Please help me understand standardized testing...

[*********]

Ok, first of all, I realize some people don't do standardized testing for their kids. And hey, that's great. I don't really want to debate that.

 

I have decided that I'd like to have Zee tested. I'd like to know what 'grade' level he is at for each of the subjects. He will be six next week, and is generally doing second grade level work. But I'd just like to get a better picture of where he is, kwim?

 

My question is, HOW do I do this? I'm fairly new to homeschooling, and don't have ANY irl homeschool friends. So I really feel at a loss sometimes.

 

I recently got a Christian Liberty Press catalog, and they offer the California Achievement Test (1970 edition). Is this a good way to go? The price is only $25. It says that I would administer the test at home, then send it in and they would send results. Has anyone done this before? How helpful is it? I would prefer to administer the test to him myself; our state has no regulations regarding homeschooling, and I would just prefer to do it myself instead of taking him somewhere to be tested.

 

If you have any other test to recommend, or advice, or things NOT to do, I'm all ears. But if I could ask, please tell me the name of the test and where to get it; all the abbreviations can be very confusing for a newbie. :blush:

Edited April 1, 2009 by bethanyniez
yeah, I want to administer an achievement test, but I can't spell. Sheesh.

[Carrie12345]

I think the whole thing is a very personal decision, and you might find www.hoagiesgifted.org helpful in sorting out the tests.

 

My understanding is that the CATs are grade-based, which would only tell you how well he understands a specific grade level, rather than what grade level he understands, if that makes sense.

 

There's plenty of discussion on the pros and cons on Hoagies. It's worth a long read! :)

 

Adding: Ds has had done the Woodcock-Johnson, WISC, and Weshlers through ps and private evals. He's always scored high, but with a wide range on each different test. I've learned not to put an enormous amount of stock into the results, but I do find them fairly helpful. Fortunately, he loves testing. @@

Edited April 1, 2009 by Carrie1234

[ElizabethB]

You have to decide what your primary purpose for testing is. If you just want to see where he is compared to 1st grade level kids, give him the 1st grade test and he'll score between the 90th and 99th percentile on everything. You'll know where you stands but won't have much of an idea what he doesn't know because the questions will be too easy for him.

 

If you want to get a better idea of the areas which need work, I would give a 2nd grade level test.

 

I gave the ITBS last year, I like that option because several states that require testing use that test, I was tested with it in school so I know how I did on it, and I was able to administer it to her on my own so I could see exactly how she answered every singe question. We're taking the ITBS again this year. My primary purpose is to get her used to taking tests in case we ever move to an area that tests. However, I also like to see what she knows and doesn't know that I haven't yet taught--it allows me to figure out what to spend time on and what to go through briefly, and it's also just interesting to see what kind of things are picked up without formal instruction and what is not.

[BearLair]

I have come across various materials for placement levels per subject.

 

If there are specific areas you are wondering about perhaps purchasing (or borrowing from library) and testing per subject would suite your needs best?

 

In Colorado we are required to give standardized tests and I have not found them very helpful for the most part. Our children range so vastly subject to subject. One of our children is way below level on history and way above level on science & math, etc. The test results for this child are not very informative because they are required to test at grade level.

Edited April 1, 2009 by BearLair
BearLair

[mchel210]

I did the CAT from Seton last year for my kids. My 1st grader took the CAT 2nd grade. It didnt tell me much. She only missed 2 questions on the whole test...but that is all it said. Says a % range. So I know she was preforming above the 1st grade level.

 

My son took the SAT in school a few years back and the results had been broken up a lot more. This year I have my kids taking the SAT. My son is taking it today with our homeschool group. I found a few teachers offer it in their homes. The SAT breaks down to below avg, avg, or above avg and has each score by subject. Such as the reading comprehension is broken down into 8 sub categories.

 

You can check IOWA test too. I think that gives you more of an idea of your childs level then the CAT does.

 

http://www.bjupress.com/services/testing/

 

You may also be able to do it for free in your PS. Ours offers free testing to HS students, but in FL we have to use the FCAT after 2nd grade...and you have to prepare for that test prior a specific way. They dont recommend HS kids to use that test. But if your PS offers testing, you may be able to do them free and use the SAT or IOWA.

[sandalwood]

Ok, first of all, I realize some people don't do standardized testing for their kids. And hey, that's great. I don't really want to debate that.

 

I have decided that I'd like to have Zee tested. I'd like to know what 'grade' level he is at for each of the subjects. He will be six next week, and is generally doing second grade level work. But I'd just like to get a better picture of where he is, kwim?

 

My question is, HOW do I do this? I'm fairly new to homeschooling, and don't have ANY irl homeschool friends. So I really feel at a loss sometimes.

 

I recently got a Christian Liberty Press catalog, and they offer the California Achievement Test (1970 edition). Is this a good way to go? The price is only $25. It says that I would administer the test at home, then send it in and they would send results. Has anyone done this before? How helpful is it? I would prefer to administer the test to him myself; our state has no regulations regarding homeschooling, and I would just prefer to do it myself instead of taking him somewhere to be tested.

 

If you have any other test to recommend, or advice, or things NOT to do, I'm all ears. But if I could ask, please tell me the name of the test and where to get it; all the abbreviations can be very confusing for a newbie. :blush:

 

We test here and I have used the IOWA. I will say that after testing, you will realize that some things that seem like a big deal are not such a big deal...if that makes any sense at all. For instance, in the 5th grade history section of this years IOWA test it had a cartoonish like picture of a family celebrating a holiday. And, the child was to pick the right holiday for the answer. I will just say that it not a main-stream holiday and has only been celebrated by some for maybe 20 years. We do not celebrate it, and had it not been for PBS and Seasame Street years ago I doubt my son would have any idea what this holiday was. I guess what I am saying is that in testing some questions are down right silly and some are hard. Once you experience it the first time, you will probably relax about it some. We test just for "us" and don't have to test. But, I like to do it to get a sense of where we are and what I am lacking in my homeschool. The first time we tested, I realized really quick I had not spent enough time on math drill. My son knew the math problems but ran out of time in all the math sections. Anyhow, it has been a very positive experience for us.

[kalanamak]

 

I gave the ITBS last year, I like that option because several states that require testing use that test, I was tested with it in school so I know how I did on it, and I was able to administer it to her on my own so I could see exactly how she answered every singe question. We're taking the ITBS again this year. My primary purpose is to get her used to taking tests in case we ever move to an area that tests. However, I also like to see what she knows and doesn't know that I haven't yet taught--it allows me to figure out what to spend time on and what to go through briefly, and it's also just interesting to see what kind of things are picked up without formal instruction and what is not.

 

:iagree: with all of this. Even if you aren't going to be moving to an area that requires it, kiddo will probably take a standardized test at some point, and I don't want a critical one to be his first one!

[KRG]

At the school I previously worked at we would allow homeschoolers to come in and take standardized tests during test week. If there is a private school in your area it wouldn't hurt to call and find out about their testing policies.

[homeschooltoone]

:iagree: with all of this. Even if you aren't going to be moving to an area that requires it, kiddo will probably take a standardized test at some point, and I don't want a critical one to be his first one!

:iagree: I agree with you. I live in the state of NY and we have to test every other year starting in 4th grade. My son will be in 4th next year. We will be testing this year so he'll get a feel for it.

[Laurie4b]

Ok, first of all, I realize some people don't do standardized testing for their kids. And hey, that's great. I don't really want to debate that.

 

I have decided that I'd like to have Zee tested. I'd like to know what 'grade' level he is at for each of the subjects. He will be six next week, and is generally doing second grade level work. But I'd just like to get a better picture of where he is, kwim?

 

My question is, HOW do I do this? I'm fairly new to homeschooling, and don't have ANY irl homeschool friends. So I really feel at a loss sometimes.

 

I recently got a Christian Liberty Press catalog, and they offer the California Achievement Test (1970 edition). Is this a good way to go? The price is only $25. It says that I would administer the test at home, then send it in and they would send results. Has anyone done this before? How helpful is it? I would prefer to administer the test to him myself; our state has no regulations regarding homeschooling, and I would just prefer to do it myself instead of taking him somewhere to be tested.

 

If you have any other test to recommend, or advice, or things NOT to do, I'm all ears. But if I could ask, please tell me the name of the test and where to get it; all the abbreviations can be very confusing for a newbie. :blush:

 

Tests that are constructed for group administration (CAT< IOWA, etc) are constructed for the primary purpose of comparing one group of kids to another group of kids. e.g. School A to School B, School A2007 to School A 2008. Their only statistically valid purpose for individual students is as a screening tool: if your students scores very high or very low, this would indicate a need to check further. The grade levels they give are very misleading. If your child takes a 2nd grade level test, there will be only 2nd grade material. However, your child could score 5.2 grade level. What that would mean is that your child had the same score that the average 5th grader in the 2nd month scored when taking this 2nd grade test. In other words, all it would tell you is that your child has mastered 2nd grade material; it would not tell you the grade level your child was working on.

 

On the other hand, an individually administered test, such as the Woodcock Johnson, has questions all the way up into the college level. The test isn't done until the child has missed 6 questions in a row or gotten to the end of the test. So on that test, ifyour child scores grade 5.2, it's more likely to indicate true grade level. (You still have to evaluate that, though.The person who administers it should be able to help you interpret the extent to which that represented a good estimate of grade level based on his or her observations and knowledge of what constitutes grade level material.) This test typically costs about $75.

[*********]

On the other hand, an individually administered test, such as the Woodcock Johnson, has questions all the way up into the college level. The test isn't done until the child has missed 6 questions in a row or gotten to the end of the test. So on that test, ifyour child scores grade 5.2, it's more likely to indicate true grade level. (You still have to evaluate that, though.The person who administers it should be able to help you interpret the extent to which that represented a good estimate of grade level based on his or her observations and knowledge of what constitutes grade level material.) This test typically costs about $75.

 

This sounds like what I'm looking for; where would I have him take a test like this? I don't even know where to start looking...

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Even a test like Woodcock-Johnson can have hidden pitfalls. My older kids both took it when they were young elementary students. And they were doing very well until they hit the questions dealing with money. One consistently thought quarters were worth $0.05. So after missing a few questions in a row, the test administrator had to stop the test. HOWEVER, we were not living in the US at the time and the only American money we had was the stuff in a special cup to use during school. Everything they used on a daily basis was Euros (which doesn't even have a 0.25 cent piece, btw). The administrater noted this and said it was a shame because they probably could have gone further, but she was required to stop when she did.