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North Carolina’s home education law regarding achievement testing for home schoolers is really quite simple when you break it down into understandable parts. For example, consider these common questions and their answers . . .
Q. What do I do with the results? A. “Maintain records. ..for one year after the testing. . .available for annual inspection by a duly authorized representative of the State of North Carolina.” Q. Can I administer the achievement tests myself? A. Yes! Simply stated, in the matter of the achievement test, you have perfect liberty both to choose the kind of test your child takes and to determine the time, place and setting in which the test is given. You may also choose who gives the achievement test to your child. And while DNPE recommends that a 3rd party administer the test, NC law makes no such requirement. (If you live in another state besides North Carolina, and are not sure what your homeschool laws require, click here to find out about your government agencies and laws) It is also helpful to remember that (again according to our state law) each home school is legally considered a non-public or private school. As such, you, the parent-teacher-administrator of your own private school, have all the privileges of controlling every aspect of your child’s education. Along with that privilege, however, comes responsibility -- the complete responsibility to develop and teach the curriculum, to organize day-to-day activities, to keep important records of grades, etc., as well as to obtain and annually administer a nationally standardized achievement test. Since, therefore, you are responsible for such an important task, you may be wondering, “Where do I find these nationally standardized achievement tests?” and “How do I administer them?” One common misconception is that the so-called “end of grade” tests given by the public schools are acceptable for home schools. It is true that G.S. 115C-559 of NC law allows for non-public schools to participate in public school testing programs. However, “end of grade” tests given by NC public schools do not satisfy NC law for home schools, because those tests are not nationally standardized; nor do they measure achievement in all the specific areas required for home schools. •Private schools: If you have contact with one of these traditional classroom schools you may be able to test when they do. Remember, by law, they only have to test grades 3, 6 & 9, while home schools must test every student in every grade every year. •Packaged curriculums: If your curriculum is from a correspondence school or other educational service, you may already have the achievement test provided for you. Check with your supplier for such availability. •Private testing services: By far the greatest number of options are available from independent individuals or companies in the business of providing tests and accompanying services. These private testing services began to appear several years ago when the achievement test publishers stopped selling tests directly to home schooling parents. In the best spirit of free enterprise, many people already involved in home education saw the testing needs home schoolers had and took steps to meet those needs. They set up private, for-profit businesses, contracting with and meeting the often stringent requirements of the test publishers, and subsequently made the tests available to home schooling families and support groups for a small fee. It is from these entrepreneurs that you will usually find the widest range of test types and the best services to meet your needs. And here, again by law, you are free to choose the service that best suits your student’s and school’s situation. If you or your child needs a quiet, one-on-one, in-home testing environment then you can find companies that (with varying requirements & prices) will provide it. If, on the other hand, a group situation will suffice, that, too, is readily available, usually sponsored by or within your support group. 
Q. Which of the nationally standardized tests should you use? A. NC law makes no requirement and DNPE makes no recommendations. Therefore, you may use one of the big four (ITBS, CAT, Metropolitan, Stanford) or any of a number of lesser-known tests. Educational researchers generally agree that the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and the Stanford Ach. Test are both a little more comprehensive because they test “higher order thinking skills” which show how well children reason as well as how they perform repetitive tasks or dexterity skills. But actually, any of the nationally standardized tests (those that have been developed, tested, scored and normed for a group large enough to represent the entire U.S.) will do just fine. And while not necessary, it is generally better for your students and for tracking their year-by-year development and progress (which is, after all, the main purpose of the tests) to stick with the same test from year to year. You may use the traditional, timed, fill-in-the-bubble, kind of test (like the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills or the California Ach. Tests) in which you are allowed by law to test your own children in your own home. Or you may prefer a non-timed version of these traditional tests (like the PASS test from Hewitt Research). There is even a short-but-thorough, non-timed, mostly verbal test (called the Woodcock-Johnson) which is only given by a trained administrator who would come to your home or other comfortable location. “So, what’s the next step?” you may ask. With an understanding of North Carolina law and your responsibility to it, you are now ready to make some choices. The key to all of this is to choose the test and testing situation that is best for you and your student(s). Click here to learn all about the tests offered by Piedmont Education Services. Please call us at 336-924-2494 , in Winston Salem, or email us at service@pesdirect.com if you have any other questions. We look forward to serving you. |
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What requirements are there for me to use these tests? Can I administer the CAT/5® to my own children/students? For homeschools and homeschool groups: Because there is no advanced degree required to administer the CAT/5 tests, homeschooling parents/teachers without a bachelors' or masters' degree can administer the test themselves to their own students in their own home without all the hassle and expense of arranging for and driving to a separate testing situation or getting someone else to administer it for you. Instead, you can administer it yourself to your own children in their own learning environment at home! The CAT/5 Complete Battery (Science & Social Studies are included but are optional) can even be administered in several smaller increments over several days, if that would work out best to meet the students' needs. And because it has no written essay questions but comes in a multiple-choice, fill-in-the-bubble format, that can be completed in a relaxed setting, the CAT/5 can be less stressful for the student. Even many special needs children can benefit from the CAT/5 since they would be allowed to do what is called a "non-standard administration" of the test, going at a much slower pace and even with some assistance in reading the words and/or filling in the bubbles (see the Examiner's Manual included in the test package for complete instructions). However, you must abide by the following criteria: How does the CAT/5 compare to other types of nationally standardized achievement tests? Most nationally standardized achievement tests (ITBS, CAT, Stanford, MET) are similar in that they use a multiple choice, fill-in-the-bubble, workbook format, national norms, scores broken down into various types (Grade Equivalents, Percentile Rankings, Stanines) based on national norms (i.e. comparisons to other children having taken the test across the USA). Subjects tested, time frames for completing the tests, and the exact number of questions will vary somewhat. The layout will usually be somewhat different, and newer versions/editions of the tests will often have newer pictures and photos. The biggest difference in the test questions is that most of the newer versions of all of the tests have more "multiculturalism" ("the acceptance or promotion of multiple ethnic cultures, for practical reasons and/or for the sake of diversity and applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g. schools, businesses, neighborhoods, cities or nations. In this context, multiculturalists advocate extending equitable status to distinct ethnic and religious groups without promoting any specific ethnic, religious, and/or cultural community values as central." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiculturalism). This is especially true in Social Studies which, as a general rule in the public schools, teaches about subjects like Kwanzaa, the exploitation of native Americans by Europeans, etc., and/or other possible questions reflecting more contemporary values/ideas and/or political correctness. The ITBS, Form A, has more of this than the CAT/5. However, all nationally standardized achievement tests have this to some degree or other. All tests produce excellent score reports which have different data for comparing your child(ren) to others across the country. As for who can administer the test, both the ITBS & CAT/5 allow homeschooling parents to administer the test to their own children. However, only the CAT/5 does not require a bachelor's degree or other advanced degree to administer. The Stanford has been somewhat more restrictive as to whether or not parents can administer it to their own kids. All-in-all, the tests are like choosing a car to drive. They have different "bells and whistles", but all do the same job of getting you where you need to go. Truthfully, any of the nationally standardized achievement tests will accomplish the task of evaluating your child(ren)'s academic progress from year to year and/or satisfying your state's legal requirement for testing. Therefore, your decision as to which test to use may rest on something as simple as personal preference, the price of the tests, and/or the quality of service and information you get from the test provider. We hope we excell in these areas and that you will allow us to serve you and your testing needs. When are the CAT/5 tests available? Is there a deadline for ordering? How do I choose the correct test level? When will I receive my tests? Is there a refund given if I am not able to use my test?
What should I do before I begin administering the tests? 2. Read the applicable parts of the Examiner’s Manual. 3. Plan your testing time, etc. PLEASE NOTE: Grades 1-3 must be tested separately since they have different times allowed to work each subject. Grades 4-12 can be tested together since they all have the same working time frames. 4. Please DO NOT write in any of the Examiner’s Manuals or Student test books. (Exception: Only Grades 1-3 allow students to fill in the circle right in the book. All other grades use a separate answer sheet.) An additional charge of $10 per student book and $20 per teacher’s book will be charged before scores are released if the books are written in or damaged in any way. Parents/teachers are responsible for their students’ actions in regards to these testing materials. 5. Complete the name & data grids for student’s last name, first name, date of birth, gender, CAT/5 Form A, Level and Grade. All other grids are optional/not applicable. Incomplete grids could result in the forms being lost or unable to be scored! How long do I have to administer the tests? Download the Time Schedules for Each Grade Below Grade 1 What should I do if my child is sick or there are other emergencies/unavoidable problems? May I or my student(s) write in the test booklets? We ask that you take care of the books, and not to write in them or damage them in any way, because we reuse the test books for other families. Since the test materials are expensive for us to purchase from the publisher ($10 per student book and $30 per examiner's manual), the only way we can continue to stay in business and offer this testing service is to reuse the books over a year's period of time, allowing multiple families to take the test, return the books to us, and then we repeat that process. In the material we send you, we state that you are not purchasing the books, but are leasing them from us for the purpose of testing. You are purchasing our service and the score reports obtained from that service. All testing materials remain the property of Piedmont Education Services, an authorized reseller/distributor of the CAT/5 copyrighted materials and facilitator of the testing service. A damaged book fee will be charged if books are not returned in a satisfactory condition. Please remember, you are leasing, not purchasing, the tests and actual booklets, etc. You are purchasing an achievement testing service and the score reports obtained from that service. All testing materials remain the property of Piedmont Education Services, an authorized reseller/distributor of the CAT/5® copyrighted materials and facilitator of the testing service. Thank you for your help in this matter. What should I do after the test is completed? 2. If you have more than one test, sort answer sheets by grade & alphabetize them within each grade. 3. Securely package ALL materials sent to you & return them to us at Piedmont Education Services, 1629 Turfwood Drive, Pfafftown, NC 27040-9513. (Postage to return testing materials to us is not included.) To avoid any additional charges, you should return all materials in as good a condition as you received them within one (1) week of having completed the tests. Please remember, you are leasing, not purchasing, the tests & actual booklets, etc. You are purchasing an achievement testing service and the student(s) score reports obtained from that service. All testing materials remain the property of Piedmont Education Services, an authorized rerseller of the copyrighted materials and facilitator of the testing service.
What happens to my student(s)' answer documents when I return them? What does the report look like? Why is machine scoring only available during the spring? How does manual scoring differ from machine scoring?
INTERPRETING THE TEST RESULTS: Is there anyone who can help me understand my test reports? What types of scores will I see on my machine scored reports and what do they mean? Click here for a sample report. • National Stanine (NS): categorizes test performance into only nine broad units (with “1” being the lowest and “9” being the highest), that always correspond exactly to percentiles; most often used to compare large groups of students • Grade Equivalent (GE): an estimate of where the student is along a developmental continuum, not of where he should be place in the graded organization of the school. It may reflect the actual level of task difficulty a student can consistently perform. Thus, if a student receives a grade equivalent of 7.8, that says that he is estimated to do, in that particular subject, what an average student in that grade (and month, assuming nine months in a traditional school calendar) would do if given the same questions. However, GE’s should always be interpreted with caution. Since the GE indicates the year and month of traditional school for which a student’s score is typical, the scores should not be the sole criterion for grade placement or other evaluation. • Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE): designed to be used in special education, they have no inherent meaning, but can be used to compare achievement across subject areas or over time • Scale Score (SS): often called Standard Score, this is the foundational score or statistical score from which all the other scores are derived. However, because it, too, has no meaning all by itself, the SS is listed merely for reference. • Objectives Mastery Score (OMS): tells how many of the commonly taught curriculum objectives the student has actually mastered; the lower half of the report has a more detailed listing of the “Objectives Performance Scores”, each of which has at least four items. The “Objectives Perfomance Index” is a number that estimates the percentage of any set of appropriate items related to the objective that the student would be expected to answer correctly. The bands to the right of each number show the range within which the student’s true level of mastery would fall most of the time. • National Percentile Ranking (NP): describes the student’s performance and relative standing in the norming group. For example, a PR of 90 means that a student scored as well as or better than 90 percent of the students his age or grade level, which would put him in the top ten percent of the students who took the test. • The last column of numbers, the Range, designates the range of scores represented by the National Percentile bands shown on the graph to the right. The “Range” is used because a test score is not regarded as a precise point on a scale, but rather as a point within a range of scores that most likely includes the true score. The ranges can also be generally classified as follows: Percentile Rank General Classification • Thinking Skills: available only for grades 4-12, this is reported as “high,” “average” or “low,” based on how well the student scored on a subset of items that require complex thinking processes. What are some general guidelines for understanding these scores and how to use them in my teaching? However, it is important to use care when interpreting test scores. Remember that norms are not standards of performance. Norms (usually reported as Grade Equivalent, Percentile Ranking, Standard Score, Age Equivalent, etc.) simply report how scores are distributed in a representative sample of the population. These scores are simply statistical comparisons of the individual student to the larger group of peers. By statistical definition, one-half of the subjects at any grade or age level must be at or below that grade or age score and one-half of the subjects must be at or above that grade or age score. Therefore, you should avoid labeling or categorizing students based on a single test’s scores. Careful consideration of the information. . .will result in varying implications for different students. Test patterns will provide information about an individual’s strengths and weaknesses and, in some cases, provide insights relevant to necessary accommodations or appropriate instructional recommendations. However, test performance identifies only relative strengths and weaknesses. They are relative because they are identified comparing the performance of a single student to how he relates to the group. They are not necessarily absolute strengths and weaknesses. However, testing is just one part of the total process. The teacher should compare and integrate test results with information from many sources, including firsthand observation of the student, the child’s daily course work, parental reports, etc., to get a complete picture of the student’s abilities and skills and subsequent application to curriculum needs and teaching methods. Because test scores are rarely without error, it is essential that parents understand that the scores need to be interpreted as a score range rather than as a precise score point. Many parents have the mistaken notion that test scores provide a comprehensive picture of how well their child has progressed in school. However, one should not use test scores as the only indicator of school achievement. The scores reported as Grade Equivalents (GE) and Percentile Ranking (PR) have the greatest potential to be misunderstood and/or misinterpreted. Grade Equivalents are usually an indicator of year-to-year growth. However, there are any number of factors that may affect a student’s GE either positively or negatively. GE’s are only an estimate of where the student is along a developmental continuum. They should not be valued as a precise measurement of how much the student has progressed from one grade to the next. The same can be said for Percentile Rankings. Slight changes in a student’s percentile ranking over time have very little meaning. A change from the 40th percentile in one grade to the 42nd percentile in the next grade may seem to mark little progress. Or a change from 68% to 61% may be regarded as no progress or even regression. However, it is important to understand that, because of the statistical nature of the achievement test norms, students who maintain nearly the same rank in their peer group from year to year are actually progressing at a rate that is typical for that grade. It is for these reasons that neither the GE’s nor the PR’s should be used as sole indicators of the student’s overall achievement. In short, nationally standardized achievement tests and their scores are not precise measurements, but are, rather, simple tools – among an wide array of educational items – that a wise educator may use to craft his teaching methods and curriculum and to guide his students’ academic progress. Q. How do I order your "Home Schooling Through High School" e-book? |