Is it possible to assess the potential intellectual capacity of a person as a child?

[noname223]

There is a reason why I think about that. In Germany there are different school systems. There are schools where all teenagers go to the same school no matter their skill level. However there are also school systems where the students are separated in 3 different schools. One for the highly skilled students, one for the medium skilled students and then the schools for people with low skills. When I was younger I was a conservative and they support the school system with separated students. Though I question this school system more and more.

At elementary school my math teacher considered me a math genius and my German teachers considered me without any talent. However these considerations were completely wrong. It turned out I am pretty mediocre at math but pretty good with languages. My German teachers were often concerned about my language mistakes. Nowadays many people compliment me for being so articulate.

This development questioned my support for the separated school system.

But there are more reasons. The schools for people with less skills are very stigmatized. The kids there are called losers and they are the target of mockery. Many migrants or people with bad parents visit these schools. It feels like the society gives these people up.
There are some advantages of the separated school system like the more motivated students and their talents can be fostered better. The quality and difficulty level of the lessons can be higher.

I am ambivalent on it. I would need to talk to experts for having a strong opinion on it.

What do you think is it possible to assess the potential of a person as a child? In my country the elementary school ends at the age of 11-12 I think. Then in some federal states the separation is made.

 

[theboy]

Yes

 

[Celerity]

This exact question has been studied by psychometrists, psychologists who specialize in the design and administration of psychological tests. If I remember correctly, IQ tests of all kinds can assess very young children, but the reliability and accuracy of the scores is higher with adults until retirement age (around 60/65).

I took 2 IQ tests during K-12. At around age 17, I scored 145. At age 8 or 9, I failed to qualify for the gifted program, which means that I had to have scored lower than 120. That difference is larger than 1 standard deviation (15 points for IQ), a sizable gap.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I suppose they have to try to do it. When I was at school, by the time we reached secondary school (I guess around 11-12), we were separated into different sets according to ability. Makes sense really- the clever kids wouldn't be learning to their capacity in a lower set and the less smart kids would feel overwhelmed in a higher set.

Problem of course is when the teachers get it wrong- as you say. I think having low confidence and low self esteem can mask someone's potential. Conversely, my maths teacher moved me up a set and it was disasterous. The new teacher may well have been speaking in another language!

Back in my Dad's day- they used to have different types of schools- grammar schools and technical schools. To divide people according to whether they were more academically gifted or practically gifted. Think in a way- I would have actually prefered that- I was always more practical. Still- I suppose comprehensive education leaves more doors open.