Math
Assessment:
Saxon
math placement test (Click on the “Homeschool
Math” tab - then “Placement Tests” under
Related Resources). Start with the easiest test and work
up as far as your child is able.
Texas
TAKS test. Take the tests in order, starting with
earliest grade level, and continue as far as your child
is able.
Placement
tests from Calvert.
If
these tests are unavailable, you will have to pay for
math assessment testing. Resources: Sycamore
Tree (CTBS) and BJU
(Stanford and Iowa Basic Skills).
Reading Assessments:
National
Right to Read Competency Test.
Schonell
Test.
Sonlight Reading
Assessment.
Dolch
sight word assessment.
Learning
Style Assessment:
Administer
learning-styles
assessment to
both you and your child.
General
Assessments:
Texas
Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) and the Reading
Proficiency Tests (RPTE) Free and updated every
year - no grading - use for your own use only.
Use The Checklist to
determine if there any holes
in your child's basic skill development.
Free,
printable PreK/K assessment forms.
Rubrics
- Help in grading day to day work for those who want
to issue grades:
Sample
Rubrics from Kathy Schrock
Rubric
Maker from Recipes 4 Success
If
you think testing is hard today, check out the final exam
for an 8th grade education in 1895.
(top
of page)
This
is good news since the most accurate way to determine if a
child is learning is to watch his daily progress. This is
easy for homeschool parents, especially during the early years.
Evaluation for all years can be done through verbal discussions,
written assignments, hands-on projects, portfolio
review, portfolders,
or testing.
Give
your children practice in test-taking even though it is not
required. Tests are part of our culture. Children can
learn to improve their test scores. Use some of the testing
resources below to practice test taking.
Keep
testing in perspective. Test results can be helpful, but
not always accurate. Low score can mean the child had a bad
test day, the subject matter was never covered, or the child
has not mastered that subject.
Be
careful in interpreting test scores, especially grade equivalent
scores. The first number is the grade level, the second
number is the month of the school year. 8.4 means the child
is performing at a level equivalent to that of an average
8th grader in the fourth month of school. A score of 13.4
in math does not mean that the eighth grader can do the equivalent
of a college freshman! The eighth grader has never taken college
level math (trigonometry, calculus) and the eighth grade test
does not cover those subjects. It only means that the student
does eighth grade math extremely well.
Types
of tests:
-
Norm
referenced standardized tests (Stanford Achievement, Iowa
Basic Skills): identify learning problems and gaps in
basic knowledge.
-
Criterion-referenced
standardized tests: evaluate the effectiveness of school
instruction programs. These tests are designed for public
schools. Criterion-referenced tests can be a problem for
Christian homeschoolers as they include questions the
deal with evolution as fact as well as other objectionable
materials.
-
PSAT/SAT/ACT
- needed for college and financial aid. See College
Admissions Test-Preparation resources below for info.
(top
of page)
California
Achievement Test. Available from Thurbers.net.
(http://thurbers.net/teatests.html)
or Bayside School Services (http://www.baysideschoolservices.com/).
Complete battery for K-12th grade. No special qualifications
needed to order the tests.
Christian
Liberty Academy. 502
W. Euclid Avenue. Arlington Heights, IL 60004. Phone:
847-259-4444. Available for 2nd-12th grade. No special
qualifications needed to order the test. Easier than
some other tests. Percentage scores may show higher when
compared with other tests. Subjects: Reading: vocabulary
and comprehension; Mathematics: computations, concepts
and problems; Language: mechanics, usage, structure,
and spelling. NORM DATE: 1970s.
Personalized
Assessment Summary System (PASS).
Hewitt Research Foundation. www.hewitthomeschooling.com
Hewitt Research Foundation offers a special standardized
test that is accepted in some areas. The test fee pays
for a placement test to determine which test level is
needed, the actual PASS exam, scoring, and a detailed
analysis, and suggestions for dealing with areas of difficulty.
Available only for 3rd-8th grade. No special qualifications
are required to order or administer this exam. Call Hewitt
at 800-890-4097, 360-835-8708 for more information or
to place an order, or order online. Fax: 360-835-8397.
Iowa
Test of Basic Skills. Available through
Bob
Jones University Press or http://www.homeschoolertests.com/.
Test Administrator must fulfill certain qualifications.
See website for more details.
Metropolitan
Achievement Test. Available from Family Learning
Org. (http://www.familylearning.org/testing.html).
Family Learning Organization. P.O. Box 7247. Spokane,
WA 99207-0247. 800-405-TEST or 509-467-2552. NORM DATE:
1992
Seton
Home Study School, 1350 Progress Drive, Front
Royal, VA 22630, 540-636-9990. Available for K-12th grade.
No special qualifications needed to order the tests. Call
to order by phone. NORM DATE: 1988
Stanford
Achievement Test. Available through Bob
Jones University Press, Greenville, SC 29614 800-845-5731.
K-12th grade. Anyone can place an order for the
tests, but materials will only be shipped to a
qualified tester who must administer the test and
return for scoring. The test scores will be returned
to the person who initially ordered the test. Test
administrator must have four-year degree, be a certified
teacher, or be a working teacher in a conventional
school. Subjects covered: Reading: vocabulary,
word analysis skills, and comprehension; Mathematics:
concepts and computation; Language: spelling, capitalization,
and punctuation; Word study skills: map reading,
graphs, tables, knowledge, and use of reference
materials. Must provide proof of homeschooling
in the form of a signature on the order form. Form
available on their website. (http://www.bjup.com)
Summit
Christian Academy.
Email: info@SCAHomeschool.com.
P.O. Box 2769, Cedar Hill, TX 75106. 800-362-9180. Complete
battery for grades 3-12. No special qualifications required
to order test. Tests in March on Iowa Basic, so orders
must by in by February 28, 2005. NORM DATE: 1995
Test
of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP).
This is the high school version of the Iowa Test of Basic
Skills. Bob Jones University Press http://www.bjup.com
Greenville, SC 29614 800-845-5731. QUALIFICATIONS: See
information above.
Subjects coveredt: math, language arts, science, and social
studies. NORM DATE: 1995 *Must provide proof of homeschooling.
Form available on their website.
Local
Resources for Academic Testing: ORU
University, Tulsa, OK. Contact Dr. Gweth Holzmann, phone
495-6466 or email at gholzmann@oru.edu
Standardized
Test Practice for 3rd Grade
and
others in the series by Teacher Created Materials.
(top
of page)
.
and
others in the series
by Robert Berger.
These test prep booklets
are helpful for preparing
students for testing on the State Standards. (Oklahoma
homeschooled students are not required to take these tests.)
Achievement
Testing Resources 
Includes
four full-length practice ACT exams on CD-ROM, one
full-length practice exam in the book, and The Princeton
Review Assessment Exam, a full-length diagnostic exam
that will predict your scores on both the ACT and the
SAT. All of our practice test questions are like the
ones you will find on the actual ACT exam, and we include
detailed explanations for every answer. ISBN: 037576318X.