Anonymous]

Neuropsychologist here
No no no- inappropriate. We didn’t even do this in graduate school. I can guarantee that parents didn’t consent nor did kids truly assent. There are way better ways to teach this.

[Anonymous]

I taught Psych (regular- not AP) and would frequently give students example questions. The current Psych curriculum goes over the history and biases of the tests as well as example questions. I never gave students a full test because I didn't want to to use up that much class time, but it's perfectly reasonable to do so given the course content.

[Anonymous]

On the plus side, if they ever take an IQ test properly administered in a clinical setting, they'll probably score higher due to having prepped.

[Anonymous]

Was it listed in the course description or syllabus?

[Anonymous]

Totally inappropriate. Many parents have either avoided testing their kids or avoided telling kids their scores for their whole lives. Not the school’s place to undermine that. IQ, validly or not, can open and close doors in this world and permanently shift self-image. Ask me how I know…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had both my kids tested when they were young (initially because my daughter was told she needed to skip kindergarten). Both had solid scores but one was ten points higher than the other. I saw no reason for one child to feel lesser than the other. Now, one is in college. I finally told her her score over winter break when she brought it up. I asked that she not mention the score to her sister. They really wouldn't care at this point and no one would be surprised by the different scores but I wouldn't have wanted them to compare each other when they were younger. I am glad I was able to dole out the information when I felt it was appropriate.

AP psychology is a college level class.

[Anonymous]

So at what age exactly does OP think it would be appropriate? What's going to change? I mean, they are going to be 18 in under 2 years and all the world-good, bad and ugly-is will be legally theirs for the taking. What are you afraid will happen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So at what age exactly does OP think it would be appropriate? What's going to change? I mean, they are going to be 18 in under 2 years and all the world-good, bad and ugly-is will be legally theirs for the taking. What are you afraid will happen?

There are still 2 more years before then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had both my kids tested when they were young (initially because my daughter was told she needed to skip kindergarten). Both had solid scores but one was ten points higher than the other. I saw no reason for one child to feel lesser than the other. Now, one is in college. I finally told her her score over winter break when she brought it up. I asked that she not mention the score to her sister. They really wouldn't care at this point and no one would be surprised by the different scores but I wouldn't have wanted them to compare each other when they were younger. I am glad I was able to dole out the information when I felt it was appropriate.

10 points is within the margin of error. They would have essentially the same score. Why would either one have cared?