Why do you do Standardized Testing?

[mommysanders]

I've seen several posts recently about testing DC, and it got me curious why people do it and how. So if you do any kind of testing, would you mind sharing your thoughts?

 

Why do you test your child?

 

How do you use the test results?

 

At what ages do you test your child?

 

What tests do you use and why?

 

Any other comments?

 

I'm very curious. Thanks in advance!

[MeaganS]

The state makes me every year starting at 7yo.

 

I don't really use them besides saying, "hey look, they think she's on grade level too!"

 

I've only done it once so far but used the CAT test. I think I might do the ITBS next time though. I used the Cat because it was cheap, minimal, and I didn't care. ☺ï¸

[Crimson Wife]

It's not required in my state so I don't do it every year. The years I do test, it's for planning purposes and for access to programs that want test scores.

 

My oldest did testing in 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 8th.

 

My 2nd did testing in 2nd and 5th.

 

My oldest has done the Iowa/CogAt at home, EXPLORE through talent search (no longer offered), SAT through talent search, and the CA High School Proficiency Exam (for DE admission to the community college).

 

My 2nd has done the EXPLORE through talent search and the ACT through talent search.

 

Back when I was new at HSing I was a lot more concerned about finding "gaps" and tweaking my curriculum choices to fill them in. The ITBS is great for that purpose because it's so comprehensive. But now that I've been HSing so long I am a lot more confident that my kids have mastered the basics and anything they don't know they can easily find out.

[Dmmetler]

We test yearly. It is not required by my cover school, but I think it's a good idea

A)-to reassure me that I haven't missed anything glaring

B) to reassure DH that this homeschooling thing is working

C) to provide access to programs and opportunities that want proof of competence/skill level (like DD's CC classes)

D) to give DD something to gripe about with her cheer teammates (only slightly joking...sometimes, it's amazing how much that common annoyance builds bridges

E) to provide experience with that format/type of test so it's not a big deal when there are actually high stakes involved

F) to provide a clear endpoint for the school year/grade

[MinivanMom]

Why do you test your child? Our state requires homeschoolers to test annually.

 

How do you use the test results? I keep them on file in case the state ever asks for them. I've also used them to qualify for academic programs like Duke TIP. 

 

At what ages do you test your child? Every single year starting at 7.

 

What tests do you use and why? IOWA. It's the test most commonly given in our area so it's easy to arrange. It's also the test that is used in our local schools so school officials would be familiar with it if we ever needed to enroll our kids.

 

Any other comments? I've never got any surprises with our testing. My kids have always tested where I would expect them to be. But I have seen many homeschoolers who were very shocked by their kids' test results and made radical changes as a result. This seems to happen most with unschoolers and homeschoolers who just have a poor sense of what is age appropriate (anything we do is better than public school). I have seen people make huge changes to how they homeschool or put their kids into public school after seeing those test scores.

[RenaInTexas]

Why do you test your child?

Pretty much the same reasons mentions by dmmetler

 

How do you use the test results?

-to qualify for academic programs

-make modifications to our curriculum if anything glaring shows up

-to see how my children (and I) are doing compared to other kids their age (face it, they will all be applying to college and for jobs at the same time)

-to build confidence in my kids (like outside validation)

 

At what ages do you test your child?

-they have been tested since K (at PS)

 

What tests do you use and why?

- ITBS, Stanford

 

Any other comments?

I know several people whose kids did not test through the elementary years, only to experience extreme test anxiety in middle/high school when testing becomes somewhat unavoidable (to qualify for programs, college, jobs, etc...). Each of these moms regretted not testing if only to get the kid accustomed to the test environment. Of course, I don't know every kid who didn't test in elementary. I am sure there are kids that didn't end up with extreme test anxiety. But, how can you know which 'type' your kid will be? So, not testing can be a risk - in this sense.

[purpleowl]

I do it (yearly) because I like data. I like to see an external measure of how we're doing, mostly to make sure I'm not crazy. (I mean, crazy because of my assessments of the kids' learning. I could totally be crazy for other reasons...)

 

I also want my kids to have experience taking standardized tests. Like them or not, they are important for some paths (paths I think my kids are likely to take), and there are skills associated with taking them. We don't drill test-taking skills or anything, but I want there to be familiarity with the process.

 

There's also the "if I get hit by a bus" thing. Having standardized test results would be helpful for DH if something happened to me and he needed to enroll the kids in b&m school. (And if HE gets hit by a bus and I have to enroll the kids in b&m school, the standardized test results will be helpful to back up my anecdotal evidence of what my kids have been learning.)

 

Eventually we may use the scores for access to academic programs, like a couple others mentioned.

[Garga]

I do it when I have to for the state laws.

 

It's good practice for taking tests that will count one day.  Here are some tests that will count:  SAT, ACT, SAT Subject tests, Community College Placement Tests.  

 

I had my 9th grader take the PSAT back in September. The only reason was so that he'd know what it feels like to walk into a roomful of strangers and take a very hard test.  I didn't care what score he got. In fact, I never told him what he got because it was a pretty so-so score.  That was expected.  He didn't study and he took the test 2 years before he should have and hasn't even studied some of the math on the test.  It was solely for the experience alone.  Not for scores.  (I didn't want him to know his score and mention it in front of someone who might say, "Oh, that's not a high score!" and shake his confidence.)

 

Next year, I'll have him take the ACT.  

 

Then, when it's time for the tests to count, he'll have experience.

 

Kids in school today are expert test takers.  My kids are not.  They need the practice.  I wish we'd done more testing, to be honest, so that we could have learned test-taking tricks earlier.

Edited February 16, 2017 by Garga

[Insertcreativenamehere]

We are required by law to test yearly starting at age 7 but we don't have to show the information to anyone. 

 

I've used the Stanford and the CAT.

[CadenceSophia]

I think frequent exposure to standardized type tests can reduce or eliminate anxiety and I don't want testing to be some big scary thing that pops up later. 

 

We have access to the state test starting in 3rd grade, although it is not required.  I am thinking that in future years, we might even shoot for 3x year testing -- state assessment, ITBS and Stanford10 perhaps.  I don't want to over-do it, but since we don't do any testing as part of regular school it doesn't seem like too much. I just want my kids to be able to sit down and say "Ok, I am just going to answer the best I can". I also want strategies for timed tests to become automatic for them as they get older so they can reflexively watch the clock and make strategic decisions.

[Arcadia]

Why do you test your child?

My kids were in public school. Standardized tests keeps my in-laws from questioning and worrying about homeschooling.

After that we use the ACT or SAT to qualify for talent search so my kids took those in 6th.

 

How do you use the test results?

Other than keeping my in-laws from bugging me, my DS11's test results breakdowns were nice for spotting weaker areas.

 

At what ages do you test your child?

What tests do you use and why?

 

DS11

8 years old - Stanford 10 online to get a baseline profile before we pull him out of public school

10.5 years old - ACT for talent search because the test date was convenient

10.9 years old - SAT because he wanted to

 

DS12

9 years old - Stanford 10 online to get a baseline profile before we pull him out of public school

10.8 years old - ACT for talent search

11.5 years old - SAT because it is the new SAT and we (husband and I) was curious how he would fare.

[Dmmetler]

We test yearly. It is not required by my cover school, but I think it's a good idea

A)-to reassure me that I haven't missed anything glaring

B) to reassure DH that this homeschooling thing is working

C) to provide access to programs and opportunities that want proof of competence/skill level (like DD's CC classes)

D) to give DD something to gripe about with her cheer teammates (only slightly joking...sometimes, it's amazing how much that common annoyance builds bridges

E) to provide experience with that format/type of test so it's not a big deal when there are actually high stakes involved

F) to provide a clear endpoint for the school year/grade

 

I used the SAT-10 through a local group until 3rd grade, the EXPLORE (no longer available) through Belin-Blank in 3rd-5th, and went to the ACT/SAT at 6th (plan to continue to alternate them, just to have experience with both tests.)

[displace]

I've seen several posts recently about testing DC, and it got me curious why people do it and how. So if you do any kind of testing, would you mind sharing your thoughts?

 

Why do you test your child?

 

How do you use the test results?

 

At what ages do you test your child?

 

What tests do you use and why?

 

Any other comments?

 

I'm very curious. Thanks in advance!

Why - to reassure myself we are progressing. DS has LD so to see a score increase two grades in a year is good, other score % decreasing makes me look into it further.

 

Ages - yearly

 

Tests - started with Iowa d/t amount of subjects covered and competent coverage. I've also used stanford this year because it is computerized. I've used DORA and DOMA (? Online reading and math). I'll stick with Iowa I think as it was our first and easiest to analyze year to year. He has also taken lots of standardized tests in school. Plus Neuropsych tests.

 

Other - the more standardized tests DS has taken, the more I feel the info in Elem school is minimally helpful, mostly useless, and possibly detrimental. In our specific circumstance, the only testing good for us is specific Neuropsych testing. I'll continue yearly standardized tests with Iowa but that's it to see yearly comparison. With gifted kids the tests are next to useless unless you're doing gifted testing. With students with LD they are useless. And DS has taken multiple standardized tests in a short period of time in similar subjects and the grades have ranged 3+ years apart, from below to above level. The standardized tests are random in what they ask. What info can they really give you in a handful of questions for each subject?

Edited February 16, 2017 by displace

[Lori D.]

... if you do any kind of testing, would you mind sharing your thoughts?

1. Why do you test your child?

2. How do you use the test results?

3. At what ages do you test your child?

4. What tests do you use and why?

5. Any other comments?

 

1.

To see where *I* might have accidentally left "gaps" in what we've been covering.

To let DSs have a chance to practice test taking.

Testing is not required in my area, so that is NOT a reason we test.

 

2.

To see where any "gaps" or weak areas are, so I can then go find resources to help me address those gaps, or see where we need to spend more time getting solid on some concepts.

 

3.

DS#1

grades 4-8 (IOWA Basic)

grade 11 (PSAT)

grade 11-12 (SAT and ACT -- 1 each)

 

DS#2

grades 5-8 (IOWA Basic)

grade 11 (PSAT)

grade 11-12 (SAT and ACT -- 1 each)

 

4.

- IOWA Basic -- because our homeschool group offers that one, and because it's super easy to get a standardized test done via the group. ;)

- PSAT in 11th grade -- because students scoring in the 99th percentile have an opportunity for scholarships.

- ACT and SAT in 11th/12th grades -- because colleges use these scores for admission, and for potential scholarships; we did one of each, in case one or the other of the tests "clicked" better for the student.

 

5. 

I wouldn't test before 3rd grade (unless required), and not testing until 4th or 5th grade is fine, too.  Students fluctuate wildly in their levels and abilities up through 3rd grade (and many don't settle into some subjects until 4th or 5th grade), so testing in the early elementary grades, or before the student is ready, really doesn't tell you much.

 

I think testing works best to help you gauge process if you do it 3-4 years consecutively. Not sure you need to test much more than that to get a good sense of where your student is in the grand scheme of things (unless the student is a late-bloomer).

 

We used a test prep workbook specifically geared for the IOWA Basic (called Scoring High), that had test-taking strategies and tips and sample tests, for about 10 min/day 2-3/week for the 4 months before testing, just to get comfortable wit what the test would look like, and the types of questions it would ask.

 

I made sure to take the pressure off of DSs, by letting them know that the testing was NOT about them, but was for ME, to see how *I* was doing as a teacher and if we had any gaps we needed to address.

 

No one but mom & dad and the student get to see that student's test score. And test scores are not for bragging or bullying -- we (including the student) don't talk about test scores to siblings or friends.

 

We treated the 3 mornings of testing like a novelty -- no other school work on those days, and instead, we would stopfor ice cream or a treat on the way home from testing, or got together with other friends also testing.

Edited February 16, 2017 by Lori D.

[Tanaqui]

Why do you test your child?

 

It's required by law, and honestly, I figure that it's not unreasonable for the state to want some evidence that the children learned something this year.

 

How do you use the test results?

 

"Yup, kids, you're on grade level again! Let's see if I can mail this out on time for a change!"

 

At what ages do you test your child?

 

We've been doing it every year, but at their grade level it's required every other year.

 

What tests do you use and why?

 

Whatever looks cheapest that NYS accepts, and in 7th grade the statewide exam as well because that helps with high school admissions. I suppose the statewide exam would always be the cheapest, as it's free, but omg it is such garbage. I want as little to do with it as possible.

[mschickie]

We start in 3rd grade for practice and then we are required (NYS) every other year from 4th-8th and then every year for 9-12.  I end up testing every year once we start.  It just gives dd practice.

 

 

I used the PASS test when we first started.  I liked the layout of the test results.  They basically confirmed what I thought were dd's weakest and strongest areas.  I switched to the Stanford test in 5th because our homeschool group offers it and I volunteer to be a test administrator.  Another reason to do the testing with our group was for eventual admission to Honor Society.  ESA  requires a non parent to administer the standardized test, so doing it with the group worked out.  I just did not administer dd's group.  Dd did take the Iowa test last year because we thought the Stanford was going to be discontinued so I wanted her to have practice with a timed test (Stanford is not timed).

[Cara4497]

We are first year homeschoolers and just doing Kinder so no testing or anything yet. However the plan is start in 2nd or 3rd even though it isn't required here. The main reasons are just to make sure we are on the right track and the "get hit by a bus" scenarios mentioned above. I got extremely sick a few years ago and everything changed literally overnight. I want to make sure that he is somewhat set up to move to a different schooling option if life throws us another major curveball.

[KarenNC]

I've seen several posts recently about testing DC, and it got me curious why people do it and how. So if you do any kind of testing, would you mind sharing your thoughts?

 

Why do you test your child?

 

How do you use the test results?

 

At what ages do you test your child?

 

What tests do you use and why?

 

Any other comments?

 

I'm very curious. Thanks in advance!

 

1)  Why: to find out an academic baseline (at age 5), to monitor progress (all ages), to meet state requirements (starting at age 7), to qualify for programs (Duke TIP, dual enrollment, etc), for college admission and, hopefully, scholarships

 

2) How do you use results:  to adjust instruction if needed and identify gaps

 

3) at what ages:  every year since she turned 5 in kindergarten

 

4) what tests:  Woodcock Johnson when she was little (one-on-one, quick, instant feedback), ITBS in elementary and early middle to get used to bubble tests and longer ones), ACT (for college admission, dual enrollment admission), PSAT (to try for National Merit). All of these except the PSAT met state requirements. In addition, she's taken some CLEP tests to try for college credit. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Because the state requires either testing or a portfolio review from 3rd grade on. And my kids actually enjoy it. And I find the feedback helpful even if it is not definitive.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[luuknam]

Why do you test your child?

 

Because I've got the choice between writing a narrative or giving a standardized test, and doing the test is easier, imo (though more expensive). Also, because I like tests, and I think it'd be good for my kids to have some practice. And to make sure I'm not completely delusional about my kids' level of functioning.

 

How do you use the test results?

 

I go 'huh', and that's about it. Also, I used it to write at the 4th quarterly report that my kid scored >33rd percentile on the test.

 

At what ages do you test your child?

 

So far, I've only tested them once (this is my second year homeschooling). So, 5.5yo and 8.5yo. I'm planning on testing them this year as well, and probably every year if we can afford it.

 

What tests do you use and why?

 

Last year we did the 1st and 3rd grade CAT/TerraNova. Basically, because I don't have a BS.

 

Any other comments?

 

Aside from that, my oldest has had various evals through early intervention and the school district since he was very young, at 14.5mo, 2.5yo, 3yo, 4y2m, 5.5yo, and 7yo. I also had him take the SCAT at 8.75 at a testing center, mostly for vindication and because I wanted to verify that he is indeed better at math than language, since he scored 99th percentile on vocab on the CAT but only in the 87th (iirc) percentile on math (I was right - his quantitative score was much higher than his verbal score). He's also due for another triennial in July (I think they're planning on doing it in June though), so, probably more testing coming up. I need to talk to the school psych to see what they're planning.

[RootAnn]

Why do you test your child?

 

Some of the same reasons as others: did I miss something? (Gap); something concrete for just-in-case (brick and mortar schools believe test results); familiarity with standardized tests; and my own piece of mind that I haven't failed my kids. (I don't think anyone else has said that last one, but it is a true reason for me.)

 

How do you use the test results?

 

Help decide where to add more time/focus or if I NEED to change things up if they haven't been working.

 

At what ages do you test your child?

 

I start in 4th and test every other year. The results before that would be meaningless for my late-blooming kids. I don't need to do it every year, so I don't waste the time.

 

What tests do you use and why?

 

We use the ITBS and we did the CogAT one year. Switch to ACT after 8th. Eldest took the PSAT in 10th, too. Next probably won't, but maybe #3 will.

 

Any other comments?

 

Someone else said they have never been surprised by the results and I mostly agree. Except my Dd#2 who was very late to read fluently scored better in Reading Comprehension in 6th grade than her read-constantly older sister when that one took the same test. That shocked me. The other results - good and bad - never much surprised me.

 

I am looking forward to seeing how my two testers do this year. Eldest will take the ACT this spring as well. It'll help focus where she spends her test prep time this summer.

[LMD]

We did a couple of tests this past year. One we did as part of the national mathematics competition, some were just for some test taking practice/something different. Mainly, I wanted to see what was on the tedtd for my own information.

 

This was the first time testing, my kids were 11 and 8/9. Normally I wouldn't test at 9, maturity was definitely an issue.

 

The main one we did at the end of the year (2016) was mostly to support a friend who is a new homeschooler and was a bit worried about her kid's progress. We sat our kids down (zero prep!) and gave them donuts. They all did well.

 

I put the scores in my files and we got on with life. I didn't do anything with them - I wasn't surprised by any of the results. I probably won't test at all this year. It's not required for my state.

 

I used the Australian Mathematics Competition, ICAS and NAPLAN - none of which are used in the US afaik!

[PeterPan]

When my oldest was little, there was so much anti-testing sentiment that I didn't do it for several years. Once I did, I realized I got lots of helpful information! And not just information, but it really gave me assurance to go ok, you're on the right track, this is ok. 

 

The tests we do (usually the CAT or something similar) to satisfy state reporting requirements cost maybe $25 and take maybe 4-6 hours total. They're just a nothing, easy to administer. I've even done them enjoyably with my ds who has significant SLDs. I know people have their reasons not to test, but to me there's really not a good reason NOT to test. I think end of 1st grade is a nice time to start. That's when I did my ds, last year. The test at that level is fun, and you're getting them used to the process.

 

They're going to have to take tests for years. There could be any number of reasons why you might need to over the years (divorce, enroll a dc, satisfy your own worries, whatever), and it just reduces their stress to have done it before. It's really a nothing. What you do with the info is your business, but at least you HAVE the info to make that choice.

 

If you have a really asynchronous child, you can also get the Woodcock Johnson, which is done one-on-one with a tester, covering preschool to adult. 

Edited February 17, 2017 by OhElizabeth

[J-rap]

We did it because our state requires it, from 7 to 16.  If they end up taking the ACT or SAT before 16, that can count instead.

 

I think it was also good to get a very general idea of how my kids were doing, and to get them comfortable with test taking.  For some reason they LOVED taking standardized tests.  Maybe because we always had breaks with homemade cinnamon rolls and tea.  :)

 

I always thought it was funny that our state never needed to see their results though.  We just had to state when they were taking it, and I think which test.

 

We used Iowa, but I can't remember why anymore.  I'm sure I must've had a good reason!

[Bambam]

No testing requirement in my state.

 

I started when my oldest was in 7th grade because she had a tendency to freeze in pressure situations. I tested the 3rd grader at the same time, because there was no way she was going to left out.

They loved it. What? Well, mostly the younger one has requested to be tested again.

The first time was in a group setting. I then did administered the Iowa Basic skills test myself (at that time you could, I'm not sure if you still can test your own children) as we could not find a group to test with. But this was almost two years later. 

After that, the older child did PSAT, SAT, ACT and that was enough.

 

Younger child tested in 3rd (group), 5th (just her and her sister), 8th (group), 9th (PSAT), and 10th (PSAT). She enjoys the testing. 

 

I've always tested them at the grade level for their age.

 

I let my kids see the results. Their tests so they can see the results. I have a friend who does not let her children see their results at all (they test less frequently than we do). Only thing I've used the results for was to get kids admitted to National Homeschool Honor Society and National Homeschool Math Honor Society. Otherwise, I just file them. 

 

We done Stanford (group) and Iowa (because you could administer it to family members). Last group time, they chose Iowa because it was timed and there was talk about Stanford being discontinued.  I liked the CogAt with Iowa. I like that better than the regular test.

 

When you get the results "Post-high school" or whatever it says does not mean your child is ready to graduate (yep, I've heard that several times). It simply means that your child scored as well as someone who has graduated from high school. It means that (Yeah!) your child has mastered that material. Also, if you see something that looks funny - check it out. My youngest scored poorly on one LA section. Turns out it was phonetic awareness or something like that - she couldn't pick out the long vowel words, but her reading comprehension was off the charts. So, who cares?

 

 

 

[rocassie]

Why do you test your child?

A request of my DH.  It gives him piece of mind to have a tangible and acceptable report  in the event something happened to me.  He will admit he's clueless about where the kids are academically.

 

How do you use the test results?

Right now nothing.  I file in my child's file.  My state doesn't require testing or reporting.

 

At what ages do you test your child?

Starting in 3rd grade.  This is when my state also starts testing.  Although that may have changed in recent years.

 

What tests do you use and why?

Stanford 10 - it is done online, I don't need to be a proctor, test results in 48 hours, includes science and social sciences not just LA, math, and reading.  Also it can be scheduled any week of the year for a few holiday exceptions, and I can choose which grade level test I want my child to take.  The test is split into two days.  Each day the test taker has 4 parts and it's untimed, although all four parts have to be completed by the end of the day.

 

Any other comments?

I have kept it fairly low key with regards to my child.  She actually likes taking the test but I think more so because it's a break from our regular routine.  Other than looking over the results, I don't do anything with it.  If it looks like she is on target or improving, then we keep going along as is.  If it looks like she struggled in an area, then I would make a concerted effort to beef that up a little or slow down to cover something more thoroughly. 

[SevenDaisies]

I've seen several posts recently about testing DC, and it got me curious why people do it and how. So if you do any kind of testing, would you mind sharing your thoughts?

 

Why do you test your child? I am required to test every three years by the state

 

How do you use the test results? I take a quick peek and then file them away

 

At what ages do you test your child? 3rd, 6th, 9th

 

What tests do you use and why? Stanford (because it is untimed) or CAT when we are short on time

 

Any other comments?

 

I'm very curious. Thanks in advance!

 

[Jackie]

Not required here, so purely for my own information. I choose to do so in order to (a) make sure I didn't miss something huge since I hodgepodge our curric and (b) have some clue what level my DD is at in language arts, which is very difficult to quantify for me.

 

DD does well, so the results mostly help me chill out/stop worrying.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Why do you test your child? 

In the younger years, basically to get a benchmark and to see if there are any learning issues I might have missed.  I have a pretty good idea of how my kids are doing because I am with them and we are getting immediate feedback.  Testing is not required where I live, so I am only doing it for me.  For high school age, we do a couple of practice runs in an actual testing environment to help them get acclimated to the environment and to see where there are areas we may need to focus on for test prep. 

 

How do you use the test results?

Usually, it is just confirmation of what I already know.  For one kid, it didn't tell me anything.  I knew he was smart.  He was in the 99th percentile for everything.  We decided to do out of level testing with him (SAT in 6th) on a lark (and to get access to Gifted programming that ended up not being worth our while.)  It did identify an issue with critical reading.  With my other two, I was able to confirm or more specifically identify a problem area and make a plan to remedy it. 

 

At what ages do you test your child?

3rd or 4th grade (IBTS, CogAt) and maybe 6th or 7th for gifted programming (SAT), 10th grade (practice run on the PSAT), 11th grade, PSAT, SAT, ACT. 

 

What test did you use and why?

ITBS because it was easy for me to get and I could test my own child.  The others because they were useful for college admissions or early college programs.

 

Other comments?

I am not a big believer in lots of testing.  I think we over test kids and that environment often doesn't show how our kids are smart.  There are lots of informal assessment techniques that we did on an every day basis that gave me much more information.   Since I was working with my kids every day, I knew what they knew.  I had a pretty good idea of their strengths and weaknesses.  I like the idea of a benchmark test to make sure that I haven't missed a learning issue.  We did go whole hog in prepping for college entrance testing because it made my kids attractive candidates and it was very useful in getting scholarship $$. 

[RKWAcademy]

I'm required to test every year by the state.  I use the ITBS.  I like having a bit of confirmation that I'm (ok, they're) doing alright. 

[Rebel Yell]

I've seen several posts recently about testing DC, and it got me curious why people do it and how. So if you do any kind of testing, would you mind sharing your thoughts?

 

Why do you test your child?

My state says I have to include the math/English results in their portfolio for grades 3, 5, & 8

 

How do you use the test results?

They are usually the most expensive piece of paper in the portfolio. They have never told me anything I didn't already know

 

At what ages do you test your child?

Grades 3, 5, & 8... usually in the spring. Parent determines child's grade level in my state, not their date of birth. My younger two began 3rd grade before compulsory attendance age, so since they were not "reported" in 3rd grade or evaluated/portfolio, they did not do the 3rd grade test

 

What tests do you use and why?

CATest California Achievement Test. It was the cheapest and easiest way to fulfill the legal requirement for testing

 

Any other comments?

Waste of time, IMO

 

I'm very curious. Thanks in advance!

[...................]

I did two years of if with our umbrella

School when my kids were in 5th/6th and 7th/8th

 

I did it because I wanted them for have the experience and I wanted to see where they would land, and the location was nearby and pleasant, and I myself enjoyed proctoring ( not my kids)

 

I think two years in middle school was perfect. Once would not have been enough for them to

Gain familiarity with the experience. After doing it twice we saw the exact same results which exactly matched where I already knew their strengths were.

 

Also both years my daughter bombed the portion taken last on each day even though they were areas she's normally excellent at. I knew it was becuase she was tired, overheated, and sick of sitting still. And her proctor didn't give good breaks.

 

I think it was really important for the experience - I Made it low key and positive :)

[G5052]

The way that we file with the county, we test every year from 1st grade on.

 

For little guys, we really spread it out and did just the math and English at home with a test acceptable to the county.

 

Starting in 6th grade, they did Stanford group testing to get used to all of the subjects and being in a group.

 

Then 9th and up, they do the college tests, which are acceptable to the county.

 

I hate to show my middle-aged attitude, but honestly it never has told me anything that I don't already know. I predicted my kid's SAT scores within 20 points too. Maybe I have a good sense about that sort of thing that others don't have, but if you're involved with your kids, you know their weaknesses.

 

There were years that it was financially difficult for us to test, and many times I resented the time spent on it. But we complied and did it.

 

In my ideal world, I'd start group testing in middle school and then do college testing in high school. And I'd only do math and English.

 

My youngest took the ACT for the last time this month to try to improve her math score and got her annual homeschooling testing done at the same time. Not fun, but just four hours. Then in June when just graduates, I send in her ACT scores and letter saying that we are done homeschooling. Hooray!

Edited February 21, 2017 by G5052

[Mommy2BeautifulGirls]

I test every other year, just to see if there are any glaring gaps in their learning I should address.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[waa510]

I've seen several posts recently about testing DC, and it got me curious why people do it and how. So if you do any kind of testing, would you mind sharing your thoughts?

 

Why do you test your child?

 

How do you use the test results?

 

At what ages do you test your child?

 

What tests do you use and why?

 

Any other comments?

 

I'm very curious. Thanks in advance!

 

We test as it's one of the options for Proof of Progress in my state, to get my kids used to tests as we don't really use them in our school, and to give me an idea of how we're doing.

 

I use the test results to reassure myself, pretend to reassure Dh who has way more confidence in it all, and to keep on file in case of emergency w/ needing to put them into school suddenly

 

I test my kids starting in 1st, per the state req. I didn't test my youngest when we didn't live here, but are back now so she'll be tested for the first time this summer. (I lived internationally and couldn't meet the reqs of getting and returning the test. That left online tests which wouldn't be a fit for my bad typers)

 

For my oldest:

 

CAT test for 1st and 2nd b/c I worried about test anxiety, it's cheap and wanted to get it out of the way. 3rd: ITBS to give me more info although it took up a lot of time and didn't learn much from it. 4th: nothing as we didn't live in VA 5th: probably the ITBS again, unless I can find something that'll give me a much better indication of where she is. I plan on calling Seton Testing to discuss in the next few months. 

 

Youngest: CAT test for 2nd. Her first ever test so want to keep it quick and easy. This dd lacks confidence sometimes so I'm treading carefully even though the test will likely tell me nothing of where she is, really. 

 

In hindsight, I wish I'd researched a test with a higher ceiling. My oldest is accelerated so she'll get such high scores that I don't really learn anything from the results. However, I'm also using the test to comply with state reqs so it has to be given on her current grade level. I may not be able to kill two birds with one stone if I want actually useful info moving forward. That just means more testing, more time used on testing instead of school and more $$ for these tests. Not sure where I'm at with all that. :/ 

[Ravin]

DD is doing standardized testing this year because she wants to.

 

She's never wanted to before, so we're going with that.

[mom2scouts]

I am never required to do standardized testing, but I plan to do it for the first time this year. The main reason is to give my child test taking skills before he takes college testing. The other reason is because I'm curious to see how he'll do.