Testing!! Does your state require it?

[unruly3]

My State (MN) requires testing.  Not until 7, although I can have my DS take the Peabody next fall. He just turned 5.  I really love USing and frankly, my son is a child that won't sit for a curriculum, though I will be able to use computer programs I think.  How did you handle testing ( if it's required in your state)?

[4evermom]

Yes.  In PA we get a choice of about 6 tests.  I picked one that could be done at home (the C.A.T.) so ds could be wiggly or comfortable on the couch.  Although it was timed, he could take as long of a break as he wanted in between sections.  He was a late reader, just starting to read after turning 8 and the first test was required when he was 8 1/2 (3rd grade).  He actually did better than I expected and scored average or above average in everything.  

I just told him it was one of those things he needed to do so we could keep homeschooling and he was on board with it.  I explained a few things before he took the test to make sure he understood how to rule out answers and guess when appropriate.  And I also went over a few subjects that I realized he knew little about, like when to capitalize, once I knew what sorts of things the test covered.  We didn't spend more than a few minutes preparing for the test.  It really wasn't bad at all and I knew the scores weren't used for anything.  They don't determine eligibility to homeschool or anything in PA.  

[Piglet68]

I'm in BC Canada. Homeschoolers don't have to do any testing. However, we are enrolled in a Distributed Learning program which is tailored to homelearners (ours is tailored to unschoolers) and in exchange for getting funding we have to write two standardized tests, one in grade 4 and one in grade 9. These can be done at home over a few days, however, and from what I've heard it's pretty easy.

[onatightrope]

We do the Peabody. My understanding is that in Minnesota you are required to test, but there is no requirement that the child achieve a certain score or that you report the results to anyone. So, I wouldn't worry about it.

[Vermillion]

We're lucky here (Maine) We have the option of testing or a portfolio review, and since there are unschooling friendly teachers around, the portfolio doesn't need to be anything major.

[bean]

No testing or even yearly follow-up here in Nevada. All we have to do is formally declare ourselves home-schooling once the child turns 7 years old, or when you pull them out of a school in which they were previously registered. Our daughter is free from the anxiety of testing, and free from the judgment of the school district / state entirely.

[zebra15]

No testing or follow up here in AZ. Only notification when you file to HS. I love it here and am looking for a state similiar HS laws since I am tyring to move.  part of the reason I hs is because I love our freedom and the last thing I want is the govt or anyone telling me what to do.

[tallulahma]

Originally Posted by zebra15 

No testing or follow up here in AZ. Only notification when you file to HS. I love it here and am looking for a state similiar HS laws since I am tyring to move.  part of the reason I hs is because I love our freedom and the last thing I want is the govt or anyone telling me what to do.

geez i miss arizona!

we moved to california and it feels super restrictive. although i guess in comparison it isnt that bad.

we do not have to test or have check ins if you file a private school affidavit. but if you want the funding that is available you have to have checkin and possibly testing? i didnt read that far in.

im doing the private school, which seems to be the preferred route amongst the local unschoolers i have met.

[bobandjess99]

In requires nothing.  Like..literally nothing, if the kid has never gone to school.  If they have, you have to notify the school you are wothdrawing them.  That's it.  there are no testing reporting, portfolio or any requirements.  You can just live here and..not send your kids to school. :)  

[Galatea]

Originally Posted by bobandjess99 

In requires nothing.  Like..literally nothing, if the kid has never gone to school.  If they have, you have to notify the school you are wothdrawing them.  That's it.  there are no testing reporting, portfolio or any requirements.  You can just live here and..not send your kids to school. :)  

So jealous.

[moominmamma]

Also in BC Canada. Nothing required, other than an annual notification so that your kids aren't mistakenly considered truant.

However, like Piglet we choose to avail ourselves of the perks of a school-based umbrella program, and in exchange for that the kids do basic skills testing in Grades 4 & 7. It's low-stakes testing (meaning it has no impact on our right to homeschool and no one even worries about discussing the results) so it has been no big deal for us. No prep, no trauma, no worries.

Miranda

[EviesMom]

Yup. We're in NY. I believe we only have to test every other year 3-8 and yearly after that. I just do a test every year though rather than a portfolio review, which is the other option. DD thinks they're fun to bubble in, and we only have to make 33%. At least for the CAT tests we've done, she tests very well. It is actually kind of helpful for me to discover all the things I didn't think we had really covered but that she knew really well anyway. I also use her scores to refute any relatives who make comments about not doing enough school-type work.

If I had a kid who was stressed out by tests, then I might feel differently, but she thinks it's super fun. She makes up stories afterward for why the wrong answers could be right in other contexts. She made a test book for her doll and for her brother. The one time this year that she got stressed (first timed math), I just told her I would turn off the timer. I actually kept track with a timer in the kitchen, because I was curious, and she used less time than allotted anyway, but the timer on the table stressed her out. All the English timed ones she loved, and asked for some untimed sections to be timed "to see how fast I can get them all right." She did get them all right on those sections too.

[rubelin]

I'm in California and there's no required testing for homeschoolers UNLESS you are doing Independent Study through a charter school, which we did. It is still technically legal to opt-out but our particular charter school will mark students truant if they miss the testing days and 2 truancies makes a child eligible for expulsion, so we had to do the test. It's only required for grades 2 and up so my little one didn't need to and oldest actually loved it.

Next year we'll be with a new charter and will not be required to do the test, but probably will since low testing hurts the chances that the charter will be renewed. It's one of the things we deal with to get access to public funding for our unschoolers.

[2xy]

No testing required in RI. However, the statute for homeschooling here is written somewhat vaguely and the law does allow the superintendent of schools to require "proof of progress." This means that, from one town to the next, homeschooling requirements can be very different because some superintendents DO ask for progress reports and some DO NOT.

Method is the parent's choice, though. We can do testing, portfolio review, submit a report card, write a progress report, etc.

[TEAK's Mom]

In Alaska, we do not have to file anything or test at all. That said, most of the homeschoolers I know around here use one of the generous umbrella programs. Those students are considered to be enrolled in public school. At this point, we have valued our autonomy more than the money, but I can see the time coming when testing may be the price we pay for things like pointe classes. 

[stormborn]

In NC testing is required but not until 7 and there is no minimum score to meet. The only requirements are that it be a nationally standardized achievement test and that you keep results on file in your home for one year and make it available if requested. I've never been asked to produce it, though.

I chose the CAT because it could be done at home at our own pace and it was no big deal at all. We've never done any test prep other than me glancing through the test first and quickly going over anything she hasn't seen before. There was no stress and dd doesn't mind doing it. She has always scored high even with no preperation or prior test experience. IMO the CAT, at least, is almost rediculously easy.

[mamaboss]

I was surprised to learn that Utah also requires nothing but a signed affidavit each year stating we will be instructing our children at home. Beyond that, no follow up. :) 

[Momma2DoubleCuties]

Anyone know the laws in Oregon? I'm new to this stuff and curious...

[Stacey B]

In Colorado you have to either test or do a portfolio review every other year starting in third grade.

[Niamh]

Here in Idaho we don't have to register or test at all. It's brilliant. We're considering moving for work and I am not happy about moving to a state with stricter requirements - though compared to Idaho, that would be pretty much any state. :)