Most homeschool students are freed from the pressure of testing that regular school students face. This may not be ideal for them at a later date. For homeschool students hoping to apply for regular college, standardized tests can be more important than for students from regular school. The lack of formal grades in a homeschool setup can push up the importance of the performance of a homeschool student on a test such as the SAT, ACT or AP exam.
Why Should Homeschool Students Take the Standardized tests?
Although standardized testing is not a requirement in all states which allow homeschooling, they are an important tool for children looking into higher education in college. Instead of applying only for the final year SAT, it would be beneficial for the homeschool student to take a year end standardized test at the end of each academic session. This documentation will supplement the transcripts that the homeschool teacher sends over at the time of admissions.
Options for the Annual Standardized Test
The Stanford-10 Achievement Test is available for grades 3 to 12. It’s possible to find someone in the homeschool community to adminster the test. Or the homeschool parent could get certified to adminster the test on their own, should they meet the educational eligibility criterion. The California Achievement Tests is also acceptable to most states and many colleges will deem them at par with the Stanford Achievement Tests. Another option to consider would be the Iowa standardized test.
When should Your Homeschool Students Take the Test?
Ideally speaking the homeschool student should be tested at the end of each academic session. Although the tests usually start in Grade 3 for standardized testing. However, if that seems like too much for a larger sized homeschooling family, they could consider alternative year testing till the 8th grade. Then have yearly testing for all four years of High School from 9 to 12 grade. This will allow the college representative to follow the growth of the homeschool student’s academic achievements in a systematic and orderly manner, without becoming too much of a burden for the homeschool student or their homeschooling teacher.
