Test Anxiety and the Homeschooler

My son did not finish his Algebra Curriculum during last school year. As a homeschooler, his class allowed him to move at his own pace. However, he needs to finish the curriculum this summer or start over in the fall. Since he is just going into 9th grade, it would not hurt him to start from scratch, as he would end up with a better understanding of the course. Still, He chose to finish the curriculum this summer. In watching him perform in Algebra over the last year, I noticed that he is still having problems taking tests. As explained … Continue reading →

The Purpose of a Standardized Test. . .

Standardized testing season is soon upon us. I have talked to countless parents, both homeschooling and as a teacher, who felt the need to “prepare” for the standardized test. Since teachers are evaluated in part on how well their students test, there seems to be a culture about testing that is inevitable. It is in one word: pressured. I just thought today I would post with this thought: testing doesn’t need to be and shouldn’t be pressured. I also am of the school of thought that you don’t have to prepare for it. It should be a measure of what … Continue reading →

Lack of Assessment Bothers Non-Homeschoolers

I was reading an article, actually a response from HSLDA to a columnist who is concerned about home schooling and its lack of oversight in his state. As you probably know, some states are heavily regulated while others are not. What caught my eye though wasn’t HSLDA’s response or the article itself. It was the comments left on the article below. It seems that people are really bothered by the lack of perceived assessment in the home schooling community. Why Teachers Assess Let’s say for a minute, that you are a classroom teacher. You get a brand new batch of … Continue reading →

What If Your Kids Don’t Prove Homeschooling Works?

Statistics overwhelmingly show that home schooling works. There has been research that shows that home schooled kids are better socialized, have better opportunities, score higher on achievement tests, and get into better colleges. Colleges are coveting young homeschoolers who they deem are more mature as a group and more serious about their studies. In fact, I’ve yet to see a good study that suggests that home schooling, on the whole is bad for kids. But what if your kids just score average on their SAT’s (or worse–what if they don’t do well), and what if they’re socially awkward. What if … Continue reading →

Why My Kids Haven’t Taken a Test Yet

Nope–not one. Not a single one of my home schooled children has taken even one test. We’re not required by the state to take standardized tests until 5th grade–so maybe in 4th grade I’ll let her take a test for practice. . .maybe. Yet I know other parents are reading this scratching their heads thinking that I’ve gone off the loopy end. But bear with me–here are a few reasons I ditch the testing. Testing Limits Student Productivity There are several subjects for all three of my kids where they are light years ahead of where they ‘should’ be. I … Continue reading →

Creating Kids Who Want to Know

On one of my other posts in homeschooling this week, someone asked me how they can get their kids to do their own work. “The kids want me to tell them the answers to everything.” The problem here is that the kids do not feel the need to find out or know the answer to the question. So how exactly do you create kids that just have to find out the answer? Learning What They Want to Learn I’ve said numerous times before in other blogs that school is not the most efficient way to organize student learning. For those … Continue reading →

An Unusual Homeschool Day

As you read this, my kids and I will be across town (from where we live) taking entrance exams for their homeschool program for next year. The program consists of History and Fine Arts on Mondays and all other Academics on Thursdays. They have done the Monday program for several years. We take very few tests in our homeschool. Each year we take the CAT, (either a practice test or real thing depending on what is required). We also do a few verbal tests and the occasional math exam, but generally, no one but us sees the results. I am … Continue reading →

What Grade Are You In?

It used to be that when an adult would meet a child for the first time, they would ask, “How old are you?” Now they ask, “What grade are you in?” and determine the age based on the grade. This doesn’t make sense. Plenty of children are held back or accelerated in their progression from grade to grade, and equating a child’s grade with their age isn’t accurate. Furthermore, if a child says they’re in a grade that is lower than the “accepted norm” for their age, this opens them up to ridicule. A few months ago, my daughter told … Continue reading →

Comparing Homeschooled to Public Schooled

I ran across a blog post today that gave a favorable report based on a comparison of homeschooled kids to public schooled kids. Considering the positive nature of the post, I have to say the responses caught me off guard. Readers were annoyed that homeschooled children were compared to public schooled kids. I quote: Didn’t we just have a reeeaallly lengthy conversation about the importance of not doing this sort of thing? 😉 You know, not judging kids by arbitrary standards that we never accepted as valid in the first place? That kind of thing? While I do understand the … Continue reading →

Preparing for Standardized Tests

I was asked the following question on a previous blog post: I know that the (standardized) testing always test beyond what the standard level of education is, but what do I do to prepare her for this test. When I taught High School, we always set aside 2 weeks to prepare students. Is there something out there I can get to prepare her for these mastery tests? Many states require standardized testing for homeschoolers. Some parents and children look forward to showing off how much they know. Some treat it as a necessary evil. Others freak out and worry that … Continue reading →