(2020 update: My daughter got a perfect score on the SAT last year. The concepts in this post from 2010 really worked for us!)
It's that time of year again. The weather is warming; the trees are alive with fragrant blossoms! Now is the time to take nature walks with the kids; now is the time for -- standardized testing?
Like it or not, as the school year ends, a new burden threatens the joy of spring elation, but is it really necessary? And if so, does it have to be a burden?
If a parent is tense and nervous about their student's test-taking, it will be difficult for the child to feel differently. I made this mistake when my son was in Kindergarten. My friend, a certified teacher, administered the IOWA test to him, and my very present anxiety and fear came through loud and clear to the small boy. This set him up for a future dread of tests. I have worked hard to over-turn this condition, but it's slow going. I know this is an all too familiar state in families. As parents, it is our obligation to get our own heads "right," so that we do not scar our little exploring learners!
http://www.vocabtest.com
Test-taking is a vital component to college entrance and also can be a homeschool parent's friend. As parents and educators, we need to put tests in their place. We should consider them tools, not masters. Our children will follow suit, and perhaps they will be saved from the anxiety that commonly accompanies this part of our education process.
Assuming a parent has worked diligently towards appropriate goals for their children, it should not be hard to meet one of the state requirements. The CAT test is known to be the least intimidating test on the list. It can be administered by the parent and is comparatively less time-consuming than other tests.
I have administered the CAT test for the last several years to my students and have submitted the results to the school superintendent in my area. The test has served me by giving me a measurement of how my home-school compares to the norm. The standards set, in my opinion, are not very high, especially for homeschoolers, who have one-on-one instruction time with a very dedicated teacher, who can tailor a curriculum to their student's strengths and weaknesses.
Because I would like a more comprehensive measurement than the CAT provides, and because test-taking is a learned skill, which will be useful for my children as they progress into and through college, I have signed my children up this year to take the Stanford 10 Achievement tests with a local home-school group. This is a tool for me, as their teacher, to gauge areas which might need improvement in my homeschool.
Is testing really necessary?
Many public educators and homeschoolers don't "believe" in standardized testing. After all, isn't one of the major problems with the public school system the fact that teachers feel pressured to "teach to the test," which pits student against student and doesn't allow children to develop interests and aptitudes at appropriate rates?
A homeschooling parent in Virginia who is not using the religious exemption clause has the prerogative to either send in a test score from any nationally normed achievement test, to have a person licensed to teach in any state (or a person with a master's degree or higher in an academic discipline) send an evaluation letter to the school system, or to submit a report card or transcript from a community college, college, distance-learning college program, or a home-education correspondence course.
Standardized testing can be a necessary component in our child's development because of the current way that higher education is set up in America, but only if a child can be taught to give the test the appropriate emotional and mental weight.
Assuming a parent has worked diligently towards appropriate goals for their children, it should not be hard to meet one of the state requirements. The CAT test is known to be the least intimidating test on the list. It can be administered by the parent and is comparatively less time-consuming than other tests.
I have administered the CAT test for the last several years to my students and have submitted the results to the school superintendent in my area. The test has served me by giving me a measurement of how my home-school compares to the norm. The standards set, in my opinion, are not very high, especially for homeschoolers, who have one-on-one instruction time with a very dedicated teacher, who can tailor a curriculum to their student's strengths and weaknesses.
Because I would like a more comprehensive measurement than the CAT provides, and because test-taking is a learned skill, which will be useful for my children as they progress into and through college, I have signed my children up this year to take the Stanford 10 Achievement tests with a local home-school group. This is a tool for me, as their teacher, to gauge areas which might need improvement in my homeschool.
If there is an area of weakness, I will not assume that it is a reflection on my student, as much as an indication that I need to re-assess the way I present material or the choice I make for a curriculum and schedule.
Test-taking is a wonderful opportunity to teach my children how to deal with the nerve-wracking requirement that they will be presented with as they are taking steps toward higher education. I can discuss their fears and concerns with them; I can help them practice and give them coping techniques. In essence, this test-taking experience is just another learning experience!
If a parent is tense and nervous about their student's test-taking, it will be difficult for the child to feel differently. I made this mistake when my son was in Kindergarten. My friend, a certified teacher, administered the IOWA test to him, and my very present anxiety and fear came through loud and clear to the small boy. This set him up for a future dread of tests. I have worked hard to over-turn this condition, but it's slow going. I know this is an all too familiar state in families. As parents, it is our obligation to get our own heads "right," so that we do not scar our little exploring learners!
http://www.vocabtest.com
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