Homeschool and the Standardized Test

by Lena H on May 17, 2013

homeschool and the standardized test

 

I used my handy dandy cell phone to do a screen capture of this level in Candy Crush Saga. After looking at it for a few minutes, I sent the picture to a friend who immediately replied in true blogger form with, There’s a blog post in that! 

Well of course there is! In fact, after I looked at it from a blogger’s perspective again, I realized it was exactly the picture I needed for this post. Perfect!

My disclaimer:

This post is a mixture of opinion and fact. If you agree with it, then clearly it is fact. If you disagree, it is, without a doubt, opinion. That way, despite my opinions and your opinions, we can all still be friends and go to the playground, sit on top of the jungle gym and talk about the cute car with built-in GPS and a radio with only the music we want. Ok? Cool!

Homeschool and the Standardized Test

What is a standardized test?

According to Edutopia‘s article, ‘Standardized Testing Fails The Exam,’ a standardized test is any test that’s administered, scored, and interpreted in a standard, predetermined manner. 

In the public school, this is generally the testing that is used at various points throughout the school year to measure benchmarks and progress towards the final goal. It is also the testing used at the end of the year to measure a student’s overall progress during the school year.

In a homeschool setting, the same is true. Standardized testing can be used as part of a boxed curriculum to measure benchmarks throughout the year, but also it is used as a measure of the student’s overall progress at the end of a selected time period. In the homeschool setting two of the more popular standardized tests are Iowa Test of Basic Skills and California Achievement Tests.

What is the purpose of a standardized test?

In public schools and home schools alike, standardized tests are used to measure academic growth. The scores are compared against different subgroups to determine how each group is performing in comparison to others. For instance, homeschool vs. public school vs. private school students, or boys vs. girls, different ethnic groups, special education students vs. regular education students, and so on.

In public schools, to some extent, it is also used to measure the quality of the teacher. For instance, if a teacher has a pattern of low test scores, it may show areas of growth necessary for him/her.

In home schools, standardized testing will give the parents an idea of how the student is performing in relation to others his/her age. In addition, these tests will also give parents an idea of academic areas that might need more focus or a different approach to teaching in the future.

When combined, the scores from standardized tests across the country are used to compare the performance of students in the United States to the students in other countries. However, this is an unfair comparison. In the United States, all public school, and many non public school students are administered a standardized test. Therefore, the U.S. is testing more students from disadvantaged backgrounds and more students with disabilities. Other countries do not test or report all of those scores (Economic Policy Institute, What Do International Tests Really Show About U.S. Student Performance?)

 Pros and Cons of Using Standardized Tests in a Homeschool Setting

Pros

  • provides data about strengths and weaknesses – the data can be used to tweak the way parents teach their children in the future
  • gives parents an idea of how their child compares academically to their same age peers
  • provides early exposure and experience with standardized testing that will help students prepare for college entrance exams and exams in their college classes

Cons

  • testing may cause unnecessary stress or anxiety in your child (and in you)
  • testing a child with special needs can cause even more anxiety because the child may not understand the material or the process – the score may cause more angst for you, even though you know not to expect the best, it is still difficult
  • the score will likely hit you in the face – good or bad – a good score will give you reason to be proud and share with others, while a low score will cause disheartening and likely cause you to question your ability and decisions to homeschool (when you have no reason to question)
  • possible differences in beliefs and therefore differences in what material you have chosen to teach can cause confusion and possibly lead to a lower score (for example, evolution vs. creation)

Alternatives to Standardized Testing

A child who is unable to perform under the pressure could be a child with intellectual disability, physical disability, emotional disability, etc. For example, my oldest son is in public school and has modifications to be allowed to take his test with his teacher in a small setting. Otherwise, due to his intense anxiety, he would not be able to perform under the pressure despite his academic success.

If testing is required by your state, and you have a child who may not be able to perform under the pressure of a standardized test, I encourage you to research whether your state allows you to provide a portfolio or other alternative assessments.

Standardized testing certainly has it’s place and purpose in academics. Unfortunately, like the cherries in the top right corner of the Candy Crush picture, we back our children into a test corner and expect them to find their way out. For many children, this is an unfair expectation and can put everyone involved in an uncomfortable situation.

If testing is not required by your state, I encourage you to weigh the pros and cons of testing in your particular situation. Each child and each situation is different and the choice may be different for each child.

The great thing about homeschooling? That is OKAY!

Lena

 

 

 

{ 3 comments }

Homeschool Blog and Tell: May Edition

by Lana on May 16, 2013

Homeschool Blog and Tell Show us your FLOWERS!

Blog and Tell #HSBAT @hsbapost

 

Welcome to the Homeschool Blog and Tell – May Edition!

This is a series that you get to show off what is going on in your homeschool!

Each month has a different theme.

May’s theme is “Show us your FLOWERS!”

Why?

May Flowers are everywhere!

May is the time your “buds” that you have watered, fed and pruned turn into flowers.  Some might even be graduating into the next level.
May is also a reminder that it is springtime in North America.
May also has so much joy in it.
Has your child brought you a dandelion from outside lately?  Or painted you a flower?
This is the time to show off his love for you!

So, show us what you got!

Now for a few guidelines: (I know…no one likes a lot of rules, so there are not many.)

Please direct your link to a certain post NOT your home page. We have the right to delete your link if this is not followed.
Use a least one photo in your post. We want to SEE what you have done!
Link your specific post to The Homeschool Post. (Again, we have the right to delete your link if this is not followed.)
These can be OLDER posts. We are okay with that – we want to drive you web traffic!

If you have ANY questions, please feel free to ask! We are here for ALL homeschoolers and truly want to bless you guys!

If you are on Twitter, Google+, or even Instagram please use the hashtag: #HSBAT.

Homeschool Blog and Tell May Edition

Blessings to you! You are loved!

Lana



{ 0 comments }

Top Ten Favorite Educational Shows on Netflix

May 15, 2013

We have run out of Top Ten Blog lists to share with you from last year’s award season. We have enjoyed the Top Ten List posts, so we are going to stick with that format for a while and bring you some of our favorites. This week, we bring you our Top Ten Favorite Educational [...]

Read the full article →

Microsoft Stores and Homeschooling – Who Knew?!?

May 14, 2013

So what do Xbox, Windows Phones, Kinect, Office, Surface, Laptops, Gaming Headphones, Technical Support, and Software Training have in common? You can get them all at the Microsoft Store! Not to mention, you can also schedule your FREE homeschool co-op class, get your Girl or Boyscout Tech badge, or even have a birthday party complete [...]

Read the full article →

Schooling Without a Schedule?

May 10, 2013

When people hear I am the mom of a large, military, home-schooling family they often assume our house either, 1. runs like boot camp or 2. exists in total chaos. I assume their perception depends on if they focus on the word “large” or on the word “military”. By nature I am a perfectionist. I [...]

Read the full article →

The practical, the pretty, and the profound — what homeschool moms want for Mother’s Day

May 9, 2013

May 12th is Mother’s Day.  If your family is anything like mine, all those subtle reminders in advertising all over the place will completely go over their heads until the day before when you finally say to them, “You know, tomorrow is Mother’s Day.”  That statement is usually met with the sound of crickets and [...]

Read the full article →

When A Child’s Interests Are Worth Pursuing

May 8, 2013

A few years into my homeschooling journey, I woke up to the fact that unless I enjoyed tagging alongside my kids’ pursuit of knowledge, homeschooling would become an uphill battle for me. Stubborn as I am about sticking to my guns (my lesson plans, routines, chore charts), I realize that a lot of my kids’ [...]

Read the full article →

The “Get To” Parent

May 7, 2013

Over the years, one of the recurring conversations in our house stems from the idea that my wife is the “have to” parent and I am the “get to” parent. Maybe you have heard this term before? Maybe you have used it in your house? If not, allow me to introduce you to this idea. [...]

Read the full article →