What standardized test would you recommend?

[3 ladybugs]

My older son is 9. He has never taken a standardized test and we live in New Jersey so he doesn't need to take one. However I am thinking this year might be a good year just to see where he is compared to his peers. 

 

What test would be a good one for us to use? DH has a PhD so if we need a higher degree to administer it, it isn't a big deal. 

 

Also, we school year round, is there a good time to take a test or is anytime as good as any other?

[happypamama]

We use the 1970 CAT online from Christian Liberty Press. Nice and simple, just the basics of math and English.

[ScoutTN]

I used the ITBS last year and liked it. I like it better than the Terra Nova, which they have taken through our umbrella school, becaus eit was more thorough, even in just math and LA . The scoring is much easier to understand. Better explanations.

 

It is long and my kids took it over several days, not all at one or two long sittings.

We used one of the older versions, not the one normed after Common Core. We ordered through BJU.

 

Edited January 30, 2018 by ScoutTN

[EKS]

I recommend the ITBS.  It tests a variety of skills, it has recent norms, and it can be used through high school.

 

Like ScoutTN, we always did it over many days (like only one subtest per day).  I think it would take about two weeks that way, but it kept things low stress, and we didn't have to alter our regular pattern much to accommodate it.

Edited January 29, 2018 by EKS

[Jackie]

The ITBS covers a lot of ground. You can get it from several companies, we did so through Triangle Assessments, which has both paper and online versions. https://www.triangleeducationassessments.com/

 

That recommendation assumes that you have a reasonable expectation that your child’s skills are within a few grade levels of each other. My daughter has very asynchronous skills, so the only way to get comprehensive, useful information is to pay someone to administer the Woodcock Johnson. Any grade-leveled test will either give me information useful for language or math, but not both because her test scores come out with a 6+ year difference in grade levels equivalencies.

[luuknam]

We use the 1970 CAT online from Christian Liberty Press. Nice and simple, just the basics of math and English.

 

I would not use a test that was normed about a decade and a half before I was even born (n/m the kids) if the goal was to compare kids to their peers. In fact, I wouldn't use anything from the 20th century. Anything past the year 2000 is probably fine. Aside from w/e changes may have happened to academic standards in the past almost 50 years, really old tests are also more likely to have questions that expect the kid to be familiar with different things, like rotary phones instead of cell phones, so that a gimme question can become a history question. 

 

I used the ITBS last year and liked it. I like it better than the Terra Nova, which they have taken through our umbrella school, becaus eit was more thorough, even in just math and LA . The scoring is much easier to understand. Better explanations.

 

 

I don't find the scoring for the CAT/TerraNova hard to understand at all. That said, everybody seems to like the ITBS/Iowa better, so, I'd probably go with that one. I have no clue, since we can't administer that one, since neither of us has a college degree. I'm pretty sure that for both you can choose to do either the basics (language arts & math) or a more comprehensive version including science and social studies and with separate scores for spelling etc. My kids have done the 2005 CAT/TerraNova with all the subtests the past couple of years. With all the subtests it takes us about 4-5 days, though you could do the entire thing in 2 days (but why??? more likely to have the kids score badly because of exhaustion/boredom). If you're not sure if you want to do all subtests, I'd order the entire test, and start with the basic sections, and then only do science/history/etc if you still feel up for them. 

 

We use Seton, and they'll send you the test with Spring/Winter/Fall norms depending on when you order the test, unless you specify you want it normed from a different part of the year. If you do school year round, I'd probably just go with w/e part of the year you're in. I doubt it matters all that much anyway. 

 

ADAM and DORA iirc are tests that keep giving you harder questions to decide what grade level you are for skills, as opposed to the CAT & ITBS for which you pick a grade level and basically just get questions roughly at that grade level. I've never used ADAM/DORA, largely because we do have to test in our state, so, it'd just be even more testing. 

[luuknam]

That recommendation assumes that you have a reasonable expectation that your child’s skills are within a few grade levels of each other. My daughter has very asynchronous skills, so the only way to get comprehensive, useful information is to pay someone to administer the Woodcock Johnson. Any grade-leveled test will either give me information useful for language or math, but not both because her test scores come out with a 6+ year difference in grade levels equivalencies.

 

 

You could order two tests, and just administer the math from one and the language arts from the other... cheaper than paying a psych. 

[ScoutTN]

 

I don't find the scoring for the CAT/TerraNova hard to understand at all. 

 

 

I just remember having questions (This was 2 yrs ago and I don't remember what the questions were.) and neither the Terra Nova website nor my umbrella school could answer them.

 

The documents from ITBS and BJU were much more detailed. Our Terra Nova results sheet did not break each section down into very specific skills as the ITBS did. "Questions 1-4: spelling skill A.  Questions 5-7: spelling skill B."

[luuknam]

I just remember having questions (This was 2 yrs ago and I don't remember what the questions were.) and neither the Terra Nova website nor my umbrella school could answer them.

 

The documents from ITBS and BJU were much more detailed. Our Terra Nova results sheet did not break each section down into very specific skills as the ITBS did. "Questions 1-4: spelling skill A.  Questions 5-7: spelling skill B."

 

 

Yeah, they just give you a score for spelling, if you do that optional subtest. No spelling skill a, b, etc. Like I said, everybody seems to like the ITBS more, but since I have to test for our state, it'd probably be a bad idea for me to give a test I'm not 'qualified' :001_rolleyes:  to give. 

[3 ladybugs]

What about the Stanford test? I saw it at Bob Jones. Is that an old test or a new test?

[PeterPan]

Any of the tests from the BJU testing service are fine, sure. One thing to watch for is how many days it will take to administer them. We have to do testing or a portfolio review in our state every year, but I don't like to lose a week to it. I typically use the CAT from either Seton or CLP (I've rotated) because it's short. My kids have also had formal achievement testing through psychs (WIAT, Woodcock Johnson), and usually the results of the CAT are in-line with the "better" tests. 

 

So if I want tons of breakdowns, I would do a test that has tons of sections and gives that. Me, I don't care. I'm just trying to satisfy the law and get some general info, so something more brief (and cheap) will do. My personal fav, fwiw, is the Woodcock Johnson. It's short (60-90 min), no ceiling, kicks out actual grade levels, and is administered by a tester (eliminating some of the issues like motor planning affecting bubbles, etc.). 

[happypamama]

Yeah, I like the CAT because it’s short too. I have one child who always liked to do it quickly in one sitting, which took about three hours, or even less. Another child likes to do it in about three sessions. No idea what my others will want to do.

 

I haven’t had any issues with it being an older test. I am not really a fan of testing in younger grades and don’t feel that the test really reflects what my students can do. I only test because I have to, and the CAT is available online so the computer administers it. My state requires testing in certain years but doesn’t allow a parent to administer it; they’re fine with the CAT. However, the five times we’ve used it so far, my kids have scored very well on it, and they have also improved their scores from grade three to grade five (exact same test in both of those grades), so it isn’t so outdated that they don’t understand the questions.

[ScoutTN]

Any of the tests from the BJU testing service are fine, sure. One thing to watch for is how many days it will take to administer them. We have to do testing or a portfolio review in our state every year, but I don't like to lose a week to it. I typically use the CAT from either Seton or CLP (I've rotated) because it's short. My kids have also had formal achievement testing through psychs (WIAT, Woodcock Johnson), and usually the results of the CAT are in-line with the "better" tests. 

 

So if I want tons of breakdowns, I would do a test that has tons of sections and gives that. Me, I don't care. I'm just trying to satisfy the law and get some general info, so something more brief (and cheap) will do. My personal fav, fwiw, is the Woodcock Johnson. It's short (60-90 min), no ceiling, kicks out actual grade levels, and is administered by a tester (eliminating some of the issues like motor planning affecting bubbles, etc.). 

 

 

Are any tests for elementary grades really that long?

 

We did the ITBS over several days, but it didn't take over any whole school day, much less a week. We just did about 30-40 minutes each day, first thing. No big deal. 

[Ann.without.an.e]

What are your goals?  

 

If you want feedback from a real person that compares your student to others their grade level then go with Woodcock Johnson.

 

If you want something simple, easy, and cheap just to fulfill a state requirement then the Christian Liberty online CAT is good.  

[MerryAtHope]

I really like the Hewitt PASS test, especially for a first test:

 

It's untimed

No requirements for parents

You give a short pre-test to determine what level test your student should take rather than just choosing based on grade level

It's nationally normed for all students and for homeschoolers

You get a RIT score which gives you a grade level rather than just knowing that your student scored as well as X-graders would taking the same test (which is not the same as saying your student is working at X grade level.)

 

No test is perfect, but I find it has some nice features if one is going to test. 

[mschickie]

I would also suggest the PASS Test.  It was designed for homeschoolers to administer at home.  They give the best breakdown of results that I have seen too.