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| Date: From: Subject: | 7/21/2011 11:46:42 AM Home School Legal Defense Association HSLDA's Homeschooling Thru the Early Years Newsletter--July 2011 |
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- HSLDA's Homeschooling Thru the Early Years Newsletter Where Do You Start? Placement Tests and Other Orientation Tools ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---[ Free e-book from AllAboutReading.com ]--------------------------- The "All About Reading" program begins right when children first become interested in learning to read -- at the preschool and kindergarten age. Click the link below to get "In the Kitchen with the Zigzag Zebra" FREE! http://www.hslda.org/alink.asp?id=306 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Friend, If I asked you for directions, what's the first thing you'd want to know? You'd probably ask where I wanted to go, and where I was starting from. Only when you know where I am going and from where I am beginning can you help me determine the best route to get there. What Curriculum Should You Use? Choosing appropriate curriculum is one of the most common concerns of parents, whether new or veteran homeschoolers. The word "curriculum" has early Latin and French origins and means literally to run a course; I like to think of homeschooling as a journey. "What curriculum should I use?" is pretty much the same as asking for directions, figuratively speaking. So, as with any successful road trip, you'll need to know not only your destination--a well-rounded education--but also your starting point. How do you figure that out? Informal Assessments As a homeschool parent, you observe your child on a daily basis and can probably determine pretty accurately in which areas he is strong and in which areas he could use some maturity or additional help. His verbal interaction with you, his hands-on activities, written work, periodic subject-matter tests (if you use them), and his achievement of goals you have set for him are all informal indicators of his progress and abilities. But sometimes you can still have trouble orienting yourself, figuring out which homeschool direction to take next. I'm incredibly geographically challenged--known to get lost in parking garages or within a mile from home--and this translates into my often being disoriented in many areas of life; my kids know not to give me the map--just tell me the landmarks to look for! The same process can work for home education. Landmarks: Scope-and-Sequence Guides Many parents find it reassuring to have some sort of guidelines for academic landmarks or milestones, such as Robin Sampson's "What Your Child Needs to Know When" http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11786 --with checklists for evaluating progress in language arts, math, science, and social studies (K-8th) as well as character development. A few other resources with scope-and-sequence lists--guides to age-appropriate learning--include: > "Learning Objectives for Grades K-8" by Hewitt Homeschooling Resources http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11787 > "Easy Homeschooling Techniques" by Lorraine Curry http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11788 > "Luke's School List" by Joyce Herzog (Joyce has also compiled Luke's Life List, a checklist of life skills and character traits to prepare a child for independent adulthood.) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11819 > "Teaching Children" by Diane Lopez (Currently out of print but may be found in many public and support group libraries) > "Typical Course of Study"--World Book Encyclopedia http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11789 > Essential Learning Objectives (For grades K-8, this product lists the math and language arts learning objectives for each grade level.) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11790 ) > Virginia Standards of Learning (The Virginia SOLs are considered by many states to provide the benchmark for learning standards. To see the learning objectives for the public schools in your state, type Standards of Learning + [Your State] in the search field of your browser.) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11791 Various publishers or curriculum providers have their own lists, such as Bob Jones University Press http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11792 and A Beka Books. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11793 Placement Tests Another option is placement tests, either informal or more structured. (See sidebar for some placement test resources.) When my daughter switched from one algebra program to another, we weren't sure where to begin, since different publishers approach the same subject in a slightly different order. So she took the chapter test for each chapter until she got to a chapter at which she wasn't successful. This would let us know where she needed to begin, rather than repeating the earlier chapters with material she already knew. Many parents use their children's standardized test scores http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11794 as diagnostic tools; in this case, I suggest you hold these scores loosely and remember that these are simply a snapshot of your child on a given day. Also, standardized tests aren't designed to determine what your child knows, but what he knows compared to other children. So don't be too swayed by the actual percentile scores; instead, pay attention to extremities in scoring, such as an average math score but a significantly low language arts score. Assessments for placement purposes usually concentrate on math and language arts because they are skills subjects which are generally covered sequentially. In other subjects, such as social studies and science, it is easier to pick up with the time period or topic in which you are interested. For these subjects, a scope-and-sequence checklist might help you avoid huge gaps, while placement tests are often not as helpful because these content-rich subjects are not as contingent upon grade level. Now What? The providers of scope-and-sequence guides or placement tests may be generalizing a particular school population (such as a specific public or private school) or may be tailoring their placement tests to their own products. Be sure to cover any statutory requirements for your state, http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11795 then exercise your parental judgment. Use any standardized test, placement test, or scope-and-sequence checklist simply as a guide, not as the definitive answer. Sort of like the little voice in the GPS--you can "recalculate" your route! Once you have determined where your child "is" in a given subject area--usually language arts or math--pray about what God wants your family to learn this year, then set goals http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11796 for the year and select materials to help you meet those goals. If you still feel a bit lost in the wilderness of the myriad options, check out our specialized web sections at Homeschooling Toddlers thru Tweens (formerly Early Years) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11797 , Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner, http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11798 and Homeschooling thru High School http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11799 for more information. And remember that HSLDA members have personal access to our education consultants--who also happen to be veteran homeschool moms. (Not a member? Join today! http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11800 ) Gotta go charge my GPS, Vicki Bentley HSLDA Toddlers thru Tweens Consultant www.hslda.org/earlyyears . Stay Strong "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9) More placement tests/assessment resources: > Testing/evaluations articles from HSLDA http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11801 > "What Should I Be Teaching?" by Vicki Bentley http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11802 > "What Should I Do With My Preschooler?" by Vicki Bentley http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11803 > "Evaluating Progress" by Kara Murphy http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11804 > "What Your Child Needs to Know When" by Robin Sampson http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11805 > "Evaluating for Excellence" by Teresa Moon (for grades 4-8) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11806 > English grammar placement test http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11807 > National Right to Read Competency Test http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11808 "Part 2 [of the test] consists of six paragraphs taken from the middle part of school readers, grades 1-6, that were in wide use 100 years ago--a time when children were taught to read with intensive, systematic instruction in phonics. . . . Keep in mind that grade-level 6 is equivalent to high-school level reading today." ( From http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11809 ) > Schonell Test to determine reading age http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11810 > Sonlight reading assessment http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11811 > Letsgolearn.com (Reading and math assessments) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11812 > Alpha Omega Publications placement tests http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11813 > State standards testing for various states http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11814 > Sonlight curriculum math readiness http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11815 > Teaching Textbooks placement tests for Math 3 through pre-calculus http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11816 > Other sources for placement tests: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11817 > Thinkwell math placement for grade 6 through calculus http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11818 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> For as little as 33 cents a day... There's not much you can get for 33 cents a day. 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