Intro: Nikki
Nikki
Hello everyone.
I am so glad to have found this group!
A little background...
I am a mother of 4. My oldest is now almost 20 and he was
homeschooled from 3rd grade thru highschool.
My next child is almost 16 and is enrolled thru the American School
of Correspondence for his high school.
My last two children are 10 and 11 years old.
Here is where i need help. They have lost their love of school. I
grew up in the public school system and can't get past teaching to
the test type of schooling.
My daughter hates math and won't memorize her times tables.
My son groans when I say lets do school...
They don't know any other way of schooling but I need help gaining
their love of learning back.
I live in Ohio so we need to have a test done at the end of the year.
How do you test with unschooling..
Nikki
I am so glad to have found this group!
A little background...
I am a mother of 4. My oldest is now almost 20 and he was
homeschooled from 3rd grade thru highschool.
My next child is almost 16 and is enrolled thru the American School
of Correspondence for his high school.
My last two children are 10 and 11 years old.
Here is where i need help. They have lost their love of school. I
grew up in the public school system and can't get past teaching to
the test type of schooling.
My daughter hates math and won't memorize her times tables.
My son groans when I say lets do school...
They don't know any other way of schooling but I need help gaining
their love of learning back.
I live in Ohio so we need to have a test done at the end of the year.
How do you test with unschooling..
Nikki
Debra Rossing
OH law says test scores OR narrative OR approved alternative - so a
narrative would work. Also, the test can be any nationally normed
standardized achievement test - so something like the PASS test which is
designed to be used/administered at home would work - the laws say that
a "person duly authorized by the publisher of the test" is okay to
administer the test - I believe the PASS test "authorizes" parents to
administer it. And, the composite needs to be at least in the 25th
percentile - that means that of every 100 people who take the same test
(same year, same level), your child does better than 25 of them. NOT 25
percent of the questions correct. If 25 kids get 1 right and 74 kids get
3 right and your child gets 2 right, even though that's only 2 percent
(assuming 100 questions for easier math), that's still the 25th
percentile. That's not all that hard. Some homeschool support groups in
states that require testing do a 'group test' day type thing to make it
easier on folks. And, there are often former teachers (who have kept up
their certification) who will write a narrative or administer a test for
homeschoolers - often it's inexpensive and is a way for them to make a
little extra income while staying home with their own kids.
As far as how it is handled in terms of what it looks like in the
family, basically the test is one day out of a whole year that is to
satisfy the state laws to allow the other 364 days to be free and clear.
Test results are basically immaterial in terms of the relationships in
the family. And, it is done with an attitude that this is a hoop, it
says nothing about who you actually ARE. Some folks will do things like
have their child flip a coin for the answers of anything they don't know
right off - that makes it pretty obvious that it's not about what they
know (and odds are they'll still get enough of those correct,
statistically speaking, that they'll still do fine on the test).
And, too, check out what the ramifications are - what does the LAW say
will happen in the unlikely circumstance that the results are below the
cutoff - generally speaking you've got a year to get the results back up
again before anything happens.
Deb
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narrative would work. Also, the test can be any nationally normed
standardized achievement test - so something like the PASS test which is
designed to be used/administered at home would work - the laws say that
a "person duly authorized by the publisher of the test" is okay to
administer the test - I believe the PASS test "authorizes" parents to
administer it. And, the composite needs to be at least in the 25th
percentile - that means that of every 100 people who take the same test
(same year, same level), your child does better than 25 of them. NOT 25
percent of the questions correct. If 25 kids get 1 right and 74 kids get
3 right and your child gets 2 right, even though that's only 2 percent
(assuming 100 questions for easier math), that's still the 25th
percentile. That's not all that hard. Some homeschool support groups in
states that require testing do a 'group test' day type thing to make it
easier on folks. And, there are often former teachers (who have kept up
their certification) who will write a narrative or administer a test for
homeschoolers - often it's inexpensive and is a way for them to make a
little extra income while staying home with their own kids.
As far as how it is handled in terms of what it looks like in the
family, basically the test is one day out of a whole year that is to
satisfy the state laws to allow the other 364 days to be free and clear.
Test results are basically immaterial in terms of the relationships in
the family. And, it is done with an attitude that this is a hoop, it
says nothing about who you actually ARE. Some folks will do things like
have their child flip a coin for the answers of anything they don't know
right off - that makes it pretty obvious that it's not about what they
know (and odds are they'll still get enough of those correct,
statistically speaking, that they'll still do fine on the test).
And, too, check out what the ramifications are - what does the LAW say
will happen in the unlikely circumstance that the results are below the
cutoff - generally speaking you've got a year to get the results back up
again before anything happens.
Deb
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intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they
are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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-----Original Message-----
From: Nikki <vilano6@...>
My last two children are 10 and 11 years old.
Here is where i need help. They have lost their love of school. I
grew up in the public school system and can't get past teaching to
the test type of schooling.
-=-=-=-=-
Have you tried?
-=-=-=-=-=-
My daughter hates math and won't memorize her times tables.
-=-=-=-=-=
Making her meorize the multilication tables will probably make her hate
math more.
Is that your goal?
If not, why do you keep doing it?
-==-=-=-
My son groans when I say lets do school...
-=-=-=-=-
When I used to tell my father, the doctor, "It hurts when I do *this*,"
he'd say, "Don't do *that*."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
They don't know any other way of schooling but I need help gaining
their love of learning back.
-=-=-=-=-
Quit schooling.
Start living.
-=-=-=-=-=-
I live in Ohio so we need to have a test done at the end of the year.
How do you test with unschooling..
-=-=-=-
Plenty of unschoolers live in Ohio. Most of them are at a HUGE
waterpark gathering this week. Testing doesn't seem to stop them from
unschooling. I don't know the Ohio law, but I'm sure it's not a
difficult issue. Each state is different: it's important to know and
understand your state's laws.
~Kelly
Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://www.LiveandLearnConference.org
________________________________________________________________________
More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail ! -
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From: Nikki <vilano6@...>
My last two children are 10 and 11 years old.
Here is where i need help. They have lost their love of school. I
grew up in the public school system and can't get past teaching to
the test type of schooling.
-=-=-=-=-
Have you tried?
-=-=-=-=-=-
My daughter hates math and won't memorize her times tables.
-=-=-=-=-=
Making her meorize the multilication tables will probably make her hate
math more.
Is that your goal?
If not, why do you keep doing it?
-==-=-=-
My son groans when I say lets do school...
-=-=-=-=-
When I used to tell my father, the doctor, "It hurts when I do *this*,"
he'd say, "Don't do *that*."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
They don't know any other way of schooling but I need help gaining
their love of learning back.
-=-=-=-=-
Quit schooling.
Start living.
-=-=-=-=-=-
I live in Ohio so we need to have a test done at the end of the year.
How do you test with unschooling..
-=-=-=-
Plenty of unschoolers live in Ohio. Most of them are at a HUGE
waterpark gathering this week. Testing doesn't seem to stop them from
unschooling. I don't know the Ohio law, but I'm sure it's not a
difficult issue. Each state is different: it's important to know and
understand your state's laws.
~Kelly
Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://www.LiveandLearnConference.org
________________________________________________________________________
More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail ! -
http://webmail.aol.com
Debra Rossing
>When I used to tell my father, the doctor, "It hurts when I do *this*,"he'd say, "Don't do *that*."
LOL Reminded me of the joke about the person who goes to the doctor and
says:
"Doctor, when I do this it hurts (pokes arm) and when I do this it hurts
(pokes leg) and when I do this it hurts (pokes head). What's wrong with
me?"
and the doctor replies
"Looks like you've got a broken finger"
If memorizing tables and "doing school" and all are causing pain, then
maybe it's not the math and the English but the whole approach that's
the problem - you don't need a better way to teach math and a better way
to teach reading or history or science but rather a whole different
mindset, a different paradigm (to use one of those $1 words that
"proves" I'm edjamakated lol)
Deb
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This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they
are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify
the system manager.
This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by
MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses.
CNC Software, Inc.
www.mastercam.com
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