Q: Do I have to give standardized achievement tests?

A: It depends on the state in which you live. In TN, FL, and CO the answer is No. As a private (or "non-public") school the voluntary rule for testing of HLA students has been set by our Board of Directors for reasons listed below.

NOTE: HomeSchool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) endorses the position of voluntary testing for grades K-12 as Option 3 in TN and defends this legal position for church-related schools when it is needed. HSLDA sent a letter to an attorney at the Tennessee Department of Education, explaining the reasons for their opinion when this issue was first raised six years ago. Some states require testing regardless of your enrollment with HomeLife Academy. Visit www.hslda.org for more testing information in your state. In many states, if you ARE registered with the state then you ARE required to administer standardized testing in certain grades. 

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For The Limits of Standardized Tests for Diagnosing and Assisting Student Learning

Scroll down to read "Three things to consider before you test:"

Testing is optional because there are several things to consider before administering a standardized test (please read below). However, if you choose to test your student(s) there are several options:

1. CAT test (California Achievement Test).

2. Order from Seton Home Study: The test costs $25 dollars and is not as long as the Stanford.

Inexpensive, only $25 each for test and scoring

Administer at home, at your convenience

A year-round service

Quick results; Test scored and returned usually in two weeks

Spring, Fall and Winter norms

Easy to administer; Full instructions included

Available for Grades K-12

3. You may also click here to order from Bob Jones University. The Stanford is one of the most common but BJU has requirements for administrators. This test may be administered by you or by a friend for more objectivity.

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More resources:

http://www.test4free.com is a FREE Reading Aptitude Assessment Test for home use!

Finally, check out these great lists of options from Ann Zeise of A to Z Home'sCool.

Three things to consider before you test:

Home educated students have consistently scored 20-30% higher on standardized tests than their public school counterparts (Read the Recent Home School Statistics ). Therefore, we feel that there are three things to consider before you test:

First, standardized testing is not always the best measurement of a student’s actual knowledge and abilities. Remember "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Some incredibly intelligent individuals competed on that show. But they had to know answers to the specific questions on the test to win the cash. They may have been a Nuclear Physicist but it did not matter. What mattered were the timed responses to the select questions chosen by an unseen panel. The same is true of so many students in regards to standardized testing. The student may know a great number of things, however, what matters is that he or she know what is going to be requested on the test.

Furthermore, many factors can produce low scores from a very intelligent and educated student. Unfortunately, there is a lot riding on those tests. At the school I worked at for several years before starting HLA, a guidance counselor from a local public high school once called to ask if one of her seniors could register and graduate in one month. The reason? Even though she was a straight-A, honor-roll student, she failed the final exit exam for graduation due to a stomach ache. Since there were no make ups, she was going to have to repeat the entire 12th grade and retake the test. This problem is outlined well in a recent article by Cathy Duffy, The Education Standards Movement Spells Trouble for Private and Home Schools: “The new tests must be what are called ‘high-stakes tests’ (you lose a lot if you fail to pass), otherwise the national standards won't have any influence.” Click here to read full article.

Secondly, the loom of standardized testing can curb the way you teach. Standardized testing falsely assumes that kids themselves are standardized. But God made us all different. We should accept that there is a range in which a child learns all subjects the same as we accept there is range in which a child learns to walk. President Woodrow Wilson was nine before he mastered the alphabet and did not learn to read until he was eleven. If he were given a standardized test at age eight he likely would have been placed in special education classes and never have become president. If a student is not quite ready for multiplication, give him or her another year and they most likely will be. Failure on a test can discourage and wound a young learner for life. We recommend only testing if it will be a positive reinforcement to an appetite for learning. To understand more about how to nurture an appetite for learning read A HEART FOR LEARNING.

Third, standardized testing is not required because they are designed to measure the “standards” in a large school system, not a small home. A classroom of 35, school of 5000, and district of 40,000, must administer standardized tests. A home of five, however, is a much different place. I worked at Wal-Mart for a couple years, saving money for college. They require standards for their international chain. From top management to stock boy, the standards must be enforced to ensure Wal-Mart’s continued success. It would be inappropriate to make the “mom and pop” grocery store on the corner meet the same standards and pass the same “tests” as the super Wal-Mart. The “mom and pop” grocery has different tools for measuring standards.

At home you do not need a long test to tell you if your student(s) are reading well, or adding properly, or enjoying science. Since you live with them, you simply know these things. If you are feeling pressured by culture, family, friends, church, etc. (or your own standards ) to produce "proof" of your student(s) success remember that God does not measure us against one another. We are entrusted with the academic and spiritual education of our sons and daughters and are accountable only to God in the end. Sure, there are times to test in order to "keep the peace." However, pray for wisdom and if you do decide testing is in the best interest of your students we encourage the approach that one mother takes. She tells her little students, "Ok, we're going to take that great big test again this year but just like I told you last year, IT DOESN'T MEAN A THING!" She's found that by taking the "high-stakes" completely out of the equation her kids are scoring higher than they ever have!

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Q: How do I administer a test?

A: How to administer a test

From: Tara Hall

In regards to testing, the Iowa Basic Skills Testing is the only nationally recognized (current) test that you can administer to your own child without special certification. The SAT requires that you test at least 2 other children (at the same grade level) that are not your children at the same time- this can be kind of hard to organize. If you have a college degree you simply give Bob Jones University a copy of your degree and answer a questionnaire and you're usually qualified to give your child the Iowa...I just gave my 8 year old son this test in December and found it very easy to administer.

If you do not have a college degree I think there is a way to get approved through BJU. Just call their help desk. It took us less than 4 hours to complete the Iowa and I preferred doing it without interruptions and on our own time not in a classroom setting.

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Q: Do I need to have my student tested "just in case"?

A: That is up to you to decide. You DO have to have your students tested IF you are registered with your state as a homeschooler and your state requires testing. However, you do not have to register them with the board of education as homeschoolers. if you are in certain states that we cover. See our states pages for details: http://homelifeacademy.com/

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Q: Will the testing help me determine the appropriate grade level?

A: Standardized tests may or may not help you determine the appropriate grade level. We've come to believe that most children are NOT in the same grade at the same time, that there is wide variation in abilities depending on the student's strengths, weaknesses, gifts, circumstances, gender, etc. And this range is perfectly normal. Perhaps forcing kids to all be at the same grade level, learning the same thing at the same time, is one of the core problems with the traditional philosophy of education. Nearly every teacher I've met would agree that children are all over the map in their class, however, they must teach to the average.

This leaves a percentage of students bored (not going fast enough), a certain percentage frustrated (going to fast), and small percentage just right

This is why we tell all our teachers that grade levels are flexible. That is, put them in a grade (mainly for record keeping purposes) and then forget about the grade level and teach to the student's specific abilities and readiness. This is the luxury of home education.

Now, if this is high school, there are certain credit requirements but there is still a mastery model of education that can be used.

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