However, we should be conservative

However, we should be conservative in the use of teachers’ judgments in order to identify underachievers, overachievers, and intellectually gifted students. Especially in tracked or leveled classrooms, e.g., in a class of students considered low achievers, teachers may inaccurately judge their students’ cognitive abilities, perhaps leading to students mistakenly referred for special education services, lowered expectations for students, or teaching beyond students’ abilities. Even more importantly, one question remains unanswered: How much information on students’ cognitive abilities remains in teachers’ judgments, when academic achievement has been controlled for? Teachers appear to be good enough judges of school performance and of a general ability level; however, expecting every teacher to have the competency to judge underlying intellectual potential may be unrealistic.