To test or not to test is really up to the state you live in and/or the administrator of your private school (in many cases that would be you or your husband). If your state's laws mandate yearly testing, then you have no choice. If your husband would like to see how your children are doing, then you should honor that as well.

Some families decide that having their children tested often gives them confidence that they are on the right track, as well as evidence that their children are succeeding academically for any legal purposes that may or may not come up.

Some use it as a gauge before high school to guide them in their curriculum and subject choices for the higher learning years. What is lacking? What have you done enough of? What should your focus be? Secondly, it has become a confirmation that no matter how poorly we think we have done, our children have for the most part excelled despite us. It encourages us as we continue on the journey. Third, our children learn to take the first of many tests that may come in their academic future. (Our first child went to take an assessment test at the local junior college when he was 15. He circled the answers instead of filling in the bubbles, so at the end of the test, the instructor had him re-mark all of his answers on a new sheet. That was a little embarrassing for all of us, and a heads-up to teach the kids how to take a test beforehand.)

Our family has decided that we don't need to formally test our children until they are in junior high or high school. And then, they will take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, the California High School Proficiency exam, and/or the local junior college's assessment test.

Aside from academics, where we can gauge whether we are in right standing, we should also should test our hearts to see if we are in right standing before the Lord. The Bible has some good perspectives on testing that we would do well to adopt:

1) God tests our hearts in hope of our obedience.

"And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove (test) thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no." Deuteronomy 8:2

2) We hold on tight to those good things that pass the test.

"Prove (test) all things; hold fast that which is good." 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Man's tests measure knowledge; God's tests measure character. Let's test both.

~Deborah

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So the question at hand is whether to test or not to test. DON'T DO IT!*

Tests don't measure actual learning and will either leave you and your child feeling like failures or give you a false sense of achievement. You homeschool, and your child is progressing just as he should.

If your son is 10 and just now starting to read . . . great! If your daughter can't solve an algebra problem to save her life . . . that's fine. Some kids can, and some kids can't. Standardized tests do nothing but identify those who do well taking standardized tests and those who don't.

Besides, "they" came up with the standard, just a group of people who needed a standard because they were teaching millions of children. It is arbitrary and based on what "they" think children need to know (or what paid teachers need to teach in order to get paid).

Their standard shouldn't be your standard. It certainly isn't God's standard.

Mom and Dad, God made you smart enough to get your child ready for adulthood. Don't use anyone else's educational standards, because every child's educational standard is different.

Be diligent, keep plugging, and teach your children while you enjoy them, and everything will turn out hunky dory.

I'm not kidding on this one . . . don't test.

Be real,

Todd

P.S. Don't write me mean letters telling me I don't have a clue. Instead, write Nancy Carter and rebuke her for letting a shmoe like me on staff.

P.P.S. I'll be in Cincinnati at the Great Mid-West Homeschool Convention. First mom to my booth who likes my stance on testing (or doesn't) gets a free book of her choice.

*(unless the law requires it . . . and then move to a different state.)

 ___________________________________________

Ruth Beechick, Curriculum Specialist 

and

Debbie Strayer, Homeschool Consultant 

Testing is one piece of information about your child's performance. Other information, such as his work, his effort, and his character, count just as much as academic achievement. As an evaluator of homeschoolers for 20 years, I can say if you can keep this in mind, then the information you gain from testing can be more useful. If you see test results as a yardstick measuring your success, then I would say be careful. The labels you place on yourself or your children from test results, either high or low, may try to dissuade you from following God's plan in their lives.

If a student struggles, a parent may think that someone with more experience or knowledge should teach him. A tutoring-style homeschool is most effective for a struggling student. God is faithful, and He will send the resources and support you need. If a student excels, parents often think they need to go to great lengths to challenge their child more, the way a school would attempt to do. The best environment for accelerated learning is not a classroom but the pursuit of individual interest with relaxed, supportive parent guides.

But then there's the philosophical problem of whether we should be comparing our children with other children. If your child is struggling with reading, do you really need a comparative score, or it enough to know that you and he are doing the best you can at the present time? Or if the child is an excellent reader and loves to read, does someone need a high score as a feather in his cap? You may need it to fend off your critics of homeschooling. About all you can do with test results is to notice in which areas your child is lower than you would like, so you can plan to emphasize those areas in the coming year.

          Ruth Beechick, The Homeschool Answer Book

~ Debbie 

Read more from Debbie at www.debbiestrayer.com.

 _______________________________________

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