Recently an article was published stating that unstructured or unschooling students under performed on standardized tests while structured homeschoolers out performed on standardized tests in comparison to their schooled counterparts. If you have been around the homeschool block long enough you standardized tests appear to be the measure used to determine if homeschooling qualifies as education in the eyes of non-homeschoolers.
First, the standardized test was not developed to compare schooled children to homeschoolers. The standardized test is an accountability system to ensure schools were teaching the basics to their students. I fail to understand why national standards and standardized tests are used as a bar in homeschooling. We all, in and out of the school system, can agree the education system in this country is in distress. Most homeschoolers, regardless of method, can agree traditional school is ineffective and flawed. While, I do allow my children to take the standardized test to fulfill the law in my state, I do not take the results to heart or use it to modify my homeschool. I do find it interesting that my complete lack of caring about the content of the standardized tests still resulted in children who fall in the outperform category. In my mind that says just as much about the problems with the test as if my children were to underperform.
Second, unschoolers follow the beat of a different drummer. I admire that. They are true in their quest to use life as the means of educating a child. While, they do not perform well on standardized tests they often excel on the SATs. Why? The unschooler is not concerned with national standards and does not teach to a test that does not apply to them. I have friends who are teachers who tell me that if they did not teach specifically to the test the children would perform poorly. However, the SAT will test a young person on their overall education through the years. The fact an unschooler can achieve high marks is proof that this untraditional means of education is effective and transcends tests, textbooks, and workbooks.
Third, unschooling is not a front to traditional school as in reality it is natural learning and the original way people were educated. The greatest minds in history have come from an unschooled, mentoring, or homeschooled situation. As homeschoolers, we need to honor that and not worry over standards set by a failing school system.