Kelly18
Mom2Emk
Reged: 12/07/06
Posts: 809
Loc: NC
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As a homeschool Mom, I have to give my dd
who is currently in the 6th, a yearly
CAT Test. HS law in NC requires it.
I can give her the test, but have to send
it in to be machine scored.
Where you live, are Achievement Tests
mandatory?
Do you enjoy homeschooling?
and how many yrs have you done so?
Thanks 
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Merry Christmas
Hugs,
Kelly
~ Proud Mom to Emily age 11 and happily married to Tim for 12 yrs and counting!!!~
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chazzsmom99
Klamath River Rat
Reged: 10/19/06
Posts: 136
Loc: near Oregon border
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Hi. I don't homeschool (yet) but I volunteer at our school ALOT!! I help my son with his homework also. Our school is very small (last count was 21 kids, K-8) and so us volunteers help out on many levels. I believe the CAT test is done every, and is required by the No Child Left Behind law (a whole other topic) so that funding for a school district is figured out. Doesn't matter if the child is homeschooled, I believe, because funding is figured out by different methods, and so the school(s) know about how much they get in that area. Funding is figured out by complicated means-I have attended school board meetings just about every month for the past 6 yrs, and I still have only a dim idea on this.
In 3 yrs my son will be high school age, and where we live at, homeschooling is a distinct possibility. We live smack dab in between 2 high schools that are 40 miles away and 45 miles away respectively. I know my decision will be based on how well I can educate my special ed son, and I find that is a scary prospect. My hats off to you homeschoolers!
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Peggi
http://www.outoftheboxsampler.com
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Kelly18
Mom2Emk
Reged: 12/07/06
Posts: 809
Loc: NC
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TY for your reply. Our Public Schools also take the CAT tests as well.
I love being a Homeschool mom. as my dd is in the 6th grade,
we may do online schooling when she reaches high school.
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Merry Christmas
Hugs,
Kelly
~ Proud Mom to Emily age 11 and happily married to Tim for 12 yrs and counting!!!~
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thimbleluvr
Apples and Ladybugs
Reged: 02/22/06
Posts: 1719
Loc: Nebraska
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I think everywhere they have to have some kind of yearly achievement tests. CAT are one of the most common, Iowa Basics is another one. They had a presentation at our PTA meeting a couple months ago about how difficult it is to really use the CAT as a measure of progress when you don't "teach to the test." If our school district averages 50 or greater on CAT scores they are happy because they don't actually cover more than half the information the students are tested on. I guess Nebraska is working on their own state test that would test on what students are actually taught in Nebraska schools.
I admire you for homeschooling. I always thought it would be something I'd like to do, but doing a home-based preschool program for my oldest about drove me crazy! Plus, our circumstances at the time would have made homeschool an absolute nightmare. We've been blessed with awesome public schools, but the thought is still there in the back of my mind if the schools start to get more liberal than I'd like them to.
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Amy
SAHM to Annelyn, Jessica, Alex, Lyndsey, Melissa & ???
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chazzsmom99
Klamath River Rat
Reged: 10/19/06
Posts: 136
Loc: near Oregon border
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Yes, the CAT isn't one of the best ones out there. Our school has 21 kids, K-8, so it's not a good clue on how well the student is really learning. I don't agree with the NCLB law, because teachers aren't really able to teach, they have to do what the test says. Not right at all. Here in California, we do STAR ( Standardized Testing and Reporting) testing also, which is ok if you are a bigger school. But after really looking at it this year, my son isn't just tested against his schoolmates, but others in his grade level state wide. (is this how CAT is? We use STAR more here) Like Amy, we are blessed with a good elementary school, which is laying the foundation of learning for my son-because of the amount of students, the teachers (1.4 teachers) are able to teach things-but I am still concerned about the high school level. My son has Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD, which makes things a bit more difficult for him, including the tests. The one high school has well over 500 students, the other less than 100. I'm glad I know a bit about these tests, and how they are read, because if I had to choose between these 2 high schools just based on scores, I would probably make the wrong choice.
Good luck!
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Peggi
http://www.outoftheboxsampler.com
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thimbleluvr
Apples and Ladybugs
Reged: 02/22/06
Posts: 1719
Loc: Nebraska
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CAT scores are based on all the students that take the test nationwide. So, your child's scores reflect how they performed compared to all other children at that same grade level across the country. So for a score of say, 60, there are 40% of students that scored better than that child and 60% scored the same or worse.
We also do CRTs in various subjects. I haven't quite totally figured out just how to judge those scores yet. I do know our school district has introduced a new report card system this year that is more in line with the CRT testing. They toughened up the grading system, too. For letter grades an A is anything 93 - 100%, B is something like 87 - 92% and so on to where an F is anything 69% or lower! That's 10 percentage points higher than where I'm used to seeing the F cutoff! For the younger grades, they have to be between 93 - 100% to be Proficient, 87 - 92% for Advanced and so on. What I've noticed as well as the teachers a lot of their quizzes and things are set up with 10 problems. So, the student automatically falls to the proficient level rather than advanced when they miss just one problem. Some of my kids have been disappointed when they bring home spelling tests and other papers to see that they're only proficient when they really want to be advanced. Usually it's a matter of missing one or two problems is all so I would still consider them to be at the advanced level, they just had a not so great day that day.
It almost takes an advanced college degree to really interpret these test scores and find the meaning in them. I'm interested to see how the teaching in our schools evolves to better fit the new report card system.
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Amy
SAHM to Annelyn, Jessica, Alex, Lyndsey, Melissa & ???
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chazzsmom99
Klamath River Rat
Reged: 10/19/06
Posts: 136
Loc: near Oregon border
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thimbleluvr-No kidding on the college degree! If as active as I am, I still have questions about scoring and stuff, it must be really confusing for others.
I know we do different tests, but have never really paid attention to them. Bad mommy! We get so involved with STAR testing, that I forget about others....
Off to check the county education site to see what I can see...
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Peggi
http://www.outoftheboxsampler.com
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CleverMoms
Mama in Charge
Reged: 10/02/06
Posts: 30927
Loc: Northern Virginia
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In Va they are mandatory.. I used to give my kids the CAT as well.. but it was so easy to do.. they allow you to administer them yourself actually... and the % your kids have to get is EXTREMELY low as it has to be consistent with that the public school mandates, lolol.. what does that tell you? Anyway, I loved homeschooling my kids and did so for several years... My son wanted to be in school though, as he is academically gifted and the school offered so much science stuff I could have not taught him, and my daughter has autism so her behavior problems were too difficult to deal with on top of trying to homeschool her and work. Now that I am a 'single parent' the whole concept is impossible as I have to work.. but I do have much adoration for those who homeschool as the kids all seem to excel both academically and socially!! Kudos to all as it is a true labor of love :)
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Please remember to click through our links when you shop! :0)
http://www.CleverMoms.com
http://www.CleverDads.com
http://www.Cleverbabies.com
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chazzsmom99
Klamath River Rat
Reged: 10/19/06
Posts: 136
Loc: near Oregon border
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Ok, I'm nosey, and if it's none of my business, let me know. I noticed you said your daughter is autistic. What kind of help does Va. have for autistic kids? California doesn't seem to have alot, but, then again, we are so rural that what may be available in cities may not be available here. I'm always curious about how other parents deal with autism....
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Peggi
http://www.outoftheboxsampler.com
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