what should I do about yearly testing anxiety?
Dawn Sanborn
Help! My daughter's and I just received the yearly assessment testing booklet and were looking it over and I felt that it was ok, not too bad. My oldest who has been in ps for 8 years, and is used to those tests, was just amazed at how small it was compared to the tests she had at school. Anyway, we started these tests and my youngest, who's always had a slight test anxiety, stated freaking out about it! She just kept saying she didn't know this stuff and if she were in school she would have been taught all this and that she is stupid for not knowing it! the test contained alot of US history and we only learned about Ancient history this semester, so her panic is justified in that sense, but I am just at a loss of what to tell her! I know these tests are a generlization and this is stuff she proabably should have learned already in ps, but I can;'t convince her that just becuase this is what they "say" you should know, doesn't mean that you have to know it to be smart! Can
anybody help here? I have read Grace Lewellyn's book's and would love to stay in a more unschooled/relaxed manner, but if she panics every year at testing time, maybe I should be more concerned with teaching what "they say" she should know or she's gonna end up hating homeschooling, and I don't want that to happen. She does not function well in ps. Any suggestions? Anyone been there before? Also, I would love to know if there is a book out there that is made for a younger unschooler? Like a Teenage Liberation Handbook for elementary age students?
Thanks in advance,
Dawn
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anybody help here? I have read Grace Lewellyn's book's and would love to stay in a more unschooled/relaxed manner, but if she panics every year at testing time, maybe I should be more concerned with teaching what "they say" she should know or she's gonna end up hating homeschooling, and I don't want that to happen. She does not function well in ps. Any suggestions? Anyone been there before? Also, I would love to know if there is a book out there that is made for a younger unschooler? Like a Teenage Liberation Handbook for elementary age students?
Thanks in advance,
Dawn
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soggyboysmom
What are the alternatives? Is some other type of evaluation possible
legally? Also, what test are you doing? Can you choose a different
test? What is the required score, if any? Who sees the results (is
it 'submitted' or 'retained')? In most places you are not legally
required to take the same tests as the public schools. They may limit
which ones you can choose from (generally it has to be a 'nationally
normed' test) but it usually is NOT the same as the public schools.
And for good reason - homeschoolers don't follow the same schedules as
public schools. Check out your state laws and check out this article
on the subject of meeting state laws and testing and all
http://sandradodd.com/tests
--Deb
legally? Also, what test are you doing? Can you choose a different
test? What is the required score, if any? Who sees the results (is
it 'submitted' or 'retained')? In most places you are not legally
required to take the same tests as the public schools. They may limit
which ones you can choose from (generally it has to be a 'nationally
normed' test) but it usually is NOT the same as the public schools.
And for good reason - homeschoolers don't follow the same schedules as
public schools. Check out your state laws and check out this article
on the subject of meeting state laws and testing and all
http://sandradodd.com/tests
--Deb
Elizabeth Hill
**
She just kept saying she didn't know this stuff and if she were in school she would have been taught all this and that she is stupid for not knowing it!**
I don't remember all the buzzwords, (maybe "norm-referenced test"?) but for many types of school achievement testing, a "desirable" test question is one that half of the kids will get wrong. This yields a broader spread of scores, which makes the test results more interesting for the test maker than if the scores were all clumped up. They really do look for questions to ask that many kids don't know!
I read a chapter in my husband's educational psychology textbook about testing and I was pretty shocked. I had initially assumed that performance testing, showing subject mastery, was the purpose of all tests, but that ain't so all the time.
(I think this book is still in the garage, if people want to hear this in less fuzzy terms, and no one else has it right in the front of their brains, to fill in what I have glided over.)
Betsy
She just kept saying she didn't know this stuff and if she were in school she would have been taught all this and that she is stupid for not knowing it!**
I don't remember all the buzzwords, (maybe "norm-referenced test"?) but for many types of school achievement testing, a "desirable" test question is one that half of the kids will get wrong. This yields a broader spread of scores, which makes the test results more interesting for the test maker than if the scores were all clumped up. They really do look for questions to ask that many kids don't know!
I read a chapter in my husband's educational psychology textbook about testing and I was pretty shocked. I had initially assumed that performance testing, showing subject mastery, was the purpose of all tests, but that ain't so all the time.
(I think this book is still in the garage, if people want to hear this in less fuzzy terms, and no one else has it right in the front of their brains, to fill in what I have glided over.)
Betsy
soggyboysmom
--- In [email protected], Elizabeth Hill
<ecsamhill@e...> wrote:
percentage. At the 50th percentile, half the kids got higher scores,
half got lower scores. So, if you had 3 kids a take a 10 question
test and one got 5 correct, one got 3 correct and one got 1 correct,
the percentages would be 50, 30, 10 but the percentiles would be 99,
50, 1 (I don't think 100 or 0 are possible but I'm not sure - you
get the drift anyhow).
--Deb
<ecsamhill@e...> wrote:
> **That's why most of the scores are reported in percentile rather than
> I don't remember all the buzzwords, (maybe "norm-referenced
>test"?) but for many types of school achievement testing,
>a "desirable" test question is one that half of the kids will get
>wrong. This yields a broader spread of scores, which makes the
>test results more interesting for the test maker than if the
>scores were all clumped up. They really do look for questions to
>ask that many kids don't know!
>I have glided over.)
>
> Betsy
percentage. At the 50th percentile, half the kids got higher scores,
half got lower scores. So, if you had 3 kids a take a 10 question
test and one got 5 correct, one got 3 correct and one got 1 correct,
the percentages would be 50, 30, 10 but the percentiles would be 99,
50, 1 (I don't think 100 or 0 are possible but I'm not sure - you
get the drift anyhow).
--Deb
my3sonsinva
Dawn,
What are the requirements for your state? For us, we only have to
report LA and Math results. I know folks that order tests with only
LA and Math or skip the sections not required. Also, we only have
to score around 25th percentile. The test gives 4 answers per
problem. I asked the boys what is the likeliness you can "guess"
the right answer? Even a random guess should give you a result in
the 25th percentile. Also, I explained this test means nothing to
me. It's a silly requirement for the state. I pulled out a "test
prep" book and told the kids if they want to look this over before
they test they can. Oh, I gave tips like in reading comprehension
you can read the questions first, then read the paragraph. Hope
this helps.
Blessings,
Barb
--- In [email protected], Dawn Sanborn
<sanbornsanctuary@y...> wrote:
not too bad. My oldest who has been in ps for 8 years, and is used
to those tests, was just amazed at how small it was compared to the
tests she had at school. Anyway, we started these tests and my
youngest, who's always had a slight test anxiety, stated freaking
out about it! She just kept saying she didn't know this stuff and
if she were in school she would have been taught all this and that
she is stupid for not knowing it! the test contained alot of US
history and we only learned about Ancient history this semester, so
her panic is justified in that sense, but I am just at a loss of
what to tell her! I know these tests are a generlization and this
is stuff she proabably should have learned already in ps, but I
can;'t convince her that just becuase this is what they "say" you
should know, doesn't mean that you have to know it to be smart! Can
every year at testing time, maybe I should be more concerned with
teaching what "they say" she should know or she's gonna end up
hating homeschooling, and I don't want that to happen. She does not
function well in ps. Any suggestions? Anyone been there before?
Also, I would love to know if there is a book out there that is made
for a younger unschooler? Like a Teenage Liberation Handbook for
elementary age students?
What are the requirements for your state? For us, we only have to
report LA and Math results. I know folks that order tests with only
LA and Math or skip the sections not required. Also, we only have
to score around 25th percentile. The test gives 4 answers per
problem. I asked the boys what is the likeliness you can "guess"
the right answer? Even a random guess should give you a result in
the 25th percentile. Also, I explained this test means nothing to
me. It's a silly requirement for the state. I pulled out a "test
prep" book and told the kids if they want to look this over before
they test they can. Oh, I gave tips like in reading comprehension
you can read the questions first, then read the paragraph. Hope
this helps.
Blessings,
Barb
--- In [email protected], Dawn Sanborn
<sanbornsanctuary@y...> wrote:
> Help! My daughter's and I just received the yearly assessmenttesting booklet and were looking it over and I felt that it was ok,
not too bad. My oldest who has been in ps for 8 years, and is used
to those tests, was just amazed at how small it was compared to the
tests she had at school. Anyway, we started these tests and my
youngest, who's always had a slight test anxiety, stated freaking
out about it! She just kept saying she didn't know this stuff and
if she were in school she would have been taught all this and that
she is stupid for not knowing it! the test contained alot of US
history and we only learned about Ancient history this semester, so
her panic is justified in that sense, but I am just at a loss of
what to tell her! I know these tests are a generlization and this
is stuff she proabably should have learned already in ps, but I
can;'t convince her that just becuase this is what they "say" you
should know, doesn't mean that you have to know it to be smart! Can
> anybody help here? I have read Grace Lewellyn's book's and wouldlove to stay in a more unschooled/relaxed manner, but if she panics
every year at testing time, maybe I should be more concerned with
teaching what "they say" she should know or she's gonna end up
hating homeschooling, and I don't want that to happen. She does not
function well in ps. Any suggestions? Anyone been there before?
Also, I would love to know if there is a book out there that is made
for a younger unschooler? Like a Teenage Liberation Handbook for
elementary age students?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Dawn
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
> http://mail.yahoo.com
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
-=-what should I do about yearly testing anxiety?-=-
Short answer: Don't test.
Without more details, we don't know how viable an option that is for your
family.
Some families (TOO many) test just because "their dad wants us to" or "we
wanted to know how they were doing" or "in case they go to school..."
The test scores themselves are harmful to people, and to relationships. The
test scores and the test anxiety are harmful to the health of natural
learning.
_http://sandradodd.com/tests_ (http://sandradodd.com/tests)
There are some ideas and links.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Short answer: Don't test.
Without more details, we don't know how viable an option that is for your
family.
Some families (TOO many) test just because "their dad wants us to" or "we
wanted to know how they were doing" or "in case they go to school..."
The test scores themselves are harmful to people, and to relationships. The
test scores and the test anxiety are harmful to the health of natural
learning.
_http://sandradodd.com/tests_ (http://sandradodd.com/tests)
There are some ideas and links.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]