Testing Information

As your child progresses through school, he or she will probably be tested on a number of occasions. Provided is a collection of information and resources which may be useful to your home school program.

• Types of Assessments

• All Grades Testing with PIE

• College Preparation

• Additional Testing Resources

Types of Assessments

It can be helpful to understand that many of these tests fall into three basic categories. The three primary ways that children are tested are through classroom assessments, district and state assessments, and standardized test.

1. Classroom Assessments: Parents have a variety of tests available to them in the home school including multiple choice, open-ended, essay, performance tasks, quizzes, and demonstrations. Student progress at the classroom level is reported through semiannual progress reports, and report cards.

2. District and State Assessments: Most states and local school districts also use some sort of assessments to judge student progress. Members of PIE are not required to test through the state or their local school districts.

3. Standardized Tests: Standardized Tests are national tests that are written for use in any state or district. For this reason, they are not necessarily aligned with specific state or district standards. Norm-Referenced Tests include:

   • California Achievement Test (CAT)

   • Stanford Achievement Test

   • Iowa Test of Basic Skills

   • Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT)

   • Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)

   • American College Test (ACT)

A directory with testing resources is available from the Home page of PIE's Web site as well as in the back section of the Home School Hand Book.

National tests focus on skills and knowledge generally taught in a grade level across the country by using a national sample of students. Typically, such tests are multiple choice, and they measure skills or knowledge in general subject areas. Results from these tests indicate how your child's scores compare with those of students across the nation.

Standardized tests are administered to assist in appropriate academic placement, to assess academic achievement, to identify individual aptitudes, to explore vocational interests, and to examine personal characteristics. Tests are used also to identify gifted students and those with special learning problems.

Understanding the differences between these tests will be helpful for both you and your child.

The College Board plays an important role in American education, and recently announced changes in the SAT I test, scheduled to go into affect in 2005.

http://www.collegeboard.com/about/index.html

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All Grades Testing with PIE

Why do I need to test my child?

1. If you are not confident of where your child is academically, testing is a good means to judge where your child may need extra help.

2. If there is a possibility that your child may reenter the public/private school system, the school will want to see results from some type of achievement test. (It is always best to check with the school prior to enrolling.)

3. It is helpful to have yearly results, of the same type of test, to compare progress through the years of home schooling.

PIE administers the Stanford Achievement Test annually. An overview of the test is provided from the following Web page.

http://harcourtassessment.com/HAIWEB/Cultures/en-us/Productdetail.htm?Pid=SAT10C

The cost will depend on an increase in testing material and will include a reasonable administrative fee per family, which is intended to help with expenses such as supplies, mailing, etc. After testing is completed, tests are sent off to be scored and may take several weeks to be returned. Once the office of PIE receives the test results, the results are sent to the parent/teacher through the US postal services. Further information, including applications for testing with PIE, will be posted through the Member Center on an ongoing basis.

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College Preparation

PSAT/NMSQT: Home Schools may contact a principal or counselor at a local public or independent high school to make arrangements to take the PSAT/NMSQT.

http://www.collegeboard.com/article/1,,5-25-0-56,00.html?orig=sch

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about.html

Advanced Placement: The College Board has a wide variety of resources to help you.

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/prep.html

SAT Prep Center: Take a Mini-SAT, practice with real test questions and get a predicted score.

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/prep_one/prep_one.html

PSAT/NMSQT Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test Information.
Introduction page to the Preliminary SAT^®/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test by the College Board.

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about.html

Test Prep Software for Gre Prep Course, LSAT Prep Course, GMAT Prep Course, SAT Prep Course.

http://mathmadeeasy.com/gresoft.html

Visit the following related links:

• Educational Records

• Record Keeping Solutions

• Maintaining Educational Records

• Lesson Plans

• Journal (Daily Logs)

• Resource Tracking List

• Course Description

• Student Portfolio

• Semi-Annual Progress Report

• Report Card

• High School Transcript

• Credit, Credits, and more Credits

• Diploma

• Testing Information

• Testing With PIE

• Drivers Education

• Frequently Asked Questions