How will testing help our home school?

Many parents, especially parent educators, want to know if their children are at age or grade level in their academic mastery. By having your child tested with a nationally normed standardized test, you will know.

Even though I had taught in the classroom, I was unable to be certain my children were learning at their grade level until they were tested using a standardized test. Indeed, like most home schoolers the tests indicated that my children were doing quite well; and by having them tested, I gained a lot of confidence in my ability to educate them in our home. 

By having your child tested, you will know where you need to spend your time and energy; and you will save money by avoiding the purchase of unnecessary curriculum.

You may also save money on your teen's auto insurance. Most insurance companies recognize the Iowa Test of Educational Development profile as documentation that your child has earned the "good student standing" discount. Parents tell me they save more on their auto insurance than they pay for the test.

The Iowa Test of Educational Development also comes with a predicted ACT and SAT score. It can be very helpful to know where your child will score before they actually take the college entrance exam. You can also track their progress though the high school years with annual testing.

Standardized nationally normed tests provide you with objective documented proof of your educational effectiveness and the profiles assure you that you are on the right track.  A student's profile from a standardized nationally normed test is the most highly recognized proof of educational success to anyone who may be questioning your home schooling, especially the courts.

Because testing can be a controversial subject, I asked my daughters what they really thought about my testing them every year and their response surprised me a little. They said they thought it was one of the best things we did in our home education; because after the test scores came back I, their mom, was more relaxed and homeschooling was a lot more fun for them. They added they thought if more of their home school friend's parents had made standardized testing a regular part of their home education, they too would have loved home schooling as much as we did.

The testing was always more for me then it was for my children. I needed to know if we were on target or if we needed to do things differently. The test scores helped me to see, in print, that my children were progressing in their learning. 

I was always excited about sharing the scores with their dad. The information gained by testing assured me that my children, if it became necessary, would be able to hold their own in a school system. The test results gave me the assurance I was not neglecting their education, and in fact, as with most home schoolers, they were doing far better then expected.  I also knew the test results were the best evidence for protecting our home education.

Home School Legal Defense Association recommends annual testing for all home schooled children and for parents teaching their special needs child, they recommended more frequent testing and/or evaluations.  It is my goal to offer the most up-to-date standardization tests, the most confidential services, home school friendly testing and consulting, at home school friendly fees.   

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2-5-2012