Assessment for Learning MOOC’s Updates

Comment Week 1 - Intelligence vs. Knowledge Testing

Most if not all intelligence tests actually measure forms of knowledge: They assess acquired skills and as such they are influenced by culture, environment, and opportunities. Arguably, one might find an intelligence test useful to document obvious disability. When one recognizes that such tests assess knowledge, they may become helpful tools to understand what is known or known, identify skills and gaps, compare individuals, etc. However, in doing so, once should not seek to differentiate individuals along a bell curve, and recognize that an entire population or sub-population may either do well or poorly on the test.

  • Vincent McCall