ajfries Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 My oldest is only 6, so at this point there aren't any legal requirements for us to homeschool. I'm looking ahead, though, and I plan on taking a parent qualifying course in the future.My question is in regards to standardized testing. The law states "Standardized testing - a standardized achievement test approved by the State Board of Education is administered annually to the child by a qualified individual"Who, exactly, does it mean when it states 'a qualified individual'? Must the tests be taken at a public school? Oversaw by a certified teacher? Does taking the parent qualifying course deem you qualified to administer the standardized testing?Thanks for any insight and experience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elinnea Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Hi Jenna, You have several options available, you can do an assessment or standardized test. Most years my kids have taken the CAT test. I administer it myself. Very easy! I order mine thorough Family Learning Organization in Eastern WA. They offer several types of tests and assessments. http://www.familylearning.org/testing.php . There are other options available for testing including testing through your local school district but we've only just done the CAT or assessments. HTH! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 The qualifications of the test administrator depends upon the test - you have to meet the test qualifications or find someone who does in order to use that test. Check out WHO's info online. Also, there are portfolio reviews from a certified teacher which work as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 The parent qualifying course is only necessary if you do not meet the other qualifications (college experience or public teacher oversight). Here is WHO's website, with great explanation of the law. http://www.washhomeschool.org 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajfries Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 There's so much information on WHO & a lot of it links back & fourth to its own articles so it's easy to end up going in circles. I did find where it says that it depends on the test publishers to determine the qualifications for proctoring...but it wasn't where I expected it to be. In case anyone else stumbles upon this via search, question five covers it a bit, but I found HSLDA's page on testing to be more thorough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Each test has specifics on who administers and where. We use the Explore, so it has to be done by a certified teacher in a public facility's (school or occasionally library). My husband is a teacher so this is no biggie; we use his school and a coworker. A local homeschool group has "test day" were all the kids get together in the grange hall and have a certified teacher come in and give one big three hour proctoring. Everyone then watches a movie and eats ice cream. It is no big deal. It seems really intimidating, but don't by into the hype. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Many kids in this area sign up to do the Stanford Achievement Test in groups. Depending on the group, it is one or two days. My kids see it as a fun socialization time. The WHO site gives you a list of acceptable tests. You can research the different tests to see if you want one over another but honestly, I don't think it matters that much. The testing is a hoop to jump through. No one other than you sees the test results. I find the test results interesting but they've never told me anything that I didn't know just from teaching my kids every day. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 We just have him go to the district and take their assessments (previously the MSP and now Smarter Balance for most subjects). It's free and the scores are valid qualifying scores for certain programs he likes to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystie Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 We give the IOWA test, and you have to have a 4-year degree to administer it. I had to send a copy of my degree once to BJU, where we order them, so now I'm an "approved administrator" and can order the tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 I just asked this question from WHO and they posted a great reply on their Facebook page. Qualified person depends on the test. CAT is a parent. IOWA and Stanford requires degree and company selling test may require signing something in acknowledgement of rules. An assessment requires a certified teacher though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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