Great post at Why Homeschool last week on standardized tests and what they mean and our attitudes toward them. These tests can provide very useful information on what our kids have mastered and what they still need to work on. In a homeschool environment that’s a practical way to use them.
However, in a classroom, teaching […]

Continuing the theme of standards and testing I recommend that anyone homeschooling their kids who has a doubt or a curiosity over how well their kids are doing at home take a look at their own state’s standards. Use them as part of the planning process.
When we plan for the coming school year part of […]

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Political correctness, global thinking and the latest social philosophy are inconsequential when compared with whether or not a child can read or write or calculate or think critically. As I wrote at length in my previous post it does matter what we measure and how it’s used to improve a child’s learning.
HT: mrmoses.org

What does No Child Left Behind (NCLB) have to do with homeschooling? Depends upon what state you live in. Some states nothing and others it has an effect. Here in Alaska it can be good for those of us who teach at home primarily because of standards.
I grew up as most did in the public […]

Bror’s Blog summarizes new research from the testing folks at ACT that indicates most students who take college prep courses are not adequately prepared for college. Disturbingly, they found that 3/4 of college-prep high school grads did not have a reasonable chance to succeed in a college course. The complete report can be found here.
How […]