What to do about Testing and Why?

[ele325]

I have a 7dd. She would be in 1st grade in our school system. Due to a custody dispute she took several tests last fall. At that time she was testing 6 grade reading 3 grade math. For the most part where she capped out seemed to be simply because we hadn't done the formal teaching part to make her familar with the testing style content. So, this custody situation has been settled, however I am now required to have her tested twice a year for her dad. This new need to test has made me more aware of all the testing that is available. So that said what test do you like or dislike? Why or why not? Have you done IQ testing? Why or why not?

Thanks
Eleanor

[KarenAnne]

Wow, twice a year seems like overkill. Is there any way at all to negotiate this to once a year? Even public schools mostly do a big run of testing in the spring, and semester exams usually start up around middle or high school.

IQ tests are invalid if taken more frequently than once every three years, so you're probably talking about achievement tests. Again, it seems like negotiation/discussion is in order if this is at all possible. If your child is following a particular curriculum (Singapore Math or Story of the World), progress might not coincide exactly with the conventional testing structure. Can you substitute monthly/chapter test scores in math, a portfolio of written work, for any of the testing? Then do just a regular set of tests at the end of the school year (or not at all, but that doesn't sound too likely)?

[ele325]

I agree twice a year is a lot, however, he was winning and public school was the other option. The upside is that there is no set test or set type of test that we are required to do, so I was hoping to mix it up to keep it from being too much or expecting scores to change in a few months. She is working so far ahead that I am not particularly worried about her doing well enough on the tests so at least the pressure is off. My current issue is figuring out which ones are worthwhile and how to at least get some information out of all of this testing.

[jcooperetc]

If you just need to demonstrate that she is progressing and what things she has mastered, a company called Let's Go Learn has some basic and pretty thorough online tests for a pretty reasonable price. The have reading/spelling/comprehension called DORA and elementary math called DOMA. You can purchase the rights to the tests through Homeschool Buyer's Co-op for about $15 each and if you know you will be doing it every 6 months for a while you can buy them in bulk and get a reduced price - $12 I think. The tests take anywhere from 1/2 hour for a good reader for the DORA to a couple of hours for a struggling math student for the DOMA test.