Assessment Options

Very frequently, almost every week, someone asks me a variation of this question:

 "How do we complete assesments? What options do we have?"

As a homeschooling family you have three options and you can read the full legal jargon on the HSLDA website here http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/Ohio.pdf

Here is my non-legal jargon answer - just to be clear I am not a lawyer =)

Option 1 - Your children can complete a nationally normed test and submit those results with your notification for next year. This costs about $50 -$100 per kid. A nationally normed test is a test that has been administered to a national control group that reflects the demographic profile of the target population (e.g., 4th graders) throughout the country. The scores of all subsequent test-takers are then compared against the scores of this control (or "norming") group. Examples of these tests are:

· Cognitive Abilities Test (CoGAT)

· ERB Tests: Comprehensive Testing Program (CTP), Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE)

· Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS)

· Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Tests: Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), MAP for Primary Grades

· Stanford Achievement Test

· Terra Nova

 

You can take these tests through a service like Sylvan Learning Centers or a homeschooling group like Classical Conversations or contact your local district and ask them where you can take the tests. Benefits of this method are that you have a written report and can compare your students progress to the progress of other students. There is also no need to keep track of lots of paperwork or a portfolio of work completed during the year.

On the downside, some kids might experience anxiety taking a test and not do well with this method of measuring progress. Some children may require special accommodation to complete a test, and some sites may not allow any deviation in how a test is administered. These tests are usually administered in early spring, so look for sign ups in January or February.

Option 2 - Keep a sampling of all the work your student completes through the year and compile this into a portfolio. Then take that portfolio to an Ohio, state certified teacher (there are lots of them that are homeschooling too and advertise their services in the spring/summer months) This will cost about $50 - $100 per child, and discounts may be offered if an assessor is seeing multiple children from the same family.

Assessors will  provide you with a report and sign off on your notification form. This can be a very homeschooling friendly way to complete the requirements as many assessors are also homeschooling and may better understand your method of instruction. On the other hand, this can be a downfall of home education if assessments are not properly preformed. Parents need substantive feedback to continuously improve the home education of their children.

 

While many homeschooling families see this as the easiest option, there is a great difference between assessors and assessments are subjective in nature. One assessor may offer great tools, feedback, and offer to help coach children, another may provide a negative review with little reason why, or a positive review in spite of significant lack of progress. To help with this I would highly recommend working with the local CHEO office to find a reputable assessor who will help and encourage your family. You can learn more about CHEO at www.cheohome.org If you are considering an assessor it is completely appropriate to ask for references and to check with other homeschooling families before scheduling an assessment. Assessments are due in August, so most assessors are BUSY in June and July; book an assessment in May for a stress free summer and a stress free assessor.

Option 3 - This Option says you may 'complete a mutually agreed upon alternative assessment' this is a test which you and the superintendent of your school district agree to complete. This is the option that the fewest homeschooling families understand.

The alternative that most superintendents agree to is the Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA). The cons of taking this test are clear. Some families have a tense relationship with their local schools, and if a child does poorly on a test the Superintendent may ask for a secondary assessment or ask further questions about the home education that is occurring. Many families avoid interaction with the public schools at all cost, and if that is the case for your family then this may not be the option for your family.

The OAA is a standardized test option that provides a detailed report to parents about the areas where their children are doing well, and where they need improvement. While testing is difficult for some students, one benefit of the OAA , special accommodation, is required in the public school. The school is required to make special arrangements for certain children, this is a great benefit to a child who has severe test anxiety or who is dyslexic.

Re-enrollment is very easy with a student who has completed the OAA's. We never know what the future holds, if we would ever have to re-enroll in the public schools, this test would determine their grade level. We have all heard horror stories of the Mom who gets sick and has to re- enroll kids only for them to be held back and placed in remedial classes because of a bias against homeschooling. With completion of this assessment, if a child passes the 4th grade OAA, they are in 5th grade. Finally, any child that passes all OAA's 3-8th grade and the Ohio Graduation Test and completes the required high school credits is entitled to a diploma from their local school district. These tests constitute part of the student’s high school transcripts and can be an advantage when applying to colleges. This test is free, but you will need to coordinate with the school district. Speak to the director of pupil services at your local school if you are interested in this option. These tests are administered in September and late March or early April so contact the school in August or early September to schedule.

For more information on the Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA) check here:

http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=240&ContentID=4348&Content=136234

I hope this long winded answer will help some of our homeschooling friends.  Which ever method of assessment is chosen by your family, I wish you the very best of luck!