That Thing Everyone Really Wants to Know About Homeschoolers.

 "Did you have them tested?? 

How'd they do...?!"

It's become very interesting to me, how invested our culture is, in the supposed unyielding worth, of standardized testing.  If they test "above" the grade they are in... did I do a "good job"??  Conversely, if they don't do as well as grade level, does that mean I... we... failed?  In short, I believe, NO. One size just really can't fit all.  Can it?

I strongly feel that too much precision and accuracy is resting on this false notion that testing measures education, or predicts future success.  It's like trying to measure the temperature with a tablespoon.

The thing is, that we were all given different gifts.  Some of us naturally will be able to mess around with a math problem and arrive at the correct answer, much easier than another.  And I truly believe that oftentimes, achieving that right answer on a test, is not a reflection of the education being given, but rather, of the individual's natural intellect/ability to figure out the task at hand. Are right answers often legitimately an accurate reflection of teaching being done? Sure!  But then, if there is a mish-mash of both scenarios, how "standardized" is the test, really??

There's also the issue of differences across our nation, in regards to socioeconomic status, and the implications of that idea.

"Suppose you're a principal of a school in which most

students come from genuinely low socioeconomic situations. 

How are your students likely to perform on standardized 

achievement tests if a substantial number of the test's items 

really measure the stimulus-richness of your 

students' backgrounds? That's right, your students are not 

likely to earn very high scores. Does that mean your school's 

teachers are doing a poor instructional job? Of course not."

-as taken from Educational Leadership Publication, Volume 

56 number 6

So... did I have our kids tested? It's not a homeschooling requirement in Wisconsin; but  yes, I did.  They took the Iowa Basics over the course of two days, at a testing site, back in March.

But... if I believe that standardized testing is not a true measure of ability, why, oh why? 

My position on standardized testing is not to discount it, altogether, not hardly. One reason I had them test, was to keep the skill of test-taking, fresh and practiced-up.  Someday (God-willing), they'll be seated (without the wiggles, by that time...??) for their ACT.  Also, I felt that the results may be helpful to me in determining general trends, and also in discerning if what I thought were their strengths and weaknesses, actually were their strengths and weaknesses. 

I was right.  Soren is strong in Math... Ava in English.  Gressa wasn't old enough to test this year.  

For what it's worth, and that depends on the beholder... both kids tested above grade level, compositely.  In fact, an equivalent grade level was given for each independent subject tested.

Ava's Vocabulary section came in at a 7.2 grade level, and in English, specifically usage and expression, she tested off the charts at a 13+ grade level, though she is a 6th grader, on paper.  Her Spelling "grade" was equivalent to 12th grade. I was excited to see this, as we dropped official Spelling after Christmas this year, due to that exact fact: Spelling is a clear strength of hers; we spent more time on passions and weaknesses.  I giggled to see that her using "reference materials" score was well above grade level, also, as I'm quite confident we could credit Google with that one!

Soren tested at a 5th grade level for sections of Math, though he's technically a 3rd grader.  He scored 100% correct on the History section, which means... nothing to me. How is it decided what History content to test a 3rd grader on? His Reading Comprehension, Science, and Social Studies resulted well above grade level, too. The sections of using nouns, pronouns, and modifiers, as well as the Spelling sections all resulted at 100%, too.  

And though the benefit of knowing my children inside out and backwards is immeasurable, I can hardly claim that a year of homeschooling either created their scores or disadvantaged them from potentially better results.

The kids may have taken the tests, but the lesson I have learned once again, and which is welded on my heart, is that grasping my kids' strengths and weaknesses counts for more than any multiple choice question or vocab word. We will continue to encourage passions and strengths, and work hard on weaknesses.

Here's what else we've been up to in recent, busy weeks!

muddy dogpark

my flaming, Play-Doh birthday cake

I don't need another birthday to remind me that I"m getting older...
the evidence is on the table.. or my wrist... after playing volleyball with Ava.

Sometimes you just need a nap with your pooch.

We continue to love our read-aloud time, and are currently wrapping up Roald Dahl's, "Fantastic Mr. Fox", and also infused in "Matilda".

As we continue to muddle through 6th grade Saxon Math, I brought this home from work to show Ava.  She's doing lots of converting of fractions/decimals/percentages right now, as well as pre-algebra stuff/solving for variables.  Perfect example that math is everywhere (like it or NOT)!

I had samples of 120mg Lovenox doses in 0.8cc syringes.  The patient was ordered 110mg, and so I needed to know how much of the syringe dose was needed for each dose, so that I could teach/show the patient.  

Soren, listening to Gressa explain to him, the movie,
"Heaven in for Real".
 I took the girls.  He had to miss out, after his disrespect tipped the scale that day.

Mother's Day Questionnaires
love, love, l o v e . . .
Ava's:

When my mom was my age, she like to... play weird board games, hang out with friends, and run.

God gave me my mom instead of another mom, because... she is so much like me.

I like it when my mom cooks... meatballs.

When my mom was a little girl, she was... interestingly dressed.

Something I love to do with my mom is... play volleyball.

If I could do anything in the world with my mom, it would be... skydiving.

Soren's

My mom is... great.

I wish my mom would... give me Beats headphones.

Something my mom always says, is... "Soren, Ava, Gressa".

God gave my mom instead of another mom, because... He knew.

When my mom was a little girl, she was... fun.

Something I like to do with my mom is... play sports.

Gressa's

Mother's Day 2013
Trestle Trail Bridge

I continue to cherish our days, and cannot believe this year is almost finished!  Less than 10 math lessons to go, all around, and we will feel pretty much done.  Once these days started feeling like Spring for a few moments at time at least... we whittled our work down to the core of Reading, Writing, and Math.  The rest is... Life.  And we are living it... and learning it.