| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
< BACK TO ARCHIVE |
| Date: From: Subject: | 12/16/2009 9:34:11 AM Home School Legal Defense Association HSLDA's Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner Newsletter--December 2009 |
|
---------------------------------------------------------------- HSLDA's Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner Newsletter December 2009--To Test or Not to Test Part 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Standardized Testing as a Means of Documenting Your Child's Progress over Time--Part 2 By Faith E. Berens, M.Ed. HSLDA Special Needs Coordinator Last month's issue of the HSLDA's Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner email newsletter focused on ways parents can use informal assessments to document their child's progress over the year. This month's edition will look at the benefits of administering a standardized achievement test annually to help document your child's progress. One question the Struggling Learner/Special Needs department frequently receives is, "How necessary is it for me to administer a standardized or achievement test if my state does not require it?" Even if your state does not require administering and/or reporting standardized testing, there are still benefits to doing so. End-of-the-year tests can be a helpful source of information concerning your child's strengths and weaknesses in subject areas. If you give the same test each year, you can chart your child's progress, or lack of it, and adjust your teaching emphasis and style. Some homeschoolers do not consider end-of-the-year tests their friend, but they can be. They give parents the feedback they need to see if they are spending enough time on a subject, or if they need to make curriculum changes, or instructional changes for next year. End-of-the-year achievement tests serve several purposes for the homeschooling family: > They give children practice in test-taking (a skill that likely will be needed all their lives). > They provide important information for the parent/teacher, so that adjustments can be made in curriculum, content, instructional time, etc., for the next year, if necessary. > They give encouragement. Many homeschoolers doubt that their children are making substantial progress each year, because the daily struggles overshadow the long-term view. Parents are often pleasantly surprised to see the steady growth in reading, spelling and math, as they test their children at home. > They provide helpful documentation of your homeschooling and your child's levels of functioning, which will help to safeguard your homeschool, should it come under question by the state. It is important to note that low achievement test results (especially in reading or math) may demonstrate the need for further in-depth/diagnostic testing to probe for possible underlying causes for learning difficulties. Where can you get standardized achievement tests? 1. The California Achievement Test (CAT), the most well-known end-of-the-year tests, can be obtained at Christian Liberty Academy. This tests levels 2nd-12th grades. The administrator may be a parent; CAT grade equivalency report only is provided. 2. You can also get a good home test from Seton Home Study School. This tests levels K-12th grade. No special qualifications are required to give these tests. They are very inexpensive. 3. You can get the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills from The Sycamore Tree. It tests levels K-12th grade. Along with the scores, you will receive a professional critique. 4. The PASS test is available at Hewitt Homeschooling Resources. This untimed test is aimed at students in grades 3-8. It was developed specifically for homeschoolers. This is a good option for students with reading disabilities or slow processing speed, as it is untimed. 5. If you belong to a homeschool co-op, often they provide end-of-the-year testing using the Iowa Test of Basic Skills or the Stanford Achievement Test. Either one of these tests will provide you with valuable information to help you plan your instruction for the school year. How much help or what types of accommodations on testing can you give your struggling learner or child with special needs? This is another question we frequently receive in our department. HSLDA recommends that parents adhere to the test publisher's administration and standardization requirements. However, if your child has a documented learning disability diagnosed by a physician, psychologist, or educational diagnostician, then the parents may provide testing accommodations. We suggest you consult with test suppliers or publishers to find out what accommodations are allowable. Some common testing accommodations often recommended by psychologists and educational evaluators include: > Extended time. > Allowing parent-teacher to transfer marked answers from student test booklet to the bubble answer sheet (if child has visual tracking or fine motor problems). > Permitting parent-teacher to act as "scribe" if the test includes an essay section, or allowing child to use a laptop/word processor (if child has dysgraphia). > Allowing parent-teacher to read aloud portions of test, such as math word problems, if child has dyslexia. > Permitting use of calculator or other helps on math portion of test, if child has diagnosis of dyscalculia. It is important to document the types of testing accommodations you provide when administering standardized tests to your child. Some Testing Tips: 1. Most of the time it is wise to choose the test level based on what grade the child would be in if he were enrolled in traditional school. In order to make the most practical use of the scores, you should not test above your child's reading level. Choose the grade level that most accurately reflects his current functioning level in the majority of subjects. Test at the level that most closely reflects your child's functioning level or instructional level in reading. In other words, if your child is a 4th grader, but is being instructed in reading at the 3rd grade level, then test him at the 3rd grade level. 2. Use materials to prepare your child with test-taking strategies and to familiarize him with how standardized tests are laid out. 3. If you have never done standardized testing, administer the test first in the fall and use the data as your "baseline." Then administer again at the end of your homeschool year, compare the results and note any progress made. 4. As you instruct through the year, use the type of language your child will encounter on the test, such as terms like "passage" or "selection." Be sure to give your child opportunities to approach the types of problems, questions, charts, graphs, etc. that he will encounter on the standardized test you have chosen to use. 5. Instruct your child how to "bubble in" answers, mark or highlight in their test booklets, eliminate answers they know are incorrect, etc. For further information on testing visit the following HSLDA webpages: Testing and Consultants for Struggling Learners http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7348 Testing FAQs http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7349 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Who's knocking on your door? When a social service worker arrives at your door, tension can run high. Wouldn't it be nice to get your lawyer on the phone, providing you with immediate step-by-step guidance? More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1099 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. Box 3000 Purcellville, Virginia 20134 Phone: (540) 338-5600 Fax: (540) 338-2733 Email: info@hslda.org Web: http://www.hslda.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- How To Subscribe: - Subscribe to the HSLDA E-lert Service at our website: https://secure.hslda.org/hslda/elert/account.asp?Process=Subscribe - Or send an email with name and complete mailing address to: subscribe@hslda.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscription Information: - You subscribed to the HSLDA E-lert Service as: ##ToAddress## - To unsubscribe from the HSLDA E-lert Service send an email from the email address you want to unsubscribe to: unsubscribe@hslda.org - To change your email address or make other changes to your subscription, visit the HSLDA E-lert Service account web page at: https://secure.hslda.org/hslda/elert/account.asp ---------------------------------------------------------------------- POSTMASTERS: This message is being sent to the most recent address we have for our subscribers. If this is an invalid email address or you have other problems, please reply to webmaster@hslda.org. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: This is considered a private and confidential message from HSLDA to its bonafide HSLDA E-lert Service subscribers. HSLDA cannot attest to the authenticity of copies posted, forwarded, or sent by any party other than HSLDA. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: Please do not reply or otherwise use this email address; hslda@hslda.org is for broadcast purposes only and is not intended to receive incoming messages. We cannot reply to any email sent to this address. If you have comments or questions, please send email to info@hslda.org or call HSLDA at 540-338-5600. HSLDA members can also email staff directly through the Members website at http://members.hslda.org/contact.asp. Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
