Testing 101: Successful Testing Starts the Day Before

End of the year homeschool achievement testing begins soon, and in many states it’s a requirement.  In the coming weeks I’ll be presenting a series of test-taking tips designed to help your child perform at his or her best. This first tip begins with what you can do prior to actually testing. Below are six guidelines that will increase the likelihood of a positive and successful test experience.

For the Child

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1. Proper Rest
To do well one must feel his best. Your child should receive an adequate amount of sleep the night before the testing so that he will be alert and ready to put in a full morning’s work.

2. Proper Breakfast
A good breakfast is necessary so that your child will have the necessary energy to perform at his best.

3. Good Health
Children who are sick or experiencing a cold should postpone testing. It’s hard to do one’s best when you don’t feel good.

For the Parent

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4. Have a Positive Attitude
Younger children are greatly influenced by the attitudes and perceptions of their parents. If your attitude is one that the test is an opportunity for your child to show what he has learned during the year, most will approach the test in a positive manner and experience decreased or little stress.

On the other hand, if you perceive the testing as an adversary to your home schooling efforts, your child may well feel threatened and perform poorly due to an increased degree of stress.

We suggest you communicate the following to your child:
The test experience, while maybe not fun (although some children may think it is), will be an opportunity to be with other home-schooled children and a time to show what has been learned.

Help him see the examiner as a friend who is there to help him do his best. Think of him or her as a coach who, while unable to play in the game, is there to encourage and help each player do his best.

5. Recognize the Significance of the Test
The most any achievement test can do is sample student knowledge. It is not comprehensive, and should not be seen as measuring “all that a student knows.” From an achievement test, we may infer that a student possesses (or lacks) a greater body of knowledge, but that is all. Therefore, an achievement test should be seen as an indicator of academic progress, not an absolute measurement.

6. Choose a Test Setting Appropriate to your Child’s Temperament
For some young children, the best test setting is a small group of familiar home school friends in which the parent is present for moral support. This helps alleviate tension that may develop should the child be tested privately in which the entire attention is focused on the child.

Other children will do better in a private setting if they are easily distracted or become overly nervous in a group setting. If this is the case, choose an examiner who is empathetic with home schooling and your child in particular.

Remember: the goal is to get an accurate picture of what the child knows.

I hope you will find this and future time-tested tips useful as you prepare your children for testing this spring.

Curt Bumcrot, MRE

1. • For more ideas and an actual test you can give at home, we have two practice tests series to choose from: The One Hour Practice Test  and Achieving Peak Performance. Both are available as instant downloads so you can start preparing immediately!   
   • If you live in Oregon you can sign up for a group test or locate an examiner near you.
   • If you live outside the state of Oregon and know someone who’d make a good examiner for your child, you can direct them to apply to become a qualified examiner with us. Qualifying is fast, simple, and only requires a four-year degree.