There are many commercially available psychological tests in India. The desire to use test scores to make important decisions has increased considerably. In 2012, schools in America spent approximately $ 1.7 million per year on assessments for kindergarten through 12th grade (Chingos, 2012). No child left behind in 2002 raised significant awareness about psychological testing in the United States. President George W. Bush signed the No Child left behind into law on January 8, 2002, intending to improve the performance of America’s Primary and Secondary Schools. The objective was to make all children proficient in reading and math by 2014. The NCLB was replaced in 2015 by the Every Student Succeeds Act, retaining the most important parts of the NCLB such as required testing. (U.S. Department of Education, 2018).
Advancing psychology to benefit society and improve lives is the need of the hour. In this context, Howard Gardner, the famous American Psychologist argues that people differ in their way of learning and knowing. And these differences he called Multiple Intelligences. Multiple Intelligences Research Centre (MIRC) which is based on Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences theory advocates the idea that everyone is smart in a variety of ways, not just those traditionally valued by schools.
There are eight different types of intelligences, as put forth by Howard Gardner. Children can have varying levels of each intelligence. Teachers can use multiple Intelligences in the Classroom for the benefit of their students by designing syllabus, lessons, teaching-learning, and assignments for these multiple intelligences.
Multiple Intelligences Challenge an educational system that assumes that everyone can learn the same materials in the same way and that a uniform, universal measure suffices to test student learning. It is, therefore, necessary that schools and teachers should teach in a way that supports all types of intelligences, not just the traditional ones such as linguistic and mathematical intelligences.
At very early ages children begin to show natural abilities or preferences. Taking note of what a child chooses to do in his/her spare time can tell a great deal about the child. Observation of each student is not always possible in determining dominant intelligence. Multiple Intelligences Research Centre developed the test known as the Multiple Intelligences Picture Test. It uses pictures to identify dominant intelligence. It is important to satisfy one’s dominant intelligence. Most people work, learn, and enjoy life more when their dominant intelligence is satisfied. In this context, it is therefore paramount that every child should be tested on Multiple Intelligences so that child can concentrate and learn more effectively.