Larry P. argued that other assessments should be used in evaluating students with Intellectual Disability (ID) instead of using Intelligence Quotient (IQ) assessment only. The Larry P. team had four issues: the amendment of the disproportionate admission of black students in special education, the proposal of a new assessment process that is fair, equity and access by all students to quality education and appropriate curriculum, and continuous cultural consciousness in the education sector (Powers et al., 2004) . The Larry P. judge ordered the reassessment of all black students in California school districts who had been labeled “educable mentally retarded” without IQ tests. He disqualified the use of intelligence tests, especially on black students. Some of the assessment tools that are currently used include cognitive association, long-term retrieval, cognitive conceptualization, and cognitive expression.
Challenges associated with Larry P. compliance
The Larry P. law has faced several challenges ,despite winning the case and the law changed to create a favorable assessment procedure.
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One of the challenges is non-compliance by many institutions in using the correct criteria in assessing students who require special education. The California Department of Education operates in contrast with the ruling and original intention of the Larry P. case.
Another challenge is resistance by different groups that lobby for the lift of the ban. Groups such as the California Association of School Psychologists argued that the disproportionate admission of black students in special education persisted hence, the ban was ineffective.
The presence of other socio-political inequalities in the American system allows the persistence of the disproportionate admission of black students into special education institutions (Powers et al., 2004) . The total ban on the use of IQ tests put a challenge on assessors. The use of the tests required judicial approval and this wastes a lot of time in placing children in special education programs (Wade, 1980) .
The Criterion of Eligibility for Special Education Services
For a student to be determined eligible for special education services, he/ she must meet all of the three set criteria. These criteria are:
The student must be disabled or with multiple disabilities.
The disability/ disabilities must extremely affect the student’s academic performance.
The student’s special needs cannot be dealt with using only general classes: specific modifications and specially designed instructions (SDI) have to be made for the education of the student.
The assessments for eligibility to special education services are carried out by the district’s evaluation group.
Did the implementation of Larry P. achieve its purpose?
The Larry P. law partially fulfilled its purpose because there was a federal law that was passed in 1975 that assured equal access to public education and other services to students with disabilities. Disabled students get an Individualized Education Program (IEP) which is a program that is tailored to meet the needs of each student at school. However, according to research in 2016, black students were still being admitted excessively in special education. The wrong criteria were used in the placement, for example, an emotional disturbance which is a trait related to behavior. Underassessment or no assessment was done for the black students and this is discrimination to the parents.
Some institutions such as the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) assist students so that they are not wrongly placed in special education. They use deeper assessments and improved personalized services to each special education student.
Impressions and reflection of Larry P
The Larry P. team assisted in reducing racial discrimination in the special education placement system. However, the changes and laws that were passed do not seem effective, and follow-ups must be made in the education departments in different districts to make sure that the set criteria are followed to the latter.
References
Powers, K., Hagans-Murillo, K., & Restori, A. (2004). Twenty-five Years after Larry P.: The California Response to Overrepresentation of African Americans in Special Education. The California School Psychologist , 9 (1), 145-158. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03340915
Wade, D. (1980). Racial Discrimination in IQ Testing - Larry P. v. Riles. Depaul Law Review , 29 (4). Retrieved 20 February 2021, from https://via.library.depaul.edu/law-review/vol29/iss4/12.
