Critics of a School's Special Education Program Observe That Students

Multiple Choice

Critics of a school's special education program observe that students with the lowest intelligence scores in the first grade still have the lowest intelligence scores in the twelfth grade, despite receiving substantial remedial and individualized educational experiences. The critics argue that the school should not spend money on this obviously ineffective program. What, if any, is the flaw in their argument?

A) Absolute intelligence scores obtained a decade apart cannot be meaningfully compared.
B) The sample size is too small; special education programs have been shown to produce substantial improvements in relative intelligence on the nationwide level.
C) The critics are using a relative measure; the absolute level of intelligence among these students could have improved.
D) There is no flaw in the argument.