We have lived in a lot of different states during our now 17 years of homeschooling. Each state is different in their homeschooling laws and requirements for testing and we are careful to fulfill all of those requirements, regardless of our opinion of them.
Regardless of those requirements, I decided from the very beginning that I would give my children the IOWA State Test each year for my own peace of mind. It began as a sort of self-checking task and then became a self-serving obsession. 😉 Each year I delighted in comparing those little numbers and filling in graphs to see their progress. For the most part it was fun. OK, maybe more fun for me than them, but really they did not mind too much. Since it was just something we did at the end of the year, they never knew any different and therefore did not complain.
And so we continued most years, spending a few days on testing and moving on with life. Next week I am going to share a few reasons I do not like testing these days, but today let me quickly share a few advantages to it.
1. My kids know how to face a test without fear. This is big for some homeschoolers. Many do not test at all in their homes, especially at lower levels. My kids take few tests, but I knew they would eventually hit a level where they would need to know how to take a test and I wanted them confident and prepared. When my first born walked out of the ACT the first time she took it with a smile on her face, I knew we were on the right path!
