Standardized Testing, anyone?

[hawkward]

Does anyone else have to do this? DS1 is in the middle of the CAT test right now. So far the results of the sections are interesting.

[bunnyfungo]

We don’t have to do it in Wisconsin, but if we had bought a house in Minnesota, it would have been required. Do you have to share the results? I learned that in MN you just have to take the test but don’t ever have to send the results in. It’s interesting how different the laws are. There was no testing in Nebraska either.

[Queen Mamadala]

Since we homeschool the older two through a charter, the girls take two different standardized tests. One at the beginning of the year, another mid-year, and one at the end of the school year. They are required for their grade acceleration program as well.

[hawkward]

Mar 30, 2019 14:23:02 GMT -6 bunnyfungo said:

We don’t have to do it in Wisconsin, but if we had bought a house in Minnesota, it would have been required. Do you have to share the results? I learned that in MN you just have to take the test but don’t ever have to send the results in. It’s interesting how different the laws are. There was no testing in Nebraska either.

We have to send the results to the superintendent’s office. If they’re below a certain level, the family is put on probation for a year and then if they don’t progress enough a second time, the family has to send their child to a formalized school.

People can also choose to make a portfolio but I heard those were often challenged by the school. They can also hire an evaluator and have their child assessed.

[Radley]

I grew up taking CAT’s. Is there something specific you’d like to know about them?

My oldest isn’t old enough to take one yet because in our state you don’t register until the kiddo is 7. We are required to have the kids take a CAT and send it to be graded but we aren’t required to send in the results unless we are asked to for some reason.

[hawkward]

Apr 5, 2019 23:00:56 GMT -6 Radley said:

I grew up taking CAT’s. Is there something specific you’d like to know about them?

My oldest isn’t old enough to take one yet because in our state you don’t register until the kiddo is 7. We are required to have the kids take a CAT and send it to be graded but we aren’t required to send in the results unless we are asked to for some reason.

Not particularly! It was way simpler than I expected it to be. I grew up in the land of ITBS and I expected the CAT to be more intense than it was.

Our state starts at 6, and we have to send the results to the school superintendent but “passing” is anything above the 23rd percentile. It’s crazy how different the laws are state to state.

[Radley]

Apr 9, 2019 20:11:37 GMT -6 hawkward said:

Apr 5, 2019 23:00:56 GMT -6 Radley said:

I grew up taking CAT’s. Is there something specific you’d like to know about them?

My oldest isn’t old enough to take one yet because in our state you don’t register until the kiddo is 7. We are required to have the kids take a CAT and send it to be graded but we aren’t required to send in the results unless we are asked to for some reason.

Not particularly! It was way simpler than I expected it to be. I grew up in the land of ITBS and I expected the CAT to be more intense than it was.

Our state starts at 6, and we have to send the results to the school superintendent but “passing” is anything above the 23rd percentile. It’s crazy how different the laws are state to state.

CAT’s are incredibly easy to administer. I’ve helped administer my younger sisters’ tests (they are much younger and I had already graduated high school) and it’s so simple. Of course, as previously mentioned, I have the advantage as I grew up taking them.

It is so weird reading all the different laws. Compulsory age for school isn’t until 7 in our state, so we don’t have to register until DS1 turns 7 and he doesn’t have a test until then. Also our state has no minimum test scores for homeschoolers to achieve. Which is... something. They probably would look into your school if the kids consistently scored badly, I hope.