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What about standardized testing for homeschoolers? Today tied up with testing is day 7 of the free 31 Day Free Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers. 

If there is one pointed question I get repeatedly in my workshops, it is how do I go about testing my children?

My knee jerk answer to this question would be WHY?

Thankfully, I have never responded that way.

However, there should be a purpose for everything you choose to do in homeschooling.

You can’t decide if testing is right for your family unless you think about your goals and have some background information on testing.

Instead of focusing on explaining the myriads of tests and how to do it, I feel as a new homeschooler you need to have time to decide if you want to or not.

I will, however, put links at the bottom to explain some of the them, but again I encourage you to pause and focus on the fact if it would benefit your family or not at this time.

Determine Your Purpose for Testing

Some homeschool parents just assume that you have to test when you start to homeschool.

Until I started homeschooling, I did not think that testing could be used for any other reason than to measure one child against another.

From my public school experience as a student that is all I remember. There are many reasons to test and some of the more main streamed ones are:

1. To diagnose areas of weakness or strengths in your children.
2. To evaluate what is age-appropriate knowledge.
3. To place for entrance into colleges or to determine scholarship money.

I have used testing for the reasons listed above.

But also for something not so mainstream and that is for memory retention purposes. I have used old tests put out by the state of Texas to test my children. The tests are free and I printed them and administer them in a test environment.

Seeing what was on the test help me to determine if I wanted to cover other concepts in math and other areas of history.

Though we left public school so that we do not have to stay in sync with it, there is nothing wrong with getting an expanded view of what other children who are the same ages as yours are learning.

I have created our unit studies based on a question we saw on a test because I realized we wanted to know more about that subject.

Other parents want their children familiar with the environment of a test no matter how much anxiety their children have.

Tips for When Testing is Appropriate

If you live in a state that requires accountability, then you will need to test.

However, you can ease testing anxiety by perhaps using another homeschool mom to test your child in a more homeschool friendly environment.

Tension can be eased somewhat because the child is familiar with the other homeschool children and teacher.

Up until high school, a lot of homeschool parents choose to test informally.

The Scholastic Assessment Test or SAT is just really a “readiness test” that tests logic and critical thinking skills.

Although it’s an important test if you want your child to go to college and get scholarship money, your high school teen can still prepare for it.

A SAT test can be important to prove mastery of material for college admissions.

Testing Can Be Harmful

Many times I have seen parents who plan to fail homeschool their first year.

Unintentionally, they have a “what if we go back to public school mentality” that they do not let go of when they start to homeschool.

On Day 3: What is NOT Homeschooling and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp I talked about what is not homeschooling.

Adding to that list of what is not homeschooling, I add that it does not mean to keep pace with the public school.

One of the greatest inhibitors to letting go of the way the public school does things is fear.

If you commit more time to making homeschooling work for you instead of thinking one day you will return to homeschool, you’ll have a more meaningful year.

I don’t say this lightly because I am one of “those” homeschoolers who thought that the public school would offer my sons something better than I could. At first, I did not plan with eternity in mind.

Testing your child constantly to keep up with his peers to prepare for the what if is living in fear.

My mind-set changed because I viewed my sons as gifts that were given to me.

I thought back to the day that I held my first born. Just because sleepless nights, constant rocking and probably over parenting followed, it never crossed my mind to give up or give him back. 

Do you view your homeschool year as a trial period or for the duration? Your view of your lifestyle change affects how you will view testing.

Testing can be a valuable tool if you wield it to benefit your family or it can undermine a child’s self confidence. I do know that a test will never be able to measure all that we have learned along the way and it can never identify the uniqueness of each child.

Don’t be tied up with testing. Become familiar with the various types of testing, then determine if it will work for your family.

Homeschool Testing Resources

• Homeschool Testing Service
• Choosing Standardized Tests
• Testing and Evaluation
• Edinformatics
• Released tests by Texas which can be used for any measuring you need.
• BJU testing

Days 1 – 6 of the 31 Free Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers

• 1 Learn The Lingo and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp (& free glossary)
• 2: Homeschool Roots Matter and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp
• 3 What is NOT Homeschooling and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp
• 4: Confronting Relatives & Naysayers and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp
• 5: The Wheels on the Bus Go ‘Round & ‘Round – So Get Off! And New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp
• 6: Homeschool Hangouts & Socialization Situations And New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp

Today is day 6: Homeschool Socialization of the free 31 Day Free Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers. Homeschool hangouts socialization situations can be hard to know at first.

Grasping clearer how homeschool groups function will help you to find places for you and your children to socialize and maybe even set up field trips yourself.

Also, it is important to understand that a lot of homeschooling children are not socially inept and are very well rounded individuals.

I say this because of the many opportunities they have to participate in sports, to geography bees to drama. There is simply no need to isolate yourself.

First though I want to share some common misconceptions about homeschooling field trips that will help you to find a group that is good for you or as I mentioned earlier, create yourself.

Yes, many homeschoolers are empowered to be leaders and achievers and new homeschoolers are no different. However, there are some things you need to know about how the homeschool world is set up.

3 Common Misconceptions About Homeschool Hangouts

• 1. That there are many active field trip groups. I have a lot of groups in my area, but not all of them actively plan field trips. Every once and a while, a new homeschooler will post a question in my group and ask: “Where are all the field trips?”

Understanding that all parents are busy like you will help you to see that you have joined one huge co-op. Look back at Day 1 Learn The Lingo and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp (& free glossary) to get the meaning of co-op.

This means there is no need to take the wait and see attitude when planning. Many seasoned veterans welcome new and fresh blood that can take some of the burden off of them.

I hope you live in a city where you have an active group that plans field trips regularly. If not and you are part of a local group or forum, can you plan them?

Make field trips happen. When I started to homeschool, I wanted to connect with others and found out that other mothers in my area wanted the same thing. It just took somebody to head it up.

{Uhmmm that is Mr. Senior 2013 holding the “Chamber Pot” I believe. A VERY valuable history lesson. Tee hee hee }

• 2. Field trips and activities are right in your backyard. Talking to any seasoned homeschooler, she can tell you about the miles and miles put on her vehicle.

Field trips and opportunities with other like–minded individuals has been worth every effort of driving long distances.

Sometimes we drive up to 2 or more hours one way for my sons to participate in events. We have created lasting memories because I have stayed flexible and planned field trips according to our family’s schedule.

• 3. Field Trips Planned By Local Groups are Balanced. There is nothing harder about running a field trip group than trying to strike a balance of field trips for all ages.

Moms of younger children want more zoo field trips, play dates, and crafts. And moms of older children want more field trips that teens and highschoolers will benefit from.

It is not uncommon for a group to have a committee that heads up field trips for either age but it is more common for a group to lean towards one age range than another. Search and ask questions of groups close to you.

Opportunities for Socialization & Homeschool Hangouts

Each area can focus on different things but if you are willing to work and travel to widen your learning zone, you will find many opportunities.

(Mr. Awesome taking ballroom dance lessons. Long story how hubby convinced them to do it. Once they started, they didn’t want to stop.)

Look at this list of classes and groups I have seen form in different areas that I have lived in.  Some of these classes/groups my family has been part of. We have not been in want of any social activities.

(My days at Library Day have been worth EVERY effort to raise life-long readers. Sniff sniff, but I get teary eyed looking back at how quickly it is going by.)

When you start homeschooling, try to remember that thousands upon thousands of other homeschoolers have gone before you to pave the way.

There is no need to think that you are alone and have to come up with all ideas for opportunities for enrichment and socialization; you do need to be flexible and may need to go out of your comfort zone so that your children can make life-long friends.

Online Forums & Blogs are Life Savers. Because homeschoolers hail from all over the world and even tiny remote places, a lot of us get our encouragement from online group forums and blogs.

Also look for blogs that use a homeschool approach that you are interested in. Even if you are not following that approach right now, you will still get some facts to make a good decision for your family.

I encourage you to not be a field trip follower always, but to make moments happen for your family.

I have had MANY exhausting days as I plan and lead field trips, but I have NEVER regretted planning any of them.

MORE HOMESCHOOL SOCIALIZATION TIPS

• How Do I Socialize My Homeschooled Kids?
• Socialization – A Homeschool Hallucination?
• 12 Easy Ways Homeschooled Teens and Tweens Socialize
• Day 6: Homeschool Hangouts & Socialization Situations

Opportunities to expand your friends in the homeschooling community exist abundantly and they are just waiting for you to make them happen.

What you have found so far in your area?

Days 1 – 5 of the 31 Free Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers

• 1 Learn The Lingo and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp (& free glossary)
• 2: Homeschool Roots Matter and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp
• 3 What is NOT Homeschooling and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp
• 4: Confronting Relatives & Naysayers and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp
• 5: The Wheels on the Bus Go ‘Round & ‘Round – So Get Off! And New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp