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Courtney
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| Posted: Feb 14 2006 at 8:19am | IP Logged
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I didn't know where to post this question. My dh is needing some reassurance that my dc are where they need to be. Any recommendations on any testing I could give them without paying a bunch of $? I feel like they're both where they should be (for them!), but also want to allay his fears. Any suggestions appreciated! Thank you!
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Courtney in Texas
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Mom to Candace 10/97 ,Christopher 4/00 and Connor 11/11
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MacBeth
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| Posted: Feb 14 2006 at 8:46am | IP Logged
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Courtney, you could try practice testing them with the Spectrum test prep books. Just keep in mind that the kids will need to learn test-taking strategies, and may get things wrong that you know they know. Spectrum cost about $10, and are available for several grade levels. They'll just give you an idea of where the kids are.
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MacBeth in NY
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Cay Gibson
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| Posted: Feb 14 2006 at 9:12am | IP Logged
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I second the Spectrum books. 
We've used them almost every year.
I might add that I "personally" think the CAT test from Seton is too easy. The test from Kolbe (is it the SAT? I'm forgetting) is much more thorough.
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Cay Gibson
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Courtney
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| Posted: Feb 14 2006 at 9:25am | IP Logged
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Thanks for the recommendations! So, would you just buy the current year for each child? My ds is technically kinder and is reading so that's all I'm really concerned with for him right now.
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Courtney in Texas
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Cay Gibson
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Courtney,
That's all I would do...buy the current year. If he's already reading fluently and comprehending what he reads, I would get the next grade up and see how he does.
No need to worry about ordering the test from Seton or Kolbe at that young of an age.
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
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Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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Courtney
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One more question: did you use both the test prep and practice books, or just the test practice books? I noticed for each grade level there is a test prep and a test practice book.
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Courtney in Texas
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MacBeth
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I got both for Trip, as he needed some practice in basic math  , mostly for speed and care. Since he will take a "real" standardized test in a few weeks, I figured I ought to get him the complete prep set. For the others, I just got the Test Practice books to help them see the format (and fill in those silly bubble sheets).
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MacBeth in NY
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Courtney
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Thanks, MacBeth. I'll just get the practice test books for now.
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Courtney in Texas
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5athome
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Courtney:
A TX state representative has last year's version of the test TX public school children take on his website - it is free and I know a few homeschoolers who use it just to make sure they are on the right track.
http://scotthochberg.com/taas.html
We have used Bayside School Services for the CAT test and they are nice to deal with but pricey (they do give great discounts the sooner you register prior to the test and a discount if you are a repeat customer)
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ALmom
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I wouldn't worry about CAT tests with children so young. We've always gotten ours from Kolbe even when we were not registered with them. They do use the CAT but it includes the more specific subsets while Setons is just the survey. I didn't bother until they were upper elementary. If you want to test at all, I'd go with the cheapest and least involved thing that will satisfy dh, personally, and make it a game for the kids. When they are older, we do really like the CAT from Kolbe.
Janet
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mary
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i have used the CAT from seton - testing or review is required for my state. my dh feels as yours does and this test covers both bases. it was easy to administer and my kids (almost same ages as yours) thought it fun to take.
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Rachel May
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I proctored the SAT last year for our homeschool group. I can't really say anything about the test since none of my kids took it, but dh and I did decide that when we do get to that point, we will not be using any of the tests published by Bob Jones U (anti-Catholic, anti-interracial dating). The SAT is one of those.
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lapazfarm
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Rachel
By SAT do you mean the Stanford Achievement Test (that high school students take to get into college), or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (given at many grade levels), or something else? I would be interested in this information as I am also very wary of BJU pubs. 
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Loren
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Courtney, if you don't really want to test, you could get a copy of What Your Child Needs to Know When.
This book has a checklist in the back that you can go through and check off what your student has mastered. It is divided into grade levels so that you can see where (they say) he needs to be compared to where he is.
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momtomany
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Cay Gibson wrote:
I might add that I "personally" think the CAT test from Seton is too easy.
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But for my special needs guy, the CAT test was perfect to cover the PA homeschool law and not stress him too much!
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Rachel May
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lapazfarm wrote:
Rachel
By SAT do you mean the Stanford Achievement Test (that high school students take to get into college), or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (given at many grade levels), or something else? I would be interested in this information as I am also very wary of BJU pubs. |
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Theresa, I proctored theStanford which is the one that is given to a variety of grade levels. (I think you got the acronyms backwards.)
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Rachel
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lapazfarm
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oh, yea, my bad!
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Rachel May
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Theresa,
I don't want to throw this OT, but is your objection to BJU because of the quality of what they provide or some other reason? I havn't heard any feedback on the tests themselves.
For you testers out there, do you use the same test every time, or do you like to switch?
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Rachel
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lapazfarm
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My objection to BJU is their blatant anti-Catholic stance.
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Theresa
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kingvozzo
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Hey Courtney! What did you end up doing with Candace re: testing?
I was at B&N and they had the Spectrum Test books. I think they were $7, and they give a 20% discount.
I ended up getting this book. It looks like it's pretty good, although maybe I've been kidding myself about what 2nd grade looks like in school. We arent' using the review parts in the front of the book, but they do have sample tests we're using. If any red flags go up, we'll address them in the review section.
We've had a pretty crazy year here, and I want to make sure we aren't missing any MAJOR areas.
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Noreen
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Standardized testing..
