In some ways, parents who educate at home are in better shape because of the sanctity of modern testing. It’s not that hard to teach a child to do well on a standardized test, and since the tests are sacred, good results command respect.
—Mary Pride, The New Big Book of Home Learning
Standardized tests are necessary evils. On the negative side, they don’t necessarily measure the child’s knowledge or skill; they may not coincide with what you’ve been working on; and they require specific test-taking skills that your child will have to practice when he could be doing something else. On the positive side, standardized tests are a great equalizer. Because grading standards vary so much from school to school, standardized tests scores have become the ultimate proof that you’re doing a good job educating your child. High Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores will open dozens of doors for high-school seniors. Advanced Placement (AP) tests give college credit to the well prepared. Students with a good grounding in the foundational skills of reading, writing, and mathematics generally test well; students who read widely almost always score highly.
YEARLY TESTING
If you’re home educating, you may need to have your child tested every year. Although this is a pain in the neck, look on the bright side: children who are accustomed to taking timed standardized tests inevitably score well on college admissions exams. Jessie, paranoid about academic achievement back when no one else she knew was home schooling, had her children tested every year. As a result, when they took their PSATs and SATs, they were relaxed and confident, and came out with high scores.
There are a slew of standardized skills tests for grades K–12. The only way to negotiate the maze is to follow these steps:
1. Call your state home-school organization, and ask what your state regulations are. When does the child need to be tested? What tests are acceptable? (In Virginia, home-schooled students are allowed to use any nationally standardized achievement test, not only the test that happens to be used by the local school district.)
2. Decide how you want the test to be administered. You have several options:
3. Prepare for the test. A good basic guide to standardized test taking is found in Dr. Gruber’s Essential Guide to Test Taking for Kids. The guide is published in two volumes, Grades 3, 4, 5 and Grades 6, 7, 8, 9. These contain basic content, guides to the specific types of tests offered, practice in specific test-taking skills, and anxiety-reduction strategy. Jessie spent time prior to standardized test time teaching each child how to take the tests. They practiced taking sample tests so that the techniques of test taking became familiar and they could focus on content.
The best way to reduce anxiety, though, is for you to accept the status of the test as “no big deal.” If you’re agitated because you feel that your success as a parent and teacher is resting on this standardized test, your child will pick up on your urgency.
4. Take sample tests. SRA/McGraw-Hill publishes sample tests for most of the basic series. You can also order sample tests from some of the testing centers listed at the end of this chapter.
Make sure you tell the child, before he takes the test, that it will contain material beyond his grade level. For example, a test for grades 1 through 3 typically contains material from the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade in order to identify highly gifted or advanced third graders. But if the student doesn’t know that some of the material is purposely designed to be too hard, he might panic and stop thinking clearly.
What if the child doesn’t do well? Perhaps the child was sick or was upset about an unrelated matter or was suffering from text anxiety. Or perhaps you didn’t cover the material emphasized on the test.
In most cases, you’re given a second year to show substantial progress—something you’ll need for a child who’s doing remedial work. Spend extra time before the next test working on test skills.
A great advantage to administering the test yourself or having it done privately is that you can schedule the test three to four months before the deadline your state requires. Then, if the child doesn’t score well, you can prepare again and retest.
You can also appeal for a different form of testing: an individual, portfolio-based assessment of the student’s progress. Your state organization can help you with the appeal and steer you toward a professional assessment service. Portfolios are made up of samples of the child’s work, arranged chronologically to demonstrate achievement in different areas. They include information that can’t be tested—art talent, engineering projects, community-service award. These are valuable for showing reasonable progress for a child who’s testing below grade level. Contact your portfolio evaluator (recommended by your home-school state organization) at the beginning of each year to see what materials you should include.
Even if you use portfolios to satisfy the school system, you should keep on taking standardized tests. Tests are a reality of educational and professional life (you even have to take a test to get a driver’s license), and constant practice will eventually dull test anxiety. You can give these tests privately, without forwarding the results to school officials.
Use the test results to target weak areas that need more study, as well as to praise the child when scores show that he has made progress. If the child consistently tests poorly in a particular skill, you might want to consult a professional evaluator to see whether the child has a learning problem or simply needs more time in that area. At its best, standardized testing is a tool for evaluating instruction. It should be used to plan the next step in the educational process. Never make an important educational decision on the basis of one test.
Note that a fairly new development on the scene are tests such as Performance Assessment in Mathematics (PAM) and Performance Assessment in Language (PAL). These require the student to explain in writing why he chose the answer he did. Because these answers are open to wide interpretation by the test scorer, Jessie recommends avoiding this type of testing unless it is required by law. If you do have to take these tests, call Continental Press (800-233-0759) or visit their website at www.continentalpress.com and ask for a testing catalog. Then talk to a customer-service representative at Continental and ask for advice on the product that will best prepare the student for your state’s specific test. These tests will require more preparation time than standard multiple-choice tests. So start getting ready at the beginning of the year, and practice periodically until the child is comfortable with the format.
AP AND CLEP EXAMS
High-school students who take advanced electives can earn college credit through the Advanced Placement and College Level Examination Program exams administered by the College Board. High scores on these exams don’t mean that you’ll actually get credit on a college transcript. (This depends on the college to which you apply—some will give you credit, others simply allow you to skip low-level classes and go into more advanced work.) But high scores from home schoolers demonstrate that you have, indeed, mastered the material on your transcript. AP and CLEP scores, according to the College Board, improve the admission appeal of home schoolers “by demonstrating college-level knowledge.”2
The College Board offers thirty-four CLEP exams as well as AP exams in twenty areas of study. For online information on both types of exams, visit the College Board website at www.collegeboard.com. The website offers online test reviews and an evaluation service as well as information about all the exams. Ideally, you should get this information in ninth grade to help you plan your high-school electives.
AP exams are given at local high schools. As long as they have studied the subject in depth, home-school students can take AP exams without enrolling in the school-offered AP course. You can obtain practice AP exams from the College Board. To get specific AP information, call 888-CALL-4-AP or 609-771-7300; or go to www.collegeboard.com/ap/students/index.html.
CLEP exams determine placement in a number of subjects—most notably foreign languages—and show achievement. Call CLEP at 800-257-9558, e-mail clep@info.collegeboard.com, or visit the CLEP section of the College Board website, ww.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html.
If you plan to take an AP or CLEP exam, get a review book from Barron’s, the College Board, or Princeton Review. During the semester before the exam, spend several hours per week preparing for the test.
PSAT, SAT, AND ACT
The PSAT, the SAT, and the ACT (American College Test) are all standardized high-school achievement/skill-evaluation tests used by colleges to sort through and rank applicants. If you’re planning to attend college, take these tests seriously. Finish as much math as possible before the junior year. The Latin and vocabulary programs as well as The Well-Educated Mind will thoroughly prepare you for the vocabulary and reading-comprehension sections of the test. Logic will help with the analytical sections.
However, you should also study directly for the tests. Beginning in tenth grade, spend at least an hour a day working through one of the review guides published by Barron’s, the College Board, or the Princeton Review. All tests have their peculiarities, and the types of problems may not be familiar if you don’t prepare. Study regularly, and take at least three practice tests under test conditions—timed, sitting in one place without getting up for water or cookies. Susan scored above the 90th percentile in all college admissions tests by studying Latin, finishing Algebra II and geometry, and working through review books every day for over a year before taking the tests. The effort paid off in scholarship money and admission to every program she applied to.
Find out what format the test will be in. Currently, standardized tests are in the middle of a shift from paper-and-pencil administration to computerized administration, but as of this writing the SATs are still taken with paper and pencil. If you’ll be taking a traditional exam, use a book to prepare for it instead of the review software sold by the College Board or Princeton Review. There’s enough of a difference in the way the problems are presented via computer to throw you off when you sit down with the test booklet.
The PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) is administered by the College Board. It not only offers practice for the SATs, but serves as a qualifying exam for scholarships offered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The PSAT is generally taken during the sophomore or junior year of high school. Students who take it in the fall of the junior year generally score higher and have a better chance of qualifying for National Merit scholarships. Questions about National Merit scholarships should be directed to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation at 847-866-5100, or www.nationalmerit.org.
Home-school students register for the PSAT/NMSQT through the local high school. Note that, unlike the SAT, the PSAT is given only in October—and if you miss it, it’s gone. Call your local public or private high school in the spring of the freshman or sophomore year, and arrange to take the test the following October. Ask to speak to the PSAT administrator. Find out the day and time the test is being given. Ask about the fee (if you can’t afford it, ask how you can apply for a fee waiver) and how to register. Homeschool students use a College Board home-school code when filling out the registration forms. Call PSAT General Information (866-433-7728) for the appropriate code, e-mail psat@info.collegeboard.org, or visit www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about.html.
The College Board suggests that, if the school seems resistant, you contact another public high school or try a private school. PSAT scores for home schoolers are sent directly to your home.
The SAT, the standard college admissions test, has two parts. SAT I is the test everyone takes; it lasts three hours and thirty-five minutes. Students receive three scores: mathematics, critical reading, and writing. SAT II, or subject, tests are optional, but home schoolers should strongly consider taking as many of them as they feel prepared for. The tests are one-hour multiple-choice exams that measure knowledge in specific areas. Good scores on the SAT II tests will validate your high-school transcript.
You should plan to take the SAT no later than January of the senior year (if you think you might want to take it more than once, take it in the spring of the junior year or the fall of the senior year). Register online at collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/about.html. Home-schooled students will be given instructions about what code to use during registration. The College Board recommends that you ask for their free publications Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test and Taking the SAT II: Subject Test; these have test-taking tips and practice test questions. As in the PSAT, you can request a fee waiver if the SAT test fees are too much for your budget.
When you fill out the form, you’ll choose three test centers close to you. When your registration is confirmed, you’ll be informed about where and when to take the test. Specific questions about the SAT should be directed to SAT Customer Service, either by way of the College Board website, or by phone (866-756-7346).
The most useful (and hard to find) page on the College Board website is www.collegeboard.com/html/communications000.html; it has phone numbers, addresses, and links for every single Board-related standardized test and screening.
The ACT is widely, although not universally, accepted for college admissions—check with the college you want to attend. However, if you have to choose between the SAT and the ACT, pick the SAT.
The four ACT tests cover English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning. The test is three and a half hours long, is given five times—in October, December, February, April, and June—and costs $30.00 ($44.50 for ACT Plus Writing). For information about the ACT, visit their online site at www.act.org. You should take the ACT in the spring of your junior year. For registration and location information, call 319-337-1270 or visit www.actstudent.org.
RESOURCES
For publisher and catalog addresses, telephone numbers, and other information, see Sources (Appendix 4). Most books can be obtained from any bookstore or library; where we know of a mail-order option, we have provided it. Resources for yearly standardized testing and test preparation are listed first, followed by PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP, and CLEP resources.
Test Ordering Information
Check with your state home-education organization to find out which of these is accepted by your state. The following tests can be administered by parents under certain conditions:
California Achievement Test.
Order through the Independent Test Service of Christian Liberty Academy. This national test can be given by the parent. The test has to be mailed back to CLA, where it will be scored and returned. See www.class-homeschools.org/class/itsform_clp.htm.
Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills.
Order from Seton School, and mail back to Seton for scoring and evaluation. Adds science, social science, and reference skills to the material tested by the other exams. See www.setonhome.org/testing/.
Bob Jones University offers home-school parents assistance with administering a range of standardized tests, including the Stanford Achievement Test and the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Contact Bob Jones University Press customer service at 800-845-5731 (www.bjup.com), and ask for their Testing Catalog and Order Form, or visit www.bjupress.com/services/testing.
Test Preparation
Achieve Test Preparation Series. Austin, Tex.: Steck-Vaughn, 2008.
Order directly from Steck-Vaughn at steckvaughn.harcourtachieve.com. The series offers individual test prep books for the following state assessment tests:
Arizona—AIMS DPA.
Florida—FCAT.
Hawaii—HAS.
Maryland—MSA.
Massachusetts—MCAS.
Michigan—MEAP.
New Jersey—GEPA.
New York—NYS.
Pennsylvania—PSSA.
Texas—TAKS.
Continental Press Testing Resources.
Continental Press offers test prep resources coded to the test of each individual state. Visit http://www.continentalpress.com/ pages/subjects/ testprep_states_1.html and click on your state to locate the best materials for your family.
Gruber, Gary R. Dr. Gruber’s Essential Guide to Test Taking for Kids. 2d ed. Naperville, Ill.: Sourcebook, 2008.
Available in two volumes. Grades 3–5 and Grades 6–9. Order through any bookstore or online bookseller. Includes reviews and practice questions for all widely used achievement tests.
Scoring High series. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Order from SRA/McGraw-Hill. These booklets cover the skills needed for the major achievement tests. Call for the most recent titles: each series has a number of levels, so when you call, tell the customer-service representative which test you’re preparing for and what grade child you’re working with. Or visit sraonline.com to locate the correct booklets for your student.
Scoring High on the California Achievement Tests. 2007.
Scoring High on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. 2007.
Scoring High on the Metropolitan Achievement Test. 2007.
PSAT Preparation
For PSAT information, visit www.collegeboard.com. For National Merit Scholarship information, contact the National Merit Scholarship Corporation at 1560 Sherman Avenue, Suite 200, Evanston, IL 60201-4897, call 847-866-5100, or visit www.nationalmerit.org.
Cracking the PSAT/NMSQT, 2009 Edition. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Review, 2008.
$13.95. Order from any bookstore or online—be sure to check for the most recent edition.
Kaplan PSAT/NSQT, 2009 Edition. New York: Kaplan, 2007.
$17.00. Order from any bookstore or online—be sure to check for the most recent edition.
SAT Preparation
For the SAT Registration Bulletin or questions, visit the College Board website at www.collegeboard.com.
Green, Sharon Weiner, et al. Barron’s How to Prepare for the SAT I. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron’s Educational Series.
The Barron’s SAT series is Susan’s favorite. It’s complete, affordable, and scores on the practice tests are generally close reflections of the real thing. The books are revised yearly; the most recent versions can be ordered online or found in the reference section of your local bookstore. Barron’s also offers an SAT II preparation series with one title for almost every high-school subject. These are valuable for students who are planning to take an SAT subject exam.
Princeton Review Staff. Cracking the SAT with CD-ROM. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Review.
This guide has a long history of success. Princeton Review also publishes a Cracking the SAT II series, which covers most high-school subjects.
ACT Preparation
For ACT information, contact ACT at www.act.org.
Ehrenhaft, George, et al. Barron’s Pass Key to the ACT. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron’s Educational Series.
———. How to Prepare for the ACT. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron’s Educational Series.
Both books are updated regularly. Buy at any bookstore.
AP Preparation
For College Board resources and information about Advanced Placement exams, visit their website at www.collegeboard.com.
Advanced Placement series. Piscataway, N.J.: Research and Education Association.
This series offers titles in almost every AP subject area.
Best Test Preparation AP series. Piscataway, N.J.: Research and Education Association.
This series offers titles in almost every AP subject area.
Barron’s How to Prepare for the AP series. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron’s Educational Series.
This series, covering all the subjects in which AP exams are offered, includes reviews, test tips, lots of practice, and sample tests.
CLEP Preparation
For College Board resources and information about CLEP exams, visit their website at www.collegeboard.com.
Best Test Preparation CLEP series. Piscataway, N.J.: Research and Education Association.
The titles in this series offer general practice for taking the CLEP exams as well as information about the specific subject exams available (one for almost every high-school subject).