Final answer:
Alfred Binet is recognized as the father of psychometric testing, having developed the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale in the early 1900s to identify schoolchildren needing academic assistance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The individual known as the father of psychometric testing is Alfred Binet. He laid the groundwork for the intelligence testing we know today. In the early 1900s, Alfred Binet, collaborating with his colleague Théodore Simon, was commissioned by the French government to develop a method to identify schoolchildren who might need additional academic assistance. This work led to the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale which assessed verbal abilities among other skills. Although Sir Francis Galton had earlier efforts in measuring human intelligence, it is Binet's approaches that have most directly shaped modern-day testing, exemplified by the widely used IQ test. Following Binet, other psychologists such as Louis Terman and David Wechsler further advanced and standardized intelligence testing, with Wechsler's scale being one of the most used today.