Assessments

[lapsetmom]

Anyone know of any cheap or free assessments in reading and math that will help me determine the levels and skills at which my children are currently working? I do not rely on a specific curriculum so I do not have testing materials that come with a program. I want to see what directions I need to head for the coming year and see where any gaps might be sprouting. Thoughts or ideas?

[Chocolate Lover]

I haven't used MEP or Math on the Level, but SingaporeMath.com does have free assessments on their website.

[jujsky]

They're not free, but the DORA (reading) and DOMA (math) were fairly inexpensive. I believe I got them through Homeschool Buyer's Co-op for $15/test. I'm not sure if they're still selling them though. They gave fairly comprehensive results in terms of skill levels the kids had mastered, but I think their grade-levels were off. According to the test, DD is reading at a 4th grade level, and I can assure you that she's not. She just started reading short chapter books. The only other thing about the DORA test is the first part of the test (sight words) is timed, and if your child doesn't pass that portion then they don't move onto the rest of the test. That was a wasted $15 in February when DS wasn't quick enough to pass that portion of it! It's too bad because there are other sections he would have done well on if he had been permitted to take them. I gave both tests to my kids in February and then again at the end of June. It was interesting to compare the results, and in terms of skills mastered, the test reflected many of the specific skills they had been working on.