Larry P. v. Riles

Black elementary students (plaintiffs) scored below 75 on the San Francisco school district's (defendant) IQ test and were placed in educable-mentally-retarded (EMR) classes offering minimal instruction and carrying lasting stigma on students' permanent records, even though the same students scored significantly higher when tested by Black psychologists using culturally adjusted methods; Black students, only 28.5 percent of the district's population, made up 66 percent of EMR enrollment. The plaintiffs sought a preliminary injunction barring use of the IQ test for EMR placement of Black students.