Monday, April 4, 2011

Standardized Tests

The Crafter and Wild Thing take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills next week. Yearly testing is required in our state beginning at age seven. It will be Wild Thing's first time.

We work through a test prep book each year to prepare. We always find interesting holes in the children's educations. For example, this year Wild Thing had to complete the poem "I was walking by the lake. There I saw a black and yellow __________." His choices were a picture of a duck, a picture of a rabbit, and a picture of a snake. Poor Wild Thing was so confused. He asked if the duck was male or female. He was thinking drake. I said that my instructions didn't say anything about the duck and to go with the one that he knew. Sigh.

The Crafter needs to brush up on her emoticons. I kid you not. She was supposed to identify the one for being bored. On a serious note she also needs review her literary terms and some basic government. 

Next week shall tell the tale of how my homeschooled scholars measure up against the rest of the country. They may not do so well in "social studies", but I know the real story, and my son knows what a drake is.


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