Standardized test scores

I don’t really worry about something, and I don’t deliberately teach lots of materials to the test.  Some kids just don’t do well on these tests, and so one of the things I look for is consistency.  If one of my kids typically scores a 99% (I have two of those) and if there is one skill subset that comes out much, much worse (say, spelling) then I do pay a bit more attention to that, as it means simply that their spelling skills are lagging a bit behind the level of things they are working at.  My third son rarely tests so high, but most of his scores ARE pretty consistent.  This year, he had two subtests turn out poorly–math computation, the speed drill part, and capitalization.  I don’t worry about the math computation, because we use MUS and I have observed a pattern that many kids don’t do well on computation in early years but perform more strongly in math concepts, and that this gap diminishes significantly by high school time.  So since my ds is only 11, we will simply continue to do MUS to mastery and I have faith it’ll catch up eventually.  The capitalization surprised me, it was really quite out of line with  his other language arts skills.  So we are going to be working a little extra on that and review the rules.  I don’t consider this really teaching TO the test, but rather using the test as a rough (very, very rough) tool to help me find areas I might have missed teaching completely or that the child might need some review and practice in. 

Based on what you’ve said about the real gains you’ve seen this year, I wouldn’t worry at all!  I’d rather have an excited, creative learner who loves to read but maybe does mediocre on a standardized test, than test-robots.  Especially if your child is still young, please, keep the focus on the joy of learning and reading and exploring.  Many children need some time like this before they start “putting all the pieces together”.  Both of my high-testing sons had times when they were young when they did not test so well, but eventually the large amounts they’d read and the gains they’d made in critical thinking began to show, and they have done very well. 

Please remember that those test score are in no way reflecting what your child has learned and knows! These tests are only testing a very tiny but strongly defined aspect of certain skills on which the classroom teachers spend month on training the students to perform the right trick. So please do not worry about shortchanging your children, they probably know so much more then most of the average or high tested school children, just different things. In cases like I would go back and remember the reasons why I homeschool. One of countless reasons for us was that I did not see any sense in those standardized testings. To me they are like I said earlier just to see if the students can perform a circus trick they were trained on for month, it proofs in no way at all knowledge and progress in learning. If an average or good score in those test would be sufficient proof of knowledge, why are then so many students very uneducated when they leave high school? Best exapmle lives in my house.:) My oldest went unfortunately through public education and hurray, she is getting the prestigious AIMS Scholarship for her AIMS performance and good grades. But, she has no common sense at all and even things I do with my 1st Grader in homeschool are things she never heard of(yes, I completely failed with her as a Mom). Again, please don’t think you are not teaching them enough. I understand it is a burden if you have to take those tests but please don’t let the results intimidate you or questioning your teaching and your children’s knowedge:)

Blessings, Christine