jlmom Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 We live in Pennsylvania and are required to give our kids standardized tests in grades 3, 5, & 8. What happens if they don't do well on them? Can they force us to send our kids to PS? My dd is only in 2nd grade so I don't need to worry about it yet, but I'm wondering if I should pay closer attention to what they're doing in PS at this level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 Here's Pauline's PA page. Scroll down to where it says, "What if my child does poorly on the test?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 Hmmm Interesting question. I live in Washington and they do require testing here. BUT...I know at least 100 homeschooling families (we were part of a large program) and I have never heard of consequences to the score. Actually, I know a lot of people who do not test on ethical grounds (don't agree with the methods/testing options), and I have never heard of a consequence to them either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 We live in Pennsylvania and are required to give our kids standardized tests in grades 3, 5, & 8. What happens if they don't do well on them? Can they force us to send our kids to PS? My dd is only in 2nd grade so I don't need to worry about it yet, but I'm wondering if I should pay closer attention to what they're doing in PS at this level. Thanks Ellie for beating me to the link! Basically, OP, if one part of your <portfolio+written evaluation> is on the weaker side, you can just beef up the other parts to compensate. If the test scores are very low, you might want to use samples of work and your log to show what you're doing and that/how your student is making sustained progress. If there are special circumstances, you can include a cover letter to explain the situation and what you're doing to approach it. There is no requirement to teach parallel to the public schools. You don't have to match your curriculum to theirs. You need to do the days/hours, the required subjects (in some way), and demonstrate that the student is making "sustained progress in the overall program". DO NOT FEAR THE TESTS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 We have to test but no one asks for the results. I now just give the Woodcock Johnson, so the results aren't quite as profound if the child doesn't do as well. I have 2 children who perform at Do you turn them in? Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 I would not be too worried. We do no test prep and some years my son finishes in record time (it looks like he is guessing at the answers, just to get done). He actually has never done bad on the test. I do not have to turn it into anyone, I just do it so he has the practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyJudyJudy Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 We are required to test every three years, but we don't have to give the results to anyone. Our school system as a whole failed to meet AYP (all the middle schools, all the high schools, and most of the elementary schools in our county failed), so if my child tested poorly, school officials would have a pretty difficult time telling me I had to put my child into the system. (My son has always tested well anyway, though.) Having said all that, I think we're about to see some changes with all this testing anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 And you live in PA? You move to NJ! :tongue_smilie::D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 I don't know the answer to your question because I live in NJ and don't have to test but I was just thinking, what could they do? What do they do with the kids who do poorly on standardized tests in PS? Not all that much...they don't change the way they are schooled or send them somewhere else (unless the parent decides to pull their child out of a poorly performing school). Maybe they get a little extra help if they are performing poorly overall but one of my dc is an A student in PS but always scores poorly on standardized tests. I think he gets bored and has no attention for it so just fills in bubbles (this is what he tells me he does which is very aggravating to me) but still, the school doesn't do anything differently for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 My SN son (now graduated) always did poorly on standardized tests. We never heard a word about it. I guess a school district could use it as an excuse to harass you, but they don't really want to have low-performing kids enroll in their school anyway and my son wasn't going to miraculously score better by being in public school, as they well knew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Why can't you just have the kid(s) take the test again? Or take a different test? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 The kids get recalled to the factory. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 my friend had a child who did poorly on the test. I don't know what all the details were, but I know she worried every single year, hoping and praying that he'd make the 40th percentile. I think if he didn't she would have had to send him to school, but I don't know for sure. He did end up going to ps for high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 In Ohio, they only have to be in the 25th percentile. I don't know what the consequences are exactly but I have never been terribly worried about making the 25th percentile when we do test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyJudyJudy Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Why can't you just have the kid(s) take the test again? Or take a different test? The public schools here do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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