The use of psychological and educational tests in World War I led to their adoption in schools for testing intelligence and achievement in order to classify students academically according to a national norm. After World War II, rapid changes in occupational and social structure demanded the education and identification of students for employment. As educational conditions changed, it became evident that several untenable assumptions had been made regarding standardized tests (for example, the assumption of difference between measured intelligence and achievement, and the assumption of the normal distribution of tested behaviors in the population). Civil rights movements sought out bias and discriminatory practices regarding intelligence and aptitude tests. This process led the Supreme Court of California to ban the use of intelligence tests in their public schools. In the past, the results of intelligence tests have been used for four major purposes: (1) to predict the educational, occupational, and social potential of the individual; (2) to help the child and the parents plan for the child's education and career in terms of "realistic" goals; (3) to assign the child to a particular educational or training program or track; and (4) to indicate the appropriate environment in which a child with a low I.Q. should be placed. These tests no longer serve to provide information that can help in planning for the continuous development of human beings. Useful data can be obtained, however, and time and effort involved in collecting comprehension information may be reduced as experience and experiments reveal more economical means of assessment. (BJD)