HSLDA Transfers Testing Service to BJUP
After several months of prayerful consideration, the Board of HSLDA has determined that it is in the best interest of both the Association and its members to no longer provide standardized testing. Therefore, HSLDA has transferred its Testing Service to Bob Jones University Press of Greenville, South Carolina.
There were several reasons why we felt it necessary to take this step. The first reason was that offering the Testing Service cost HSLDA far more than we ever anticipated. Our original motivation for getting involved in testing still remains–providing home schoolers with continued access to the Stanford Achievement Tests. Rather than raising the membership rate—which would have been inevitable had we continued to offer testing–we began to seek out an organization to whom we could “pass the baton,” an organization already serving home schoolers through similar programs. We believe that God has led us to just such an organization, one with solid credentials and a reputation for skillful administration–Bob Jones University Press.
The second consideration in this decision was that over the course of the last year HSLDA has repeatedly taken the position in court that standardized testing is not, by itself, a valid indicator of a student’s progress. As a result of our involvement in these cases, it became clear to us that HSLDA’s Testing Service posed a possible stumbling block to our ability to defend our members and to downplay the legitimacy of standardized test results in the courtroom.
In the spring of 1992, however, HSLDA committed itself to offer tests (for the spring of 1993) to its member families at a cost of $10.00 per test. Like you, we feel it is extremely important to honor the commitments we have made. Therefore, consistent with our commitment, we have made arrangements for HSLDA members to receive the Stanford Achievement series of tests through BJUP for $10 per test.
Thus, the only change from last year for HSLDA families is that they will now place their order through BJUP, not HSLDA. Within the next several weeks, members will be receiving a letter which will contain a Testing Service Voucher—which entitles their family to the discounted test price—and a testing order form from BJUP.
Any testing orders that HLSDA has already received for 1993 will be returned, along with either a refund or the uncancelled check. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this decision causes you, but know you can appreciate our concern for providing uncompromised, low cost legal protection for our members.
Stanford Achievement Test
1992 Group Summary Scores by Grade
| Grade Level | Number Tested | NPR Reading | NPR Math | NPR Language | NPR Basic Battery |
| K | 384 | 84 | 78 | | 82 |
| 1 | 1,265 | 71 | 67 | 64 | 70 |
| 2 | 1,497 | 70 | 62 | 56 | 65 |
| 3 | 1,559 | 74 | 66 | 64 | 69 |
| 4 | 1,453 | 75 | 61 | 67 | 68 |
| 5 | 1,319 | 75 | 61 | 69 | 68 |
| 6 | 1,052 | 78 | 65 | 70 | 71 |
| 7 | 814 | 79 | 67 | 73 | 71 |
| 8 | 609 | 79 | 67 | 75 | 72 |
| 9 | 405 | 75 | 64 | 73 | 73 |
| 10 | 229 | 76 | 63 | 73 | 70 |
| 11 | 115 | 80 | 67 | 78 | 77 |
| 12 | 49 | 73 | 61 | 77 | 71 |
| | 10,750 | Total Number of Students |
Home Schoolers Score in Top Third of Nation on Achievement Tests
Continuing their tradition of demonstrating excellent achievement, home school students again scored well above the national average on standardized achievement tests administered during spring of 1992. Group summary scores for grades kindergarten through twelve included the work of 10,750 children representing every state in the union. Composite scores on the basic battery of tests (reading, mathematics, and language) ranked 15 to 32 percentile points above public school averages.
Numbers on the chart (see this page) should be read as follows: The typical seventh grader in the home-schooling community ranked at the 79th percentile in reading. This means that he/she did better in reading than 78% of the sample population on whom the test was normed. The 67th percentile ranking in mathematics indicates that the typical home-schooled seven4th grader did better than 66% of the norming population in mathematics. The language test report of 73rd percentile shows the typical home-schooled seventh grader to be ranking higher than 72% of the total population, and the basic battery composite score of 71st percentile demonstrates achievement better than 70% of the norming population.
Offering home school families the opportunity to evaluate their children’s progress by taking the Stanford Achievement Test, 8th Edition, Form J, Home School Legal Defense Association complies with publisher-generated policies to ensure integrity in test administration.
Is home schooling for everyone? Probably not—but the people who choose to commit themselves to this form of education are certainly producing credible results. In a day when “parental choice in education” is touted as a key to reforming the nation’s schools, home education is definitely affirming its value as a viable alternative.
