Academic Testing in a Homeschooling Environment

Academic testing has been a long debated topic in the world of primary schooling. For decades, we have relied on standardized testing to determine the eligibility of our students to move up grade levels, attend college, and pass subjects. However, many individuals feel that standardized tests are not an accurate depiction of our students' abilities. While this may be true, standardized tests are still required in many states throughout the country and remain one of the weightiest criteria college admissions look into when accepting students. Aside from the prevalence of standardized testing in today's academia, testing also enables educators to gain insight into their students learning style and your own teaching abilities. For all of these reasons, it can be beneficial to administer tests in a homeschooling setting even when they are not required.

The fact is, while standardized testing seems to be obviously lacking in validity and usefulness in a lot of ways, it remains an integral part of our college admissions process. Universities around the country use college admissions essays, extracurricular activities, grade point average, and SAT or ACT scores to determine what students they will admit. For many students, becoming successful test takers is merely a matter of practice, rather than intelligence. As a regular part of your homeschooling routine, administering tests over the material that you cover can be a great way to provide your students with testing practice.

Getting students comfortable with a timed testing environment can have a huge impact on their success with college admissions tests in the future. Many students who struggle with testing do so not because they do not understand the material at hand, but rather because they are uncomfortable or confused by the actual testing process. Learning to manage test questions in a lengthy time period and gaining a grasp of testing language comes with practice. Conduct regular tests throughout your student's homeschooling years to better prepare them for college admission tests and testing once attending college.

Furthermore, testing can provide useful information for educators about what material their students understand and what areas they need to work more carefully on. Tests provide a snapshot view of how a student understands and processes learning materials. This can be useful for you as an educator to understand where both you and your students succeed and struggle. Do not rely on tests to provide all of the assessment you need of your students. However, students should gain a certain level of familiarity with test taking and educators can use these tests to gain a better understanding of their student's learning style and their own teaching strengths and weaknesses.

By-line:

Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @ gmail (dot) com.

 



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