Latest / The Christy-Faith Show / Ep. 109 - Homeschool Testing: When to Test, When to Skip, and Which Tests Are Worth It

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Ep. 109 - Homeschool Testing: When to Test, When to Skip, and Which Tests Are Worth It · The Christy-Faith Show

• 0:00
  Christy-Faith: We need to talk about standardized testing. It's that time of year, the time where you're either choosing to think about it or your state is forcing you to think about it. Either way, it's on the brain. And this hits different. It's legal, it's philosophical, and it's personal, all wrapped up in a gnarly package.
• 0:17
  There's that practical layer, which test, when, and is the result even useful. There's the legal layer, depending on where you live. The government might require you to prove to a system that you opted out of, by the way, that you're doing a good enough job without them, brother. If you're listening, you can't see the eyeballs rolling in the back of my head. And then there's the philosophical layer.
• 0:38
  The one that quietly gnaws at you. Why am I handing my child back to the same measuring stick that I walked away from? Because that's what standardized testing is. It's the conventional school system's ruler. And a lot of us chose homeschooling precisely because we looked at that ruler and we said, this doesn't measure what actually matters.
• 0:58
  This topic deserves a real discussion. And having spent years teaching test prep, we prepped for almost every test on the market, including writing SAT and ACT curriculum. Today, I'm gonna help you navigate this mess. I think I can. Well, I know I can.
• 1:13
  So much of my previous job was navigating this world. Okay. Homeschool testing. When does it serve your family? When to skip it?
• 1:20
  What does your state require? And which tests are worth your time? You chose to opt out of the conventional school system because you looked at it and how it measured kids and said, nope. Not for my family. Did you know that a lot of us can and have done the same thing with traditional health insurance?
• 1:47
  Now before we get into the meat of today's show, I wanna tell you about a different way to take care of your family's health care needs. And it's a way that's been around for over a hundred years, and it's saving families like mine a ton of money per month. For my family alone, it's a thousand dollars a month we're saving. So huge thank you to podcast sponsor and my husband's company, Summit HealthShare. So if you're not familiar with health sharing, here's the short version.
• 2:12
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• 2:31
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• 2:44
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• 2:58
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• 3:16
  A link is in the show notes. How would you like to know which businesses, doctors, and organizations in your area share your same homeschool values? What started out of necessity for my family, finding safe service providers and doctors has turned into something really beautiful. A whole community of colleges, businesses, doctor's offices, reading specialists, you name it, all in one directory. It's The Christy-Faith List, a place where homeschool families can find and give business to the people who share their values.
• 3:47
  And it is free for homeschooling families to search. And if you're a business owner listening today and you love working with homeschooling families and wanna reach more of us, sign yourself up. We wanna know who you are. The Christy-Faith List. Support the people who support you.
• 4:01
  I'll put a link in the show notes so you can search the list right this second. Okay. Welcome to The Christy-Faith Show. This is the podcast for homeschool moms who take their craft seriously. Is that you?
• 4:11
  Yes. It's you, and it's me too. Here, we have conversations that push us to think harder about education, childhood, and motherhood because we wanna be thoughtful about this beautiful life that we're building. I'm your host, Christy Faith, homeschool mom of four, twenty plus years, Ed expert, that makes me sound old, and author of Homeschool Rising. I can be old.
• 4:32
  What's wrong with that? I also run Thrive Homeschool Community. It's a private paid community where moms get to stop piecing this whole thing together and actually learn how to homeschool well with trainings and master classes and printouts and procedures and blah blah blah. All this stuff. It's pretty amazing in there.
• 4:48
  Thrive isn't open all the time. So if you're interested in it, make sure you get yourself on the wait list. That's the only way to guarantee your spot. Okay. Standardized testing, homeschooling.
• 4:58
  Let's start with the elephant in the room. Because before we talk about which test and when, which we will get to, we need to talk about why this feels so weird. Standardized testing for homeschoolers was never designed with your family in mind, full stop. So let's just start there. These tests were built for public schools, managing hundreds, sometimes thousands of kids where individual attention is mathematically impossible, and they need statistical averages so they can measure everybody.
• 5:25
  And these standardized tests measure a pretty narrow band of skills, recalling isolated facts, applying formulaic math procedures, and reading short passages under time pressure. Now you, homeschool mama, is that what you're doing at your kitchen table? Probably not. I don't know about you, but my kids have read primary resource documents, built working models, written essays that have made me genuinely cry because they're so beautiful and thoughtful. None of that shows up on a bubble sheet.
• 5:52
  I've checked. And it goes deeper than content. The philosophy baked into most standardized tests assumes all children should learn the same things at the same pace. So that means that a kid who hasn't hit long division by the end of third grade is behind or that reading comprehension can be reduced to multiple choice answers about a passage your kid has zero context for and maybe zero interest in. Sound familiar?
• 6:16
  Those are probably the exact assumptions most of us rejected when we chose to homeschool. Every time we measure our kids against a public school scope and sequence, whether by choice or by law, we're using a ruler that was never built for the education that we're giving our kids. And that's worth naming. Loud. Because if you don't view tests that way, it's gonna erode your confidence and your child's.
• 6:39
  A seven year old who hasn't been introduced to multi digit multiplication, but who is building a deep number sense, thinking critically, and thriving in every other area does not need a test score telling her she's behind in anything. You know what that child needs? That child needs an adult who understands that a different sequence is just a different sequence. That's all. And I gotta be honest, it took me longer than I'd like to admit and stop flinching at test scores.
• 7:06
  Maybe it's because my background. We got really good at getting kids to increase their scores in a very small amount of time. So that was hard to give up when I started homeschooling. And I'm not even a traditional style homeschooler. I'm pretty eclectic.
• 7:18
  But that ruler can get in our heads, and the first step out is just naming it for what it is. But I can hear some of you right now. Okay, Christy, but my state requires this. Just tell me what to do. And maybe some others, do I even have to bother?
• 7:32
  Both are fair questions. So let's answer them right now. Even if you reject the philosophy behind standardized testing, and I think you should at least question it, there are legitimate practical reasons to test your kids. The keyword here that I want you to remember is strategic. There is a time and a place to use these exams as a tool that will serve your family.
• 7:52
  Doesn't need to be a loyalty oath or anything like that. So let's go over four scenarios in which testing your kid might make sense. But even when I tell you these things, please know that I am giving them to you with a major eye roll and a bad attitude and a trillion caveats. Okay? Alright.
• 8:09
  Number one, when you need to catch gaps before they snowball. Now I've talked about gaps a lot on my podcast in the past, but there are two areas where I think gaps should be shored up, and that is math and reading. Because a kid who misunderstands a foundational math concept in third grade will probably struggle years later if nobody catches it. And sometimes in daily lessons when you're managing multiple kids, it could be hard to see. I mean, you're gonna see way more than a public school teacher would see, but still.
• 8:36
  So testing can reveal some spots where your kid maybe isn't getting it. That can be useful information. Now in order for it to be accurate though, your kid needs to know how to take the test, but that's a whole can of beans. Reason number two, when your state requires it. So depending on where you live, some form of assessment may be the law, and we gotta obey the law.
• 8:55
  More on exactly what that means and an alternative most families have no idea exists in a few minutes. And number three, when your child is college bound. Now for a while, there was this big test optional wave that's now receding. MIT, Purdue, Harvard, Stanford, they're moving back to requiring or recommending scores. For homeschool students especially, strong SAT, ACT, or CLT scores give admissions officers an independent data point that they can trust.
• 9:22
  I hate to say it, but admissions officers like to validate the homeschooling with a standardized test. Eek. And, yes, do homeschooled kids do better on standardized tests in general? Yes. The research does show that.
• 9:33
  So don't fret. You can navigate it just fine. And number four, when you need an outside reference point. See, when you're the teacher, you're the curriculum designer, and the parent, objectivity can get slippery, and a test can offer a third party perspective sometimes. Now it won't tell you everything, not even close, but it can confirm maybe some instincts or nudge you to adjust, and sometimes that can be what you need.
• 9:55
  And that's okay. It's your choice. Now when it comes to finding the right homeschool testing services for your family, we're getting there. But first, when should you skip the testing altogether because there are circumstances in which I do not recommend testing your kid, and what do you do about legal requirements? Stay with me.
• 10:11
  Homeschooling for kids means I'm juggling roughly 24 different subjects at any given time. And a few years back during a particularly busy season, I hit a wall. I needed some serious help with the heavy lifting of teaching everything myself and managing schedules for four kids. That's when I found BJU Press homeschool, and we've loved their courses so much that we keep going back. Some families use them for everything and love it.
• 10:34
  I use them for certain subjects. Either way, total mental load relief. Here's what my mornings look like now. Let us take science for example. My three girls do that one together.
• 10:43
  They fire up the lesson taught by a real teacher, well produced, actual teaching, not just click through busy work. And I sit there with my coffee, watch them, or make breakfast, and we discuss the big ideas. Every BJU Press homeschool course prioritizes critical thinking, a biblical worldview, and hands on learning. I just guide the conversation and pick which activity or pages or projects we want to do, and everything's already planned out. They have an online platform included for you called the homeschool hub, and it keeps everyone on track, both me and my kids, without micromanaging or nagging.
• 11:15
  And when I have questions, I call my Homeworks consultant. These people don't just help you get set up. They're available for you whenever you need them. It's like having a homeschool expert on speed dial. Go to bjupresshomeschool.com or click the link in the show notes to find out more.
• 11:29
  Okay. Permission time for those of you who actually have it. Now, if your state requires assessment, you can't skip that requirement, but you may have more options than you think for how to fulfill that requirement, including alternatives to standardized tests entirely. So more on that in a minute. For everyone else, here's when to think twice and maybe not give your kid the test.
• 11:50
  Couple of points here. Number one, this is across the board, early childhood under age seven or eight. Formal testing at this age produces unreliable results. Kids develop at wildly different rates in these years, and a low test score at age six tells you nothing about long term ability. What it does do is it creates anxiety for you and your child, and that trade off just doesn't pencil out.
• 12:13
  The next reason to skip testing is when your homeschooling approach is a mastery based approach or a completely alternative approach, like Charlotte Mason or unschooling, unit studies. These philosophies don't even try to be in alignment with the traditional public school system, which means even if you're following a reputable curriculum in your particular style, a standardized test may have zero overlap with your personal scope and sequence. And a low test score in a subject your child hasn't studied yet just means one thing, that they're on a different timeline, which is what you chose and is right for your family. I often view it as homeschool families were growing gardens over here, just these beautiful gardens. And then a standardized test is grading your garden on whether or not it looks like your neighbor's lawn.
• 12:59
  And then somehow we get nervous. Right? Isn't that sad? Well, your building's beautiful. I also advise parents to skip testing when the results won't change anything.
• 13:08
  If you have zero intention on adjusting your curriculum based on test results, then why are you spending the money and the emotional energy? See, testing earns its place when it informs your decisions. If it's just a number that you glance at and then file it in a drawer, think hard about whether or not it's worth it. And the last reason to skip testing, and we coach moms on this all the time in Thrive Homeschool Community, is during a time of upheaval in your life. A move, a health crisis, a new baby, grief.
• 13:35
  These things temporarily tank performance. So just give your family breathing room. Trust me, the test will be there when life settles. I don't want you to make things harder than they need to be. So which standardized test is best for homeschoolers?
• 13:49
  I get this question constantly. And the answer is it depends on what you need it to do. And I have looked at all of them. I have prepped kids for all of them. And what I keep coming back to is this, the right test is the one that gives you information you'll actually use.
• 14:03
  Okay. So let's get practical because I love the philosophical stuff and I know that's helpful, but I also want you to walk away with some concrete stuff today. You might wanna save this for later. Let's look at the tests that are out there and who each one is best for. Let's start with the Iowa assessments.
• 14:17
  This one is probably the most widely used among homeschoolers. It covers reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies, and it's for grades k to 12. What sets it apart is the diagnostic detail. You don't just get a percentile rank, you get a breakdown of specific skill areas. That makes it one of the few tests that helps you teach better, not just feel better or worse about a number.
• 14:38
  So if identifying gaps is your primary goal, the Iowa is where I'd start. One thing to know going in though is that it's timed. Each subtest has a time limit. Some providers let you spread sessions across multiple days, but the clock is running. So if time pressure is a real concern for your child, keep listening.
• 14:55
  There's something better suited for you coming up. People are always curious what curriculum I use for my own family. And honestly, it changes. We've tried a lot over the years. Some work for a season and some completely miss the mark.
• 15:07
  But there is one that's stuck, CTC math. It's a full k to 12 online math curriculum and it's won oodles of awards for a reason. It's just that good. I use it for all four of my kids, and they couldn't be more different when it comes to math. Finding one curriculum that actually works for all of them, that's been nearly impossible.
• 15:27
  You know that in your stomach when you realize the curriculum that you just invested in isn't working again? Yeah. That was us until this one. The genius behind CTC math is that it's adaptive. The questions adjust to each kid's level in real time.
• 15:42
  So they're always challenged but never crushed. And mama, it does the teaching and grading for us. Yes. You heard that right. That's a homeschool mom's dream.
• 15:51
  Well, especially for me when it comes to math. I would think it's too good to be true if I hadn't been using it myself. And it's not just me. Here's why it's become the go to for thousands of homeschool families. Free diagnostics show you exactly where to start, access to all grade levels so your student can fill in any gaps or move ahead, short video lessons that keep your children engaged, automatic grading with instant feedback, and progress reports so you know exactly what's happening without hovering.
• 16:19
  Math used to be our hardest subject. Now my kids do it independently. Here's the best part. Our listeners get 50% off. Use the link in the show notes to do a free trial or to get that half off deal.
• 16:31
  Don't spend another year kissing math frogs. This one stuck for us, and I have a feeling it's gonna stick for you too. Next test, the Stanford 10. This test covers reading, math, language, spelling, and social studies. You can find an online version that is untimed, which is a game changer for kids who shut down under a clock, and no degree is required to administer this test, and it's widely accepted.
• 16:53
  If your child has test anxiety, attention challenges, or you're working with kid who knows the material but freezes when the pressure's on, this might be a good test for you. Next, the CAT, California achievement test. This is often the most affordable and convenient option. A parent can administer it, No special credentials required, and it's available in timed and untimed formats depending on the provider. It covers reading, language, and math.
• 17:17
  It's less diagnostic detail than the Iowa or the Stanford. It really just gives you a snapshot. It's not an X-ray. But if your goal is just meeting state requirements or getting a quick read on overall performance without major time or money investment, the CAT does the job. One that isn't as well known is MAP Growth.
• 17:34
  This one works differently from the others. It's computer adaptive, meaning the test adjusts in real time based on your child's answers. Get a question right, the next one gets harder. Get one wrong, and it eases up. The result is considerably impressive precise picture of your child's instructional level, even when the level doesn't match their grade.
• 17:54
  Untimed, available in k to 12, and particularly valuable for identifying gifted learners or tracking growth over time. So one thing to know about that one is it's less widely available, and it typically requires testing through a co op or an umbrella school rather than at your kitchen table. And it may not be accepted in your state, but I did wanna include it today so you can look into it. Now the CLT. If your student is classically educated or literature rich, pay close attention to this one.
• 18:21
  The CLT uses passages from Aristotle, CS Lewis, Frederick Douglass, things like that to try to match the actual text that your child has been reading or the type. Over 300 colleges now accept CLT scores with more than 100,000,000 in scholarships tied to them annually. Around two hours, it's pretty cheap, and it can be taken online from home. Many classically educated homeschoolers score higher on the CLT than the SAT or ACT because for once, the test reflects the education that was actually received. The makers of the CLT offer tests for lower grades too, and their whole thing is their test was built for homeschoolers.
• 18:57
  So that's a good one to look into. And last, the SAT and ACT. We're wrapping this up. For college bound high schoolers, the SAT and the ACT still matter. And free standardized testing for homeschool prep is out there.
• 19:10
  Khan Academy offers official digital SAT prep in partnership with the college board, and they have thousands of practice questions, personalized study plans, all of that, and it's completely free. Okay. So those are some test options. Now let's talk about whether you're even required to use one of those options and what your real choices are depending on where you live. But first, real quick, if this episode is helping you out with your test prep dilemma or giving you any clarity at all, would you do me a favor?
• 19:37
  Right this second, while I'm talking, would you mind commenting, sharing, subscribing, asking me a question, or giving my show some amazing stars? Why? Well, the more engagement the robots see, the more they push out shows. And I think this show can help so many homeschool moms. They just need to know we're here.
• 19:54
  So two or three little things right now, it makes a massive difference. Thank you so so much. Love you. About half of US states require some form of assessment for homeschoolers. But and this changed everything for me.
• 20:06
  When I first really understood it, assessment doesn't always mean standardized test. Knowing your options is half the battle. So states land in three tiers, and where you are matters. Tier one is a high regulation state. These are states like New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, West Virginia, among others.
• 20:24
  They require assessments for homeschoolers. But even in those states, alternatives exist. So if you didn't know that, it's important that you do. At the time of this episode's airing, New York lets you alternate between a standardized test and a written narrative evaluation, for example. And Maine offers portfolio review through a certified teacher.
• 20:43
  The requirement is real, but the bubble sheet often isn't the only way to fulfill it. Let's talk about the states who are in tier two. These are moderate regulation states. They require assessment under certain conditions, maybe specific grade levels or particular enrollment pathways. Florida families can choose between a standardized test or a portfolio review, and portfolio reviews are enormously popular and for good reason.
• 21:06
  A lot of times you need a certified teacher to review them though. North Carolina requires an annual nationally norm test, but no minimum score, and the results stay on file with you. So you don't have to turn the scores in anywhere. So tier three, low regulation or no assessment states. There's about two dozen of these states where you have zero testing requirements.
• 21:25
  We're gonna put a rundown of requirements based on your state in the show notes. But thankfully, in most places, you do have some really solid options. Now one big caveat, laws change and local districts sometimes interpret them differently. Always verify your state homeschooling laws. They change all of the time, so you should be checking all of the time.
• 21:44
  And you can't base your final decision on what you hear on a podcast, including this one, because a law may change within a couple months of this air date today. So here's what I want you to walk away with today. Testing is a tool, a useful one, when you use it with a purpose. You can use them if you want to catch some gaps. It's not the only way, but it is one way.
• 22:04
  You can test if your state requires assessments, and you can test when college is on the horizon. Think twice when your kids are really young, when your approach runs on a completely different timeline, or when the results won't change a single thing that you do. And whatever your state requires, always check what the alternatives are. A bubble sheet is probably not your only option, and you have more choices than you think. And remember, standardized tests don't measure your child's education.
• 22:30
  They measure how much your child's education overlaps with what the public schools happen to teach at that grade level. And those are wildly two different things. And once you see that distinction, you can use testing strategically instead of reflexively as a tool that actually serves your family. Oh, and before we get to the really cool quote for today, I cannot wait to tell you guys. It's a good one.
• 22:53
  I wanna remind you that I have so many free resources for you at christyfaith.com. I just checked last week, and we have over eight free downloads for you, including a free how to homeschool class that comes with a companion download. I have guides, tools, sample homeschool schedules, curriculum recommendations, tons of stuff for you, all for free. The link for those are in the show notes too. Okay.
• 23:14
  Now for our quote of the day. This quote has been floating around for a long time, but it's so good. And it is, Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid. Please, I beg you, view standardized testing for what it is. Don't let the system have a chokehold on you.
• 23:37
  They don't know what a meaningful education is. This is a system that was never created to serve children well. You know that history already. And if you don't, grab my book homeschool rising. I have an entire chapter on the history of the compulsory school system.
• 23:51
  And what we're building over here in homeschool land, it's a beautiful thing, and it's good for kids. And don't let anyone gaslight you about that. I prepared this quote for you on a beautiful note card completely free. You can stick it on your coffee pot, your bathroom mirror, or your car dashboard. Somewhere you'll see it on the hard days when you need the reminder that you're not doing this according to the system.
• 24:12
  That's the whole point. And sometimes we do need to snap ourselves out of it. So grab that beautiful note card in the show notes. I wanna share some other episodes if today was interesting to you that I want you to be able to click through and listen to so you don't have to hunt things down. But first, you came to this episode today because you wanted clarity on testing.
• 24:30
  And I hope I gave you enough information so you can make an informed decision for your family. That instinct, wanting to make intentional decisions instead of you just doing what everyone else does, that's exactly the mom that Thrive Homeschool Community was built for. Now I am so happy if you just remain a podcast listener forever. I absolutely love you for that. And please click on the links of the sponsors and check them out.
• 24:53
  They're how I can make this show free to you. And I love doing this show, and they're great sponsors. But if you're done with the late night searches, the conflicting advice on homeschooling you find all over the internet, or you feel like you're piecing this together blind, and then just hoping that you're not missing anything and you're worried, that's what Thrive Homeschool Community cures. It's where you learn to homeschool well. And I think it's the best thing to happen to homeschooling in the last decade.
• 25:19
  And it's what I wish I had when I was in my first five years of homeschooling. If that sounds like something you need, just know we're not always open so you can click on the link and get yourself on the wait list. That will guarantee your spot when we reopen. So three episodes that you might like listening to after today. Episode 73, why homeschooling high school isn't as scary as it seems.
• 25:41
  Episode 43, the five myths of homeschooling high school. And one of my favorites, episode 83, underemployment, student debt, and the homeschool advantage. Now that one, episode 83, I so wish I could go back and retitle it. It's such a good episode. It's about the future realities that our kids are going to face in their adult years.
• 26:00
  The link for those three shows are in the show notes. Thanks for listening. I'll see you next time.