[quote=UCGal][quote=CA renter]This has been studied for generations, and many people who’ve studied it for decades will disagree about the causes of IQ differentials. I’m no expert; just stating what’s out there and what the effects of these differences are on our educational system.[/quote]
One of the reasons San Diego Unified uses the Ravin test for GATE testing is because it takes out cultural bias, native language bias, etc. It’s basically pattern recognition in a purely visual basis.
I can tell you that my kids’ seminar classes were ethnically mixed. Part of that is because they were at a school in a hispanic/vietnamese part of Clairemont. But the seminar teachers have such a reputation that kids literally choice in from La Jolla, Coronado, UC, and Point Loma. (Those are the white kids in the class.) All of the kids are super smart – but some come from challenging backgrounds. I would say the class was less than half white… so clearly there is ethnic diversity among cream of the smart kids.
In other districts that use a more typical IQ test – the factors mentioned above probably play a role of keeping non-english speakers at lower scores.
But, is it the teachers that give this school/program the reputation that it has, or is it the students? That’s the question that relates most to the issue of teacher tenure and union protection.
I think you’d be surprised to see that many of the teachers in low-performing schools are some of the very best teachers around. It might not show up on the standardized test scores, though. As a teacher, you can do a whole lot more with a classroom full of highly intelligent (irrespective of the tests used to determine this) and motivated students than you can with students who are less intelligent and come from very rough backgrounds who tend to be a lot less motivated in the traditional sense. This is what is demonstrated by standardized test scores.
Also agree that there is no perfect assessment for intelligence, and that there are many different types of intelligence and talents of various sorts. Will get more into the types of testing and what they’re looking for, and why it matters, when I get some more time later on.
Edited to add:
If you go to your link and click on the “IQ by country” link, the breakdown looks very much like how those segregated schools would look.
