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Schoolrmacres
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| Posted: May 24 2010 at 7:00am | IP Logged
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We are scheduled to do testing this week and it is the first time for us. My dd is finishing up the 5th grade, she is my only dc. In December I gave her the state test that is given in the public schools and she passed just fine. We are going to do the Iowa this week and I am a bit nervous. I am going to use this as a baseline for me as a teacher and to give her practice in taking a test like this, but I am still worried. We have always done unit studies up until late this year. Due to illness I had to change to a more traditional approach and even at that we missed quite a bit. Now after looking at the samples of the test I feel like perhaps we have not covered things like we should have in our unit studies. I know it is too late now,I am not going to cram for tomorrows test. Would someone please reassure me that it will be o.k. and that I have not ruined my dd's education by homeschooling. I am more nervous about this than I was when I took the ACT for college.
__________________
Darlene, wife to Shawn and mamma to Haleigh Elizabeth, our Gift from God through adoption.
Peace be with you
http://achampionfamily.blogspot.com/
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sunnyviewmom
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| Posted: May 24 2010 at 7:44am | IP Logged
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I imagine that your daughter has learned and will continue to learn a lot of wonderful things that will never show up on a test. I also imagine that she will do fine on the test. We do the ITBS each year because it is required (well, it is one of 3 options that I must chose from). I try to keep a proper perspective on it. It is just one tool for evaluation, and a very limited one at that (in my opinion). You are with your daughter living and learning each day. You discuss things. You know in your heart that she is learning. We can all have doubts at times, but just look at what is going on in the schools. There is not necessarily a lot of learning taking place.
Random thoughts... but my heart went out to you when I read your post... Others will probably give you better responses. God bless you!
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guitarnan
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| Posted: May 24 2010 at 7:49am | IP Logged
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Darlene, I completely understand your worries, but I think everything will be okay. It is true that your dd won't know everything on the test, but that holds true for students in traditional schools as well.
If your plan is to use the test to help you as a teacher, then it's all good. You may discover that there are, for ex., math concepts that you haven't covered as thoroughly as you might like to, or that you need to add in, say, vocabulary studies once a week. But a standardized test can only show one aspect of a child's knowledge. There's no way to demonstrate writing skills, creativity, extended analytical skills or logic on the Iowa test.
Having your dd take a standardized test now and then is good, in that it teaches her a necessary life skill. Just bear in mind that test scores aren't everything. They're a tool to help you, for sure, but they can't possibly demonstrate all aspects of your dd's knowledge and ability. 
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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DianaC
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| Posted: May 24 2010 at 9:27am | IP Logged
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Darlene,
My dd (4th grade) just took the IOWA a couple of weeks ago. I also considered that it will be a benchmark for us to plan around what may need more focus for next year. I expected that she would do pretty well on it. However, I was very annoyed with her because she made many errors - things that I knew she knew - but she seemed to be rushing and careless. For a couple of days, I was very agitated about it. After all, it seems as though in one sense, this is an evaluation of me - how well I'm doing as my daughter's primary educator.
Well, it's been three weeks and we have not yet gotten the results. However, we have been on some field trips and various activities with friends and strangers(some home-schooled and some public schooled) and I've been shown over and over how well rounded, how bright and what an out-of-the-box advanced thinker she is. She is also very kind, gentle and thoughtful. We visited some family out of state and everyone wanted to keep her!
God has shown me that we can't base our success or failure on the results of these limited standardized tests. What the test has shown me is that she's not so great with punctuation and that she would make less math errors if she made use of her scratch paper. These tests can never show us what God sees in our children.
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RamFam
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| Posted: May 26 2010 at 7:19pm | IP Logged
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Darlene,
I know how you feel. I was terribly nervous the first time, too. At least you are not reporting to the state! Remember that most standardized tests contain material below and above what your child should now. This helps determine where they are. If she doesn't do as well, work on it next year. In my humble opinion you are placing too much pressure on yourself. Relax.
Praying all goes well.
__________________
Leah
RamFaminNOVA
Tom ^i^, Kyle (my Marine), Adeline '00, Wyatt '05, Isaac '07 Philip '08,Michael '10, and John Xavier Feb '13
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Testing
