Testing Highschoolers

Well, I personally think testing a lot is silly.  That said, I do it to fulfill state laws.  I still think it might be a good idea to consider doing it once for a high school student, for the reason that if you are not positively sure the child will never ever go to college, it’s just a good idea to “take the pulse” to see how things are before heading into something high-pressure like the SAT’s.  Think of it as test-taking-practice.  Previous experience taking standardized tests does in fact translate into somewhat higher scores on the tests.  So for that reason alone it might not be a bad idea to do it once.  And it can be hard to say categorically that your child will never be doing any higher education.  For homeschooled kids that might be going to college, the test scores are a much bigger factor in the admission decision than for other-schooled kids, for the simple reason that many colleges find it hard to really assess what homeschool grades mean.

Well, you can do ITEDS testing (the high school version of the Iowa tests)  That is pretty easy to do–many moms who homeschool are certified to administer the test.  You can get them places like BJU Press.  There is a more homeschool-friendly test called I believe PASS that you can administer yourself, also.  I have never used it as it does not fulfill my cranky state department requirements.  🙁 You could have your child take the PSAT either 10th or 11th grade year (only counts for possible scholarship money if taken in 11th grade)  You have to have that administered at a school, and it can be tough to find a place for homeschoolers to take the test–I had to call around all over the place. 

Not sure what you mean by only before the  ACT?  Do you mean would I recommend a test if you were never planning on taking the SAT?  I don’t know.  The tests don’t really show exactly what the test publishers claim they show.  They are imperfect instruments.  However, it can be valuable to know for sure that a child’s skill set is comparable to their peers’.  After all, most of us are going to be out in the marketplace competing in one way or another.  It’s nice to get a picture of whether your child has at least some of the basic skills needed for adult life–the ones tested by standardized tests are not the ONLY skills a person needs, and arguably not even the most important, but still it’d be encouraging to me if I could see that my child’s math and English comprehension is about comparable or better to others of their age.