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Special Needs Blog Week in Review – April 15 – 21, 2012

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At the end of the week, it is nice to do a quick review of all the blogs that appeared in the past seven days. The Special Needs Blog Week in Review is a great way to catch up on the blogs that you missed, but wanted to read. It gives you a brief description of each one, and a link that will take you directly to it. The Special Needs Podcast Roundup went up on April 16, 2012. This time, I’d like to point out an episode from The Coffee Klatch which was called “National Autism Association”. It features … Continue reading →

Standardized Testing and Special Needs

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We are now in the portion of the school year when students across the country will be expected to take standardized tests. The scores they receive on those tests will be used to determine everything from which schools get funding to which teachers will lose their jobs. In some states, kids who are in special education are allowed to have more time to take those tests. Is this really a good idea? I have yet to meet a student or an educator that looks forward to the weeks when their school will be doing standardized testing. The results of these … Continue reading →

Timed Tests Help Concentration

If you are a homeschooling parent you may or may not give your child tests in general much less timed tests. Many homeschoolers do not see the benefit in giving tests to their children. I agree that a test is not the end all be all of intelligence or mastery over a subject. I was also a homeschooler who did not give or rely on tests to weigh the level of mastery achieved on a subject. Recently, I have decided to change my homeschool to include tests for my older children. Before this year I had only given spelling tests … Continue reading →

Reasons I am glad we homeschool: Cheating on tests

Were you aware that students print cheat sheets in a very small font, then tape them to the inside of a water bottle label. The water magnifies the text, and walla! They get an easy A? Were you aware that students scan a coke label, and then edit in a graphic design program to have information on the exam instead of the ingredients? Neither did I? Did you know that you can purchase a pen that you can tape cheat information in and each time you click the barrel, it reveals more information? I am amazed. Did you know you … Continue reading →

Tips for Taking Tests

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One of the most dreaded tasks that a student may ever do in school is take a test. Taking a test can be make some students very nervous and anxious. Some students completely freeze up when they are given a test to complete. Some students even take courses on how to perform better on tests. While every person is different when it comes to test taking, there are some things that students can do to help reduce test anxiety and help increase test scores. When you first enter a college course, you often will be given a syllabus. Within it … Continue reading →

The Most Talked About Homeschooling Blogs in 2007

This is my annual list of the most talked about blogs in 2007. We love comments, and the more the better! If you have been wanting to peruse the homeschooling blog but weren’t sure where to start. . .this is the place to be! My Top 5 Math Curriculum Picks In Defense of Teaching Creation Too Much Information Homeschooling or Housekeeping? Why We Are Not Testing Our Gifted Son Reason #2 Why Tax Credits Are Wrong for Homeschoolers You Call That Homeschooling? The National Lunch Association Takes Aim at Those Who Dare to Eat at Home It Has Been a … Continue reading →

Standardized Tests: My Thoughts Continued

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Yesterday I began my thoughts on standardized testing. I discussed how I feel that the test results affect the teachers more than the students. I feel that standardized tests on some scale are not bad. Teachers should be accountable for what their students learn. Standardized test are somewhat accurate when determining how well a teacher is relaying information to students. However, the tests should not be the sole evaluation. When it comes to TVASS and achievement scores, teachers will have ‘off’ years when the results are lower. However, the few teachers that I know of that repeatedly receive inadequate scores … Continue reading →

Standardized Tests: My Thoughts

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Over the past couple of days, I have defined standardized tests. I have also listed the factors that are argued for and against standardized testing. I am now a kindergarten teacher and I do not have to deal with standardized testing on the same level as third through eighth grades. My class participates in Dibels testing, which is individually given more often in shorter intervals. However, I taught eighth grade for four years and participated in standardized testing each year. I feel that standardized testing in my district affects the students’ individual academics very little. The test results are not … Continue reading →

Pros of Standardized Testing

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My past two articles have discussed the factors against standardized testing. While it may seem that there are many cons to standardized testing, there are also pros. If standardized testing were all cons, I would hope that it would not still be around. Many agree that some type of assessment is needed to measure if children are learning the required material. This assessment is not just to test what a child has learned but more what a teacher has taught. It would be very easy to come in and ‘play’ with the students all day. Knowing that there will be … Continue reading →

Factors Against Standardized Testing Continued

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Yesterday, I defined standardized tests and began detailing why some believe that standardized tests are not fair. Today, I would like to continue the discussion by adding even more factors that do not support standardized testing. Some believe that the tests are unreliable due to score variations. A reliable test will produce the same results each time the test is taken. However, standardized tests must factor in a “measurement error”. The results may be different each time the test is taken due to the child’s ability to focus because of mental and emotional factors. Therefore, a child may be able … Continue reading →