When Achievement Test Results Point to Curriculum Failure

Many parents get a wake-up call when the results of their child’s achievement test suggest the curriculum they used let them down. In other words, if your child flew through their curriculum easily yet did poorly on their achievement test, the question is why? What, if anything, went wrong? Was it test anxiety or poor test taking skills? Or was the text book too easy for the grade indicated? Did it simply fail? If you’re convinced the curriculum you used was the problem, here’s a suggestion.

It’s possible for home schoolers to make good things like strong test scores, grades, and after-high-school-plans more important than they should be.  This is often referred to as over investing.  When it comes to curriculum, how do you know if you’ve over invested?  And if so, how do you remedy the situation?

Years ago a parent told me that she felt the grammar book she had used with her elementary- age student had been a total waste of time.  She had stayed with it the entire year hoping the book would improve and deliver the results it promised. It didn’t, and now she was worried her child had fallen behind. There was no getting the year back. Knowing there is a lot of overlap of learning objectives from one year to the next, I told her not to worry (which didn’t really help her stop worrying, after all this wasn’t my daughter).  I said, after giving her some ideas, just to pick a different book next year.

Now, years later, her daughter has graduated from college.  She holds a job in which the ability to communicate both verbally and in writing is crucial.  Using an ineffective book wasn’t as big a deal as it seemed originally.  This brings me to my point about over investment.

Sometimes we do over-invest in our curriculum. We have over-invested when we are unwilling to give it up or replace it when it is not doing the job.  Yes, it may have received great reviews from some home-school expert.  Or, your friends may have strongly recommended it.  You thought maybe it would get better, or maybe the problem is me, that I’m just not using it right.  Regardless, if it’s not working, it’s not working.

If this is your experience, sounds like it’s time for a change.  So, go ahead!

Thanks for Reading!

Curt Bumcrot, MRE

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