ABSTRACT
One of the more persistent problems of educating special education students is the precision of the terms which define their deviation from the norm. Standardized tests of ability, aptitude and skill, together with anecdotal material and interviews, are the main evidence for decisions about placement. Although some kind of labeling seems essential in working with groups of students in need of special remedial attention, the categorizing of students merely by intelligence levels is a dubious distinction. There is a growing uneasiness about intelligence labels, and perhaps even some unfairness in schooling for those defined as retarded.
