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| Date: From: Subject: | 4/19/2012 9:55:34 AM Vicki Bentley--HSLDA Toddlers to Tweens--From East to West, Which Test is Best? |
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- HSLDA's Homeschooling Toddlers to Tweens Newsletter April 2012 -- From East to West, Which Test is Best? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---[ Encouragement and support right in your home ]------------------- You can hear from top speakers like Lou Priolo. Dianne Craft, and John Rosemond in your home, at your convenience. Check out HSLDA's @home e-vents! http://www.hslda.org/alink.asp?id=472 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Friend, One of the most frequent questions I get about testing is, "Which test should I use? Which one is best? How do I choose From the CAT, SAT, MAT, or the Iowa Test?" Well, maybe not in Seussical style, but you get the idea! The CAT (The California Achievement Test), SAT (Stanford 9/10), Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT), and Iowa Test of Basic Skills ... these are just a few of the many options available to home-educating parents for assessment of progress. How's a parent to choose? Here are a few tips to help you decide. What is your purpose in testing? If you are testing as a diagnostic tool, for assessment or placement, you'll want a test that gives fairly comprehensive results. If you are testing only to have a score to submit to satisfy statutory requirements, the basic composite score may be sufficient for you. At our site, http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14388 you'll find a list of commonly used tests; many offer sample results reports so you can get an idea of what information you'll receive back. Will any statutory requirements influence your needs? In most cases--unless specified otherwise in your state's requirements--the basic battery of language arts and math is sufficient and will give you a basic battery composite score. Unless your state law http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14389 mandates testing in the content areas of social studies or science, it is not generally advisable to spend your time or money on that optional portion of a test. Your child may or may not have studied the same content in social studies and science as the norm group--as opposed to language arts and math, which are skills subjects and usually track similarly from curriculum to curriculum. When in doubt, members should consult their HSLDA legal staff. Which test is the best fit for your child? Consider the format that will best reflect your child's true progress: While a visual learner http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14390 may test well on paper using the fill-in-the-circles format, a hands-on or auditory learner http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14391 may be better assessed by an evaluation or a test utilizing personal interaction, such as the Woodcock-Johnson, WRAT, or Brigance, http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14392 rather than a paper-and-pencil test. In the latter case, some parents choose to administer a paper-and-pencil standardized test earlier in the season, leaving time for a follow-up interactive test if the results don't match what they've witnessed in his day-to-day progress. Another option is to choose an untimed test to reduce testing anxiety. Will a placement test be sufficient for our needs? If you are testing for placement purposes only and do not need to submit scores, consider a placement test, online assessment, or a scope-and-sequence checklist http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14393 as a gauge of milestones achieved. Do I have other options? If your statute allows for alternative methods of assessment, consider an evaluation http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14394 or portfolio assessment http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14395if standardized testing is not your preference. As always, you'll want to consider any legal requirements before proceeding. If you will use an outside evaluator, it is helpful to contact her well in advance to be aware of any paperwork she'll want you to save for her consideration during the year. Check out the Toddlers to Tweens pages for more information on testing, including an updated list of suggested test sources, how to prepare for the test, and how to interpret the scores. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14396 Remember that a test or evaluation is just one "snapshot" of his academic progress and of your child as a person. He is more than the sum of his test results! This time of year can be a wonderful reminder to thank God for this uniquely gifted child He has given you--and to trust Him to continue to guide your choices and approaches. Enthusiastically yours, Vicki Bentley Scripture "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." --Proverbs 16:3 (NIV) Additional Resources "Testing, Evaluations, and Portfolios" (HSLDA Toddlers to Tweens article) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14397 "What Achievement Tests Can and Cannot Do" (Teaching Home e-newsletter) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14398 "Seven Test Taking Skills to Teach Your Child" by Cindy Short and Sue Welch http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14399 "Evaluating Progress" by Kara Murphy http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14400 Subscribe to Kara's newsletter here http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14446 ) Evaluating for Excellence by Teresa Moon http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14401 "They're Learning!" by Rachel Ramey http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14402 For more information on testing, including an updated list of suggested test sources, visit the Early Years pages. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14403 Custom Test A new option: The ACSI/SAT Custom-Made Test http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14439 The Association of Christian Schools International, in cooperation with the developers of the Stanford Achievement Test series, has introduced a special Christian School Edition of the Stanford Achievement Test. The core questions provide the link to the national norms of Stanford-9. (Read more.) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14440 (From The Teaching Home magazine http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14441 ) It's convention season! "10 Ways to Get the Most From Homeschool Events" (Teaching Home e-magazine, February 2012) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14442 "How to Get the Most from Your Homeschool Convention" (Vicki Bentley) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14443 Find an event near you. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14444 Poetry Contest--Cash Prizes! HSLDA is excited to announce our 8th annual poetry contest! This contest is designed to give students the opportunity to develop their writing and poetic skills and showcase their talents at the same time. Cash prizes are awarded to the top five entries in each category, and the winning poems will be posted online. For more information about the contest, please visit our contest page! http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14445 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Can you look at the clouds and tell the direction of the wind? An interesting phenomenon of wind is that it can blow in multiple directions at the same time, at different heights from the ground. But usually there is a prevailing wind. HSLDA watches the gusts and monitors the prevailing trends of change in the legal climate of home education. So no matter which way the wind is blowing, we're there to protect your family. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1938 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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