The Rise and Decline of the IQ-Achievement Discrepancy Model in Learning Disability Identification
By
Keith McNamara
Summary
This article examines the history of learning disability (LD) identification in American education, arguing that the field is best understood through the evolution of its diagnostic methods rather than the emergence of a label. It traces the rise and decline of the IQ-achievement discrepancy model—the dominant criterion since its codification into federal law in 1977—amid shifting legal, psychometric, and policy contexts, highlighting how declining faith in IQ tests has shaped the controversy.
Source
bskyThe Rise and Decline of the IQ-Achievement Discrepancy Model in Learning Disability Identificationonlinelibrary.wiley.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledThe existence of a 'severe discrepancy' between measured ability and achievement has been the dominant criterion for identifying learning disabilities ('LD') in American education since its codification into federal law in 1977.
I argue that the history of LD is best understood not through the emergence of a diagnostic label, but through the evolution of its methods of identification.
By tracing the rise and decline of the IQ–achievement discrepancy model amid shifting legal, psychometric, and policy contexts, I aim to show how declining faith in IQ tests
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