Facts
on standardized tests and assessment alternatives
In pursuit of higher test scores, the curriculum has been narrowed
and "dumbed-down" to match the tests. Children learn
less.
First Time Testing
and the Aftermath
So what did we learn from the testing experience - aside from
the fact that a comma doesn't count for much in the 11-year-old
male scheme of things? Robert learns better by teaching himself.
By Ilene Heller.
Homeschooler surprised by survey in 2008 test packet
I hope that individuals will think long and hard before participating in this national test survey. The results could affect many of us even if a small portion of our population participate.
How
do Homeschooling Parents Know their Children are Learning?
By direct observation! Writes Jan Hunt, in The Natural Child
Project.
Issues
of Assessment in Testing Children Under Age Eight
Research with young children (under 8 years old) indicates that
using standardized tests for student grade placement or school
retention can prove to be harmful to children's ultimate achievements.
By Gwen G. Stevens and Karen DeBord, NC State University.
The
Madness of Multiple-Choice
Textbooks, workbooks, and "canned" curriculums cannot
teach thinking; they can only seek a predictable, "correct"
response. Their very existence is based on a multiple-choice,
fill-in-the-blank, right/wrong system of pushing information
into a child's head. By Andrew Pudewa.
Narration:
The Art of Story Telling
Narration is, simply put, the art of "telling back"
what has been learned. It is an integral part of the Charlotte
Mason method, and is often used by Classical educators and other
homeschooling families who employ a "living books"
approach to education, rather than a textbook approach.
News
From the Test Resistence Trail
Ms. Ohanian offers readers reams of evidence showing that the
Standardisto boat is leaking badly.
Not On The Test
Music and lyrics by John Forster & Tom Chapin.
Go on to sleep now, third grader of mine.
The test is tomorrow but you'll do just fine.
It's reading and math. Forget all the rest.
You don't need to know what is not on the test.
Obeying
the Law, Testing, & "Qualifying" to Homeschool
Barbara Edtl Shelton argues against testing from a Christian
parent's point of view.
On
Standardized Testing
Tests are of questionable value in the primary grades especially.
PencilsDown.org
The meeting place for parents, educators and citizens concerned
with the miseducation of children in the name of higher standardized
test scores. We plan to use grassroots organization, public education,
civic participation and humor to stem the destructive tide of
the standardized testing craze.
Study
says tests detract from overall learning
The study, by researchers at Arizona State University, found
that while students show consistent improvement on these state
exams, the opposite is typically true of their performance on
other, independent measures of academic achievement.
Terrified
of Testing
You don't have to like the testing requirement, but remember
that what you say about it will probably affect not only her
performance but also her feelings. [Note: New Mexico no longer
requires testing.]
Validity of high stakes standardized test requirements for homeschoolers: a psychometric analysis
After considering the psychometric evidence, I conclude that current and proposed high stakes standardized requirements for homeschoolers are baseless. Policies based on such requirements are a waste of taxpayer dollars and a needless imposition on homeschooling families. By Nicky Hardenbergh
Why
Testing Experts Hate Testing
Richard P. Phelps engages in a point-by-point analysis of eight
arguments that testing experts commonly fling against standardized
testing.