Final answer:
Alfred Binet, a French psychologist, was commissioned by the French government to develop the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale to test children's intelligence in public schools. His work laid the foundation for the field of intelligence testing, which would later be standardized in tests like the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales.
Step-by-step explanation:
The individual commissioned by the French government to test intelligence in public school children was the French psychologist Alfred Binet. Binet, along with his colleague Théodore Simon, developed the first widely-used intelligence test known as the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale. This intelligence scale was created to help identify children who might face difficulties in the school environment.
The usage of intelligence tests arose from the need to have consistent and reliable methods for measuring intellectual capabilities. The Binet-Simon scale set the stage for later tests that would take into consideration various aspects of mental age and the standardization of testing. This became crucial, as seen in the case of Larry P. v. Riles, which highlighted issues with cultural fairness and standardization in intelligence testing. The importance of these tests is not confined to the past; the consequences of their application continue to influence educational policies and the assessment of student abilities.
It's also noteworthy that the development of intelligence testing by Binet led to further enhancements and adaptations outside of France, particularly in the United States by psychologists like Lewis Terman at Stanford University. Terman's version, known as the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, contributed significantly to the field by standardizing scores based on a larger and more varied sample to produce a bell curve distribution of intelligence.