Even though homeschooling is fairly popular in my area and becoming more widely accepted across Florida, there is still a lot of mystery surrounding the whole process by those who aren’t involved.
I get asked questions all the time by my friends who have chosen traditional school and those whose children aren’t school aged yet. Most are genuinely curious and I have yet to encounter anyone who is completely negative on the idea. Most people simply say “I could never do it!” (The truth is, anyone can do it but more on that another day!)
But as we enter into the spring time and it becomes that time of year again for schools to start their mandated standardized testing, the conversation has shifted to one question in particular: “Do your children have to take the tests, too?”
The short answer is: no.
Homeschoolers in Florida are not required to take the state mandated standardized tests that children attending public school must take. They can take it if I want them to. Homeschooled students in Florida are required to show academic progress yearly and completing standardized tests is one way to meet this requirement.
However, I don’t know any homeschoolers who choose this option, most choose the easier option of having an evaluation completed by a state certified teacher which is the option we will choose as well.
Truthfully, I’m not upset that my children are missing the chaos and stress of the standardized testing craze (and it has certainly been crazy in Florida this year!) I believe there is enough stress and pressure on young children these days with the educational expectations being constantly forced down to younger and younger children, test stress is not something they need.
I remember taking the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) as a young child but it never bothered me. I always stressed more about regular classroom assessment tests but it’s not that way anymore. There is so much at stake for the students, teachers and schools with standardized testing now that children can’t help but feel the pressure.
I am not saddened at all that my children will miss out on the testing craziness. All of it. I don’t even really give them regular curriculum tests at home, I evaluate their knowledge and learning in different ways and they don’t even know they are being tested. There is no studying, no worrying, no pre-test anxiety or drama.
In fact, they don’t even know they’re being tested usually. Their “tests” look like the rest of their work, I just don’t check on them in the middle or offer help. I check it when it’s completed and if they don’t do well then we review and try “testing” again another day. There are no bad grades, no bad students, just bad attitudes about being challenged which is our #1 school struggle right now.
I’m glad it’s not testing.
