Declaring A Test Holiday?

A test holiday has been declared for students in public schools nationwide. Sort of reminds me of the child’s game of hide and go seek where at the end, the seeker calls out, “Olly olly oxen, free, free, free.” This meant you could come out safely into the open. No penalties, no consequences, no getting “caught.” That’s the feeling tone that high stakes testing often generates. 

But what if the main  goal of your testing is different. What if it’s to get an accurate picture of what your student knows? It’s not about, “Gotcha.” Among other things, it’s about confirming and affirming what your student knows. It’s about finding what he or she doesn’t know and taking steps to remedy the deficits. It’s about helping you identify the gaps in their learning so you can fill them in.    

If that’s one of the main reasons  you do testing, an accompanying question is, “What’s the best test setting for my student? The best test setting for your student is the one appropriate to their temperament.

Pre-coronavirus, there were several options to choose from:

• Large group testing: Some students do fine testing with a group of home schoolers regardless of size. It doesn’t matter if they know or don’t know the other students. 

• Small group testing: For other students,  the best test setting is a small group of home schoolers, some of whom may be friends.  This context helps them relax. It may diffuse some of the stress associated with test taking. 

• Private and semi-private testing:  For still other students, if they are easily distracted or become overly nervous in a group setting, a private or semi-private setting is the way to go. 

In this period of shelter at homedue to the Coronavirus,  the options have changed. Will the old options return? Yes, but the question is when. 

For now, there are new options for you to consider. Testing at Home is one such option. You can read about it here.

• Interested in testing at home simply for your own information? You can now do that.
• Interested in testing at home to comply with state law? You can do that too.
• Interested in testing for other reasons? You can do that as well. 

All of the above can be accomplished in the comfort of your own home.  It’s up to you!

Thanks for reading!

Curt Bumcrot, MRE