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The 1979 court case *Larry P. v. Riles* highlighted a significant racial disparity in California's special education system: while Black children were only 10% of the student population, they comprised 25% of those in special education. The plaintiffs argued that the IQ tests used for placement were discriminatory due to racial and cultural biases favoring white students. The court ruled that these IQ tests could no longer be the sole factor for placing Black students in special education, a decision that prominently exposed the inherent limitations and potential for bias in standardized intelligence testing.

Larry P. v. Riles Court Case

The Stanford professor and developer of the Stanford-Binet IQ test, Lewis Terman, said that, “[I]n the near future intelligence tests will bring tens of thousands of these highgrade defective [I.Q.'s in the range of 70 to 80] under the surveillance and protection of society. This will ultimately result in curtailing the reproduction of feeble-mindedness and in the elimination of an enormous amount of crime, pauperism, and industrial inefficiency.”

IQ Tests as a Form of Eugenics, Part 1

“Picture Arrangement” IQ challenges tended to feature only white middle-class individuals, which was not as relatable to the experiences of black children. The cultural bias in these IQ test sections could lead to lower scores for black children. 


Racial Bias in IQ Tests


To create the SAT, College Board commissioned American eugenicist Carl Brigham, who once argued that immigration needed to be strictly monitored to safeguard “American [white] intelligence”. 


The Racist History of the SAT


The 1979 court case *Larry P. v. Riles* was initiated by parents of African American students against the State of California. Their central argument was that the IQ tests used to place students in learning disability programs were culturally biased. This bias stemmed from the fact that the tests were normed and standardized exclusively using white children, which led to a disproportionate number of African American students being incorrectly labeled as 'mentally retarded.'

The Argument in Larry P. v. Riles: Biased Norming Practices

Based on the following scenario, analyze the most probable underlying reason for the statistical disparity, focusing on the assessment tool itself.

Analyzing Disproportionate Educational Placement

A school district observes that students from a specific minority group are being placed in special education programs at a much higher rate than their peers. The primary tool used for this placement is a standardized intelligence test. Based on the legal and ethical principles highlighted by the *Larry P. v. Riles* case, what is the most likely underlying reason for this disparity?

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