Standardized testing week

We are so off this year due to the move that we are just now completing our standardized testing. This is the week that always makes me question if I really should be homeschooling my kids. It is difficult for me to look at my kids' scores, and view anything less than stanines in the 7-9 as proof that I don't have a clue what I am doing. It doesn't help when I read about how homeschooled kids always have higher test scores than their public schooled counterparts. So I ask myself "what am I doing wrong?".


I have to tell myself that it is because of what I am doing right. I refuse to spend weeks coaching them on "how to take the test". The Stanford especially can have some confusing formats and directions, and I don't explain them in any way. Each year, I will tackle any confusions that arise after the test. As a result, their scores improve every year. But I am still not going to spend weeks giving some questions in the exact format of the test, because that is not "real world". We have better uses for our time.


I have to realize that my kids are not me. Heck, I have one who is most likely somewhere on the autistic spectrum, however mildly, so the fact that his reading scores are closer each year to average should be reason for me to jump for joy! I cannot lament that my oldest is only "average" in math, as he is doing his best, despite being the child of two engineers.

Mostly, this week is my lesson in humility. This is not about me! And I need to remember that as I place these test scores in their proper perspective, find areas we can concentrate harder on for next year, and move on to fight another day.