MandyBCraig Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Hello again! Full of questions aren't I! I'm about half way through TWTM book. It has mentioned that it is not traditional and neither is homeschooling. I realize that, but I'm curious to know how my girls will compare to their peers. I know there are exceptions and many kids absolutely excel, but what about those who didn't get a good foundation from the public school? After reading this book, I feel bad for not pulling my kids out earlier. I feel they have not been prepared for higher learning, critically thinking, or anything. They've just been given some basic facts and moved on to the next topic. Forgive me for worrying! Most of this is from my own fear of messing up my kids education, not the classical education! Does anyone do standardized testing? Also has anyone done these tests with older children who started in the middle? How did they compare with the average of their peers? I'm aware this type of education does not follow the traditional schedule, and actually I love that! I just want to make sure they will be prepared for college and success. How about SATs and ACTs. Do you find them more prepared for these tests? On another note, I am so excited about starting this! We are going to do some transitioning after break. My girls were not given a good foundation in spelling, punctuation, and grammar, so we are going to be incorporating the spelling workout books with English. I am super pumped! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Does anyone do standardized testing? Also has anyone done these tests with older children who started in the middle? How did they compare with the average of their peers? How about SATs and ACTs. Do you find them more prepared for these tests? I did not pull my kids out of public school until 5th/6th grade. My DD took her first SAT at age 12 and performed in the 88th percentile of college bound students; at age 15, her ACT is in the 98th percentile. Neither of these had much to do with the school education/ home education. Our high school home education does not focus on preparation for standardized tests, but on preparation for college (and life) - something entirely different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandyBCraig Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 Our high school home education does not focus on preparation for standardized tests, but on preparation for college (and life) - something entirely different. This is perfect! Exactly what I was looking for! It's encourage to know how well they did on the SATs and ACTs! Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 We pulled out after 4th and 5th grade. Testing isn't required here, but we tested last year just to see how it would go. It went great. DS took the PLAN (pre-ACT) this fall and did well enough to get approval to start classes at the state U nearby when he turns 16. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I test with a local homeschool group. I figure it's nice to have the verification that, yes, even though we're not following a traditional path, DD is still on target, and that, as test-driven as our local schools are, if she has to go back to PS in the future, having the test scores will help smooth her way. FWIW, my DD really seems to enjoy the testing process. She enjoys being in the classroom with other kids for a day and doing "school stuff"-and it didn't hurt any that the site she's at sends the younger kids, who have shorter test sections, out to the church playground to play while the older ones finish up, so that parents with more than one child can pick up at the same time. She also really likes getting to pack her bag with a special snack for the break, a book or two to read if she finishes early, pencils, erasers, and so on. I suspect she'd like it much less if this was part of her regular school routine, but for a couple of days, it's fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 We've been HS all along, but wanted to say that TWTM lays a solid foundation and the only issue with testing is possibly the science and social studies scope & sequence not lining up with the 4 year cycles. Many HS who do standardized testing only give the core math & verbal subtests rather than the full battery for this reason. Now when your children get to high school, they may be required to take some of the SAT II subject achievement tests for college admissions purposes. If they are, I would recommend working through test prep books geared for those specific tests like Kaplan or Princeton Review at that point. You've got plenty of time before that becomes an issue, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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