It may be necessary to test your child/student before selecting curriculum. It is not unusual for a student transferring from public school to be below expected grade level. For instance, an 8th grade student testing on a 6th or 7th grade level may have difficulty working on the 8th grade level.
Otherwise, as your child progresses through school, he or she will probably be tested on a number of occasions. Provided is a collection of information and resources which may be useful to your home school program.
- Types of Assessments
- All Grades Testing with PIE
- College Preparation
TYPES OF ASSESSMENTS
It can be helpful to understand that many of these tests fall into three basic categories. The three primary ways that children are tested are through classroom assessments, district and state assessments, and standardized test.
- Classroom Assessments: Parents have a variety of tests available to them in the home school including multiple choice, open-ended, essay, performance tasks, quizzes, and demonstrations. Student progress at the classroom level is reported through semiannual progress reports, and report cards.
- District and State Assessments: Most states and local school districts also use some sort of assessments to judge student progress. Members of PIE are not required to test through the state or their local school districts.
- Standardized Tests: Standardized Tests are national tests that are written for use in any state or district. For this reason, they are not necessarily aligned with specific state or district standards. Norm-Referenced Tests include:
National tests focus on skills and knowledge generally taught in a grade level across the country by using a national sample of students. Typically, such tests are multiple choice, and they measure skills or knowledge in general subject areas. Results from these tests indicate how your child's scores compare with those of students across the nation.
Standardized tests are administered to assist in appropriate academic placement, to assess academic achievement, to identify individual aptitudes, to explore vocational interests, and to examine personal characteristics. Tests are used also to identify gifted students and those with special learning problems. Understanding the differences between these tests will be helpful for both you and your child.
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
Advanced Placement Exams: Are you ready for a unique learning experience that will help you succeed in college? Each year, students around the world who want to learn and achieve at the highest level become AP students. Through AP's college-level courses and exams, you can earn college credit and advanced placement, stand out in the admissions process, and learn from some of the most skilled, dedicated, and inspiring teachers in the world. The College Board provides information concerning Advanced Placement from the following Web page.
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html
College-Level Examination Program: CLEP gives you the opportunity to receive college credit for what you already know by earning qualifying scores on any of 33 examinations. Earn credit for knowledge you've acquired through independent study, prior course work, on-the-job training, professional development, cultural pursuits, or internships.
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html
GRADES 1-12 TESTING WITH PIE
PIE administers the Stanford Achievement Test annually. The cost will depend on an increase in testing material and will include a reasonable administrative fee per family, which is intended to help with expenses such as supplies, mailing, etc. After testing is completed, tests are sent off to be scored and may take several weeks to be returned. Once the office of PIE receives the test results, the results are sent to the parent/teacher through the US postal services. Further information, including applications for testing with PIE, will be posted through the Office of PIE's Web site on an ongoing basis. An overview of PIE's testing program is provided here.
Why do I need to test my child?
- If you are not confident of where your child is academically, testing is a good means to judge where your child may need extra help.
- If there is a possibility that your child may reenter the public/private school system, the school will want to see results from some type of achievement test. (It is always best to check with the school prior to enrolling.)
- It is helpful to have yearly results, of the same type of test, to compare progress through the years of home schooling.