FL homeschoolers, a question

[Jodi-FL]

if you have your kids tested (such as the Iowa) do you have them tested by a certified teacher?

I'm a certified tester, but not licensed in FL as a teacher, so I did not submit my scores last year as their evaluation, but I've heard of someone who did (and was not a certified teacher, but it was accepted) and was wondering about the interpretation of the law.

thanks

[GothicGyrl]

A certified tester is sufficient for FL's law. It's an either or situation. They aren't going to complain about someone not being a certified teacher if they are a certified tester, because the rules for both are equally as stringent.

And I know this because this year, they are taking the IOWA for the first time (I've always tested at home, but then again, I'm registered with an umbrella so this is acceptable), and we are using certified proctors AND certified teachers to administer it.

[Jodi-FL]

because I'm a certified tester and all I had to do was apply and send in a copy of my college diploma. It wasn't near as intense as teacher certification.

but....maybe the state doesn't care? or know? It would be great if I could test my kids myself and send it in as an evaluation. I like my kids to have the practice of taking a standardized test, but it's not in the budget to pay for the test (which has gotten much more expensive than 10 years ago, have you noticed?) AND pay for an evaluation (which aren't cheap around here either).

[GothicGyrl]

because I'm a certified tester and all I had to do was apply and send in a copy of my college diploma. It wasn't near as intense as teacher certification.

but....maybe the state doesn't care? or know? It would be great if I could test my kids myself and send it in as an evaluation. I like my kids to have the practice of taking a standardized test, but it's not in the budget to pay for the test (which has gotten much more expensive than 10 years ago, have you noticed?) AND pay for an evaluation (which aren't cheap around here either).
It's the state doesn't care. :) You CAN test your own kids and send it in. However, I think you have to have some type of certificate number--like DH has a teacher cert number he has to submit if he were to test our kids or do their own evaluation.

What DH said was that he did not feel comfortable doing this soley because he doesn't want to raise any red flags for *us* in their office. He doesn't want them going "hmm, dad evaluated them how accurate can this be?"..

But you do know that any test you give your kids suffices for the "standarized test" rule, right? You can order the CAT (which you give to them at home) and submit those scores and they have to accept them. I've done this before I went to an umbrella school.

Now this coming year, we will be notifying the county again, and un-enrolling in our umbrella (due to having an 11th grader) and we've been told that it is perfectly acceptable to have DH do the "portfolio review" as well as the testing for them and they would accept it. Dh just isn't sure this is wise. But he's willing to do so, as long as I have some type of test to back up if the state does question us.

[K-FL]

From my reading of the law, the testing is to be done by a certified teacher (it doesn't specify FLORIDA certified) & evaluations must be done by a FLORIDA certified teacher. Our district even requires a copy of their certificate for the evaluations. I'm an Iowa certified proctor myself (no teaching degree, but a Bach.) & I have had parents turn in their scores & not been questioned, but by the letter of the law, it's not kosher.

You can search through the FPEA web site's Starting Point & on pg 5 it covers this.

[GothicGyrl]

From my reading of the law, the testing is to be done by a certified teacher (it doesn't specify FLORIDA certified) & evaluations must be done by a FLORIDA certified teacher. Our district even requires a copy of their certificate for the evaluations. I'm an Iowa certified proctor myself (no teaching degree, but a Bach.) & I have had parents turn in their scores & not been questioned, but by the letter of the law, it's not kosher.

You can search through the FPEA web site's Starting Point & on pg 5 it covers this.
This isn't entirely true when submitting test scores from tests that aren't readily well know (like the CAT vs the IOWA).. I had one (school board) person exclaim "Cat? That's like the FCAT, ok this works"..

Now, I understand it was her ignorance speaking, but I certainly used it to my advantage and even when I was questioned on it, the Super did nothing else other than accept the scores because I was "Obviously willing to comply with law".

But evals do have to be done by a FL. Certified teacher and they do not need the cert on file, only the cert number on the portfolio review letter the teacher types up. Testing has to be administered by someone with at least a Bach's degree and having been approved by the particular tests admins--in this case, the IOWA only need have a certified proctor (that they certified via their admittance of said proctor's BA) to have the test validly administered.

Believe me, DH being a teacher and us being homeschoolers, we've dotted our I's and crossed our T's many times over this.

[Basketmaker Amy]

An interesting note---I found out from my school district that they will accept the College Board SAT as evaluations. My 7th grader took it this year, as well as my 9th grader. My 4th grader is going to take the Stanford SAT at the Christian school he attended two years ago. I think Pinellas County is very accommodating as far as what they accept for evaluations.

[GothicGyrl]

You are in Pinellas? I"m only right over the bridge from you ;)

And yes, if I were with the county, I could have turned in their PSAT scores as well, to count for evaluations. Hillsborough doesn't like us, but they accomodate us.

[TCoppock]

Toni- If your DH is uncomfortable with evaluating your childrens portfolio would one of the teachers he works with be willing to do it. My sister is a teacher but doesn't feel comfortable signing off on my sons so we are having another teacher do it instead. I was planning on testing DS but then I saw the teacher evaluation form that required only having the evaluator circle two things and photo copy their certificate and decided that was much easier.

[GothicGyrl]

Toni- If your DH is uncomfortable with evaluating your childrens portfolio would one of the teachers he works with be willing to do it. My sister is a teacher but doesn't feel comfortable signing off on my sons so we are having another teacher do it instead. I was planning on testing DS but then I saw the teacher evaluation form that required only having the evaluator circle two things and photo copy their certificate and decided that was much easier.
the first year we homeschooled, his Vice Principal (who is a good friend) did it. The county didn't know they were friends though, so there was no problems.

Dh is uncomfortable doing it, but he said he would if I continued to test just as a back up in case they did question it. The form really is very easy and as simple as you said.

I'm sure we could ask another teacher friend of his--we've got several that would do it for us, several we trust. So if he does change his mind come that time, I do have that option.

[Cathycam]

Yes, this is how I understand it...you don't even have to turn in the scores (I've been told not to by more than one evaluator) what's important is that a state certified teacher signs the form that says there is measurable progress (or whatever it says).

If the certified teacher would accept a test administered by the parent then that'd be an option too. Sometimes you just have to ask someone who isn't in the "business" of doing evaluations....

[TCoppock]

Sometimes you just have to ask someone who isn't in the "business" of doing evaluations....

I was shocked that teachers were charging $30-50 in my area for the evaluation letter.

[Jenny in Florida]

Yes, that's what we did for my daughter last year, because she wasn't intererested in doing the evaluation. She had taken the SAT and the ACT during the year, so we just submitted the results for one of them (I don't remember which) and never heard another peep from the district.

--Jenny