AmyontheFarm Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 I decided I am going to test my kids using DORA. So, usually before I have my kids try something new, I try it first. So, I took the DORA test which I purchased at Homeschool Buyers Co-op. It was very easy to take. I also scored higher on the spelling portion then I thought I would! So, that was sort of cool. Tomorrow, my son will take it and then in the afternoon, my dd will take it. It will be interesting to see where they score at since I have the school board's tests from before I started homeschooling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 My children are taking it for the second year right now, they are not done yet but a few sections have been completed. It is cool to see their progress, it is a much more useful testing tool for me than the ITBS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Did you buy an extra for yourself? It looks like you purchase per child. Is that right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 I'd like to hear more too. How did the HSBC work. Can you buy now and use later? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 The nice thing about the DORA is that it's adaptive, so it keeps going in a section until a child hits something they can't do, or, if they struggle initially, goes backwards until they find something they do. So it gives you much more detailed results than the ITBS, which contains content on one grade level, with only a small number of above and below grade level questions. I also really like that you can start and stop as needed, so if you have a child who will tend to get tired/bored and mess up either by mischance or design, you can stop them after 30 minutes (or whenever their point of diminishing returns is reached), go do something else, and come back to the test later. The downside is that it's not as accepted of a test, so if you need testing for an outside program, it probably won't serve that purpose, but for your own information, it's a good test. When you buy, you get a login that you can use whenever you want to give the test. You can only give the test, start to finish, once (you have to rebuy to retest later), but you can buy it when it's on sale (or, what I used to do, buy when I had the smartpoints available, because smartpoints expire if not used) and use it at your convenience. I will say I don't know if it ever expires-I've never waited more than a few weeks to give the test (I think one year it was on sale in March or so, and I gave it in May.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkateLeft Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 I looked at the HSBC page-- can anyone tell me when the sale ends? I don't see an end date and was wondering if this is a continual thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyontheFarm Posted May 21, 2014 Author Share Posted May 21, 2014 I haven't tested yet, but I'm sure at some point I will. Can you all share why you chose the DORA vs ITBS or another test? Thanks! I chose the DORA because that is what the sped ed class he was in, when he attended a b&m school used. I have a copy of his results from the year I pulled him from the school board, so I am comparing apples to apples. Also, since I don't have to submit any testing to my province, it was really just my choice. Did you buy an extra for yourself? It looks like you purchase per child. Is that right? Yes, through HSBC it is $15 for the first child and $12 for every child after that. So, I did pay for myself also. It was good because I was able to see how the test was formed and knew to stop my son to give him time to burn off some steam. I'd like to hear more too. How did the HSBC work. Can you buy now and use later? I bought the tests through HSBC because they were cheaper there than through the actual Let's Go Learn website. You would have to contact HSBC but I think you can purchase access to the test and just wait for years, but don't quote me on it. I bought it one day and used it the next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Thanks for your post you compelled me to get off my butt and actually buy the tests, hopefully we can do the assessments this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyontheFarm Posted May 21, 2014 Author Share Posted May 21, 2014 So, my son completed the test. We have been homeschooling for 3 years. My son's scores have risen across the board. :hurray: We will need to work on his spelling concepts more, that is his weak area, but I already knew that. What really excited us was to see that he has gone from a beginning grade 2 reading level to a grade 12.5 reading level. :party: I chalk that up to requiring them to read for an hour a day and finding out early that my son LOVES history. So, I let him read history books. I am so excited for him considering this was my kid who I was told would never graduate from high school because he couldn't read. Happy dance! My dd takes the DORA this afternoon. Can't wait to see what she accomplishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 I haven't tested yet, but I'm sure at some point I will. Can you all share why you chose the DORA vs ITBS or another test? Thanks! I've used both the DORA and the ITBS. I like both of them, but for different reasons. I like that the DORA is untimed and that it is adaptive. I don't like that for the comprehension section as it doesn't allow the student to look back at the passage when answering questions. In doing so, it confounds comprehension with memory (this is a common problem). Anyway, I like that the ITBS allows the student to look at the passage but don't like that it's timed and confined to a single grade level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 So, my son completed the test. We have been homeschooling for 3 years. My son's scores have risen across the board. :hurray: We will need to work on his spelling concepts more, that is his weak area, but I already knew that. What really excited us was to see that he has gone from a beginning grade 2 reading level to a grade 12.5 reading level. :party: I chalk that up to requiring them to read for an hour a day and finding out early that my son LOVES history. So, I let him read history books. I am so excited for him considering this was my kid who I was told would never graduate from high school because he couldn't read. Happy dance! My dd takes the DORA this afternoon. Can't wait to see what she accomplishes. Kudos to you and them, that is wonderful!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 SO, can you print the results for your records? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 About how long would it take to complete on average? I know it will vary, but are we talking 30 minutes, two hours, four hours, etc.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2hunangirls Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 You can print several reports. We took it at the beginning of the year (would have been end of last year, but didn't know about it) and at the end of the year. It compares 3 scores. Which I really like. It took both my 6 yr old and 7 yr old and hour and 20 mins to take (roughly). We didn't take breaks but you may need to. The ADAM takes longer. I do not let my children make random guesses. Although I will let them guess if they have a method to doing so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reign Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 I think everyone has convinced me to get the test! I'm not really worried about anything but it might be interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Another Jen Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 How accurate is this test? I had my 8yo take half of it today. He got: HFW-3.83 WR-12.5 PH-4.5 PA-89% SP-2.83 VO-6.83 We have to do the CO section tomorrow. I was just surprised at the word recognition score. He has been reading silently for an hour a day all this school year so I guess that worked. Does the 12.5 mean the same as kids in grade 12.5 or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 How accurate is this test? I had my 8yo take half of it today. He got: HFW-3.83 WR-12.5 PH-4.5 PA-89% SP-2.83 VO-6.83 We have to do the CO section tomorrow. I was just surprised at the word recognition score. He has been reading silently for an hour a day all this school year so I guess that worked. Does the 12.5 mean the same as kids in grade 12.5 or what? It is fairly accurate, and yes, it means same as kids in grade 12.5, but I think my Quick Screen Test or the NRRF will give you a more accurate grade level picture, theirs is, IMO, slightly low, although kids are reading and spelling worse than when everyone was taught with Webster's Speller! http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/readinggradeleve.html My quick screen test is very fast. The NRRF and my 40L extension takes a bit longer, but you could start with the 8th grade level on my 40L extension and then go up from there if they pass the 8th grade test or back down to the 3rd grade level on the NRRF if they don't, the 4th grade level on the NRRF is pretty difficult, some people can pass the 6th grade NRRF but not the 4th grade NRRF passage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Another Jen Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 i think it may be off. The DORA test reads the word and the child just needs to click on the right one. That seems easier than say actually reading off the quick reading list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 i think it may be off. The DORA test reads the word and the child just needs to click on the right one. That seems easier than say actually reading off the quick reading list. My daughter had the opposite when we used the ITBS--she could get 100% on the spelling tests, even above grade level, when all she had to do was pick from a multiple choice list (even with none of the above, this made it easier than it should have been for an actual spelling score.) When she had to type the word herself, she scored lower than on the ITBS, so the DORA test was more accurate for her for spelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 For those interested in giving the DORA (which I really liked) to younger kids, I made a blog post with some tips and information. http://sceleratusclassicalacademy.blogspot.com/2014/02/dora-reveiw.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyontheFarm Posted May 22, 2014 Author Share Posted May 22, 2014 SO, can you print the results for your records? Yes, all printed and filed away. :) Would it be terrible of me to bring a copy to the school to have it put into his Ontario Student Record. Just so I could brag that homeschooling my son is actually to his benefit? About how long would it take to complete on average? I know it will vary, but are we talking 30 minutes, two hours, four hours, etc.? Both my kids were about a hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Both my kids were about a hour. A slow good reader might take a bit longer, both of mine took around an hour as well, my daughter had to read a lot more comprehension passages but she is a fast reader. The ADAM K-7 (math) takes a bit longer but has more extensive information with more sub areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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