During Christmas time, we often focus on giving. We teach our children that it’s better to give than to receive. You may have helped them create a Christmas gift budget. Or you may have encouraged them to give by serving others. We must remember that we as children of God are able to give in love because we were first loved. In this season of giving, let each gift shine with the love of God.
Interpreting Test Results for Your Homeschool Child
Standardized achievement testing is an important part of my homeschool. We test our children every year to see how they’re growing academically. And as I mentioned in my post “How My Family Benefited from Standardized Testing,” we’ve found that standardized testing provides a lot of other benefits too.
Nevertheless, if you’ve never tested your child before, the test result PDF you receive on your BJU Press Homeschool account may be a little intimidating. You might find yourself wondering “What does it all mean?” and “What should I do with all this information?” Let me walk you through interpreting test results so that you can understand where your child is academically and how you can best help him or her in the future.
Interpreting Test Results
Understanding Norms
It’s important to understand that your child’s test results don’t compare him or her to other current homeschool students in a particular grade. Your child’s score is a comparison to a norm group. A norm group comes from a group of students in a particular grade across the nation—from both public and private schools. These students all took the same test at a similar point in their academic year.
However, keep in mind that the Stanford Achievement Test was recently re-normed so that your child is being compared only to students who attended private schools. This means that the average score on the current Stanford Achievement Test is going to be quite high.
National Percentage Rank (NPR)
If you are using The Iowa Test® (the test that my family uses), you will probably notice right away the national percentile rank (NPR) score for each subtest on the first page. The NPR score indicates the percentage of students who scored lower than your child. For example, if your child had a NPR rank of 89 in Social Studies, that would mean that your child did better than 89 percent of students who took that same Social Studies subtest. Since NPR rankings above 75 are considered above average, an 89 would be a very good score. Scores ranging from 25 to 74 are considered in the average range, and scores 24 and lower are considered below average.
So—hypothetically speaking—if your child scored an NPR of 92 on the Math Total, you could be very confident of his or her readiness to tackle some more advanced math concepts. But if he or she scored a 32, you would probably want to note the weak areas and possibly slow down on (or even re-teach) some of those more difficult concepts before moving on.
National Stanines (NS)
The single-digit numbers that you see on your test results are national stanines. Stanines are another way to communicate where your child is in relationship to the average. An NS score of 5 is average. Scores between 6 and 9 are considered above average, and scores 1 through 4 are considered below average.
Grade Equivalent (GE)
The grade equivalent score is perhaps the most confusing and the most often misinterpreted score in your achievement test results. What does it mean if your third grader has a GE of 8.7 in reading? It doesn’t mean that your student is ready for eighth grade work. And it also doesn’t mean that your third grader is reading at an eighth grade level. It only means that your child did as well on this particular test as an eighth grader would. High GE scores can be confidence boosters—they indicate that your child has mastered the material on the test. They don’t indicate what grade your child should be in.
Drilling Down to Spot Weak Areas
When you look at your achievement test results, you will want to look deeper than just composite scores. Be sure to check the breakdown of scores for each subtest to see if there are any problem areas. For example, let’s pretend that your child has a composite math score of 88 (a great score), but when you dig deeper into the report, you notice that the geometry score was actually only a 29. This is valuable information—now you know that your child probably needs some extra practice with those geometry concepts.
If you don’t understand what some of those breakdown categories are, or if you need some ideas for how to strengthen some of those areas your child is weak in, please call BJU Press Testing & Evaluation. They have some awesome, very knowledgeable staff members who would love to talk with you. You can also explore the various achievement tests they offer through Testing & Evaluation.
Twelve Days of Christmas Writing Activity
If you enjoyed the Twelve Days of Thanksgiving activity Rebecca posted, you may also enjoy this Christmas writing activity! Encourage your children to keep a journal entitled “Twelve Days of Christmas Meditations.” The idea is for them to write about a different topic each day, reflecting on God’s goodness in all the different gifts He has given us. Ultimately, these reflections should lead them to our most precious gift, His Son who laid down His life for us. Feel free to use these topic suggestions or come up with your own; the possibilities are endless! You can even use this printable visual as a writing prompt for each day.
“On the twelfth day of Christmas, my Lord God gave to me . . . ”
One Only Begotten Son
What better way to start this journal than by thanking God for His unspeakable gift, our Lord Jesus Christ? Find some prophecies about Him in the Old Testament and how they were fulfilled in the New Testament.
Two Testaments
We can also praise God for giving us His complete and perfect Word. Explain how Jesus is the central theme in both the Old and New Testaments.
Three Talents
God has graciously given us different skills and abilities. Choose three talents the Lord has blessed you with, and write how you can use them for His glory.
Four Glad Seasons
Write about your favorite aspects of each season of the year and how each one points us to our Creator.
Five Bible Servants
List your choices for the top five individuals in Scripture, and explain why they are your favorites.
Six Precious Verses
Write out six Bible verses that have special meaning to you. If you just can’t limit yourself to six, feel free to list more!
Seven Special Creatures
Praise the Lord today for seven of His most unique mammals, insects, birds, fish, reptiles, or amphibians—any creature you find amazing or interesting. Again, you don’t have to choose just seven!
Eight Promises Given
Write down eight of God’s precious promises given to us in His Word.
Nine Faithful Heroes
Make a list of nine people who have made an impact for Christ and on your life as well. Write a short explanation of why you included each one. They can be missionaries, evangelists, pastors, or anyone else who has affected your life either in the past or in the present.
Ten Fingers and Toes
Psalm 139:14 says, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well.” Spend some time in your journal today praising God for how He created your body and reflect on how you can use it to serve and glorify Him.
Eleven Carols Ringing
So many carols, so little time! Write down eleven Christmas carols you enjoy singing at this time of year; see if you can find some “new” old ones you’ve never heard before and try to learn them with your family.
Twelve Favorite Things
God has so richly blessed us with all kinds of things! List a dozen of your favorites, and spend some time thanking the Lord for them. Examples include a favorite toy, book, stuffed animal, souvenir, food, article of clothing, and so on.
As your children work on their journals, encourage them to think of ways they can give back to their good and gracious Giver.
• • • • •
Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves homeschooling them. During her own twelve years of being homeschooled, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.
Take Advantage of Homeschool Stability
If you’re at the beginning of your homeschool journey, you might think of the serenity prayer often seen on magnets and signs: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Despite the flexibility of homeschooling, there are still some things that you cannot—or should not—change. In fact, here are five unchangeable elements that will shape your family’s homeschool journey. It’s important for you to be familiar with these elements at the outset because they will give you stability in the years to come.
1. State Regulations
All states have regulations for how children are educated, and most have specific rules concerning home education, ranging from low to high in restrictiveness. These regulations may seem like an imposition, but they’re intended to ensure the well-being of your children. The best way to follow your state’s regulations is to keep detailed and accurate records of the classes your children have taken and to regularly participate in achievement testing.
The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) offers a helpful summary of each state’s regulations for homeschooling. Knowing your state’s rules is a key first step for homeschooling. You don’t want to be taken by surprise by requirements, such as submitting test scores or academic records by a certain date.
2. Commitment
No parent just wakes up one morning and decides to start homeschooling. It’s a long and often difficult journey that involves many sacrifices. Carefully consider the reasons behind your decision to homeschool. Do you want to homeschool to more effectively disciple your children? Do you want to lay a solid foundation for a biblical worldview? Are you protecting your kids from bad influences? Do you want to make sure that they’re getting what they need academically? The factors you based your decision on drive the commitment you make to homeschooling. This commitment effects both the goals you set for your children and the curriculum you choose.
3. Joy
In a traditional school environment, much of the potential of learning gets lost. Everything is textbooks, tests, strict rules, lining up, raising your hand, and just ten more minutes until lunch. With one teacher to every ten to fifteen students, that rigidity is what keeps the school going. But at the end of the day, the joy of learning often gets lost in the humdrum moments. Learning should be fun because every day is packed with new ideas and new ways of looking at the world.
When it’s just you and your children learning together, you have the freedom and opportunity to bring out the joy of learning every time you find it. You can set the rules that are important to your family. This one-on-one experience with your children lets you chase learning wherever it may lead.
4. Homeschool Support System
Remember, you don’t have to do this alone. Every homeschooling group is a community of like-minded parents who are as committed to the homeschool calling as you are. These communities are digital, local, regional or state, and networks. Digital communities are groups of bloggers that offer quick answers to homeschool problems as well as numerous resources for parents. Local communities, or homeschool co-ops, give you a chance to join forces as you teach your children. Co-ops share the burden of teaching and planning field trips and give children a chance to develop healthy friendships outside the home.
Regional or state homeschool support organizations give families a place to turn to in navigating their journey. In addition to offering conventions and conferences, they keep track of state regulations on homeschooling, and some have consultants who work with families as they get started and can connect them to local co-ops. HSLDA functions as a countrywide support organization and maintains a list of state organizations on its website.
Another good option for getting some personalized support is connecting with a consultant from Homeworks by Precept, a nationwide network of independent curriculum consultants who have plenty of homeschooling experience. Establishing a relationship with a HomeWorks consultant could make your first few years of homeschooling much easier.
5. Time
Education takes time. Both you and your children will need to devote time to lessons and schoolwork. But that doesn’t mean you can’t homeschool if you’re a single parent or running a home business. How you use your time is still up to you. There are many different options available to busy homeschool parents that can work with the time they have available, such as self-paced video courses or online classes. Time-strapped parents will also appreciate a curriculum that includes as many supplemental resources and activities as they may want so that they won’t need to come up with these on their own. Knowing how much time you can devote to homeschooling will help you narrow down your curriculum options.
Eager to learn more about your homeschooling journey? Please sign up to receive our free eBook, A Guide to Homeschooling, to learn more about the road ahead of you. Be sure to fill out the homeschool preparation checklist at the end, and feel free to ask questions in the comments section below.
4 Christmas Science Projects for Your Homeschool
As Christmas approaches, your kids are probably getting more excited about the holidays and less enthusiastic about school. Why not combine science learning with a holiday theme? Explore these four exciting Christmas science projects for your homeschool.
Christmas Slime
If you haven’t made slime with your kids yet, consider trying this homeschool science experiment around the holidays. There’s nothing quite like the amazement on a kid’s face when a simple combination of glue, borax, and warm water turns into the perfect play material. To add a Christmassy (or Christmessy) touch, use sparkly green or sparkly red glue.
As you create the slime, talk about the elements necessary for the project and explain the chemical reaction that’s involved. You can explain the nature of the polymer molecules in the glue, and how the borax in water results in borate ions that connect to those polymers, changing their behavior.
Festive Cranberries in Soda
What makes soda bubbly? What happens when a small dense object is dropped into a liquid filled with carbon dioxide bubbles? Pour a glass of Sprite®, carbonated water, or another clear carbonated beverage. Next, drop in a few cranberries.
Since they’re dense, the cranberries sink at first. But watch as the carbon dioxide bubbles collect around the cranberries and carry them up to the top! As those bubbles pop, the cranberries will sink again, and the process will repeat continuously. This homeschool science experiment should keep your kids fascinated for a while, and you’ll get the opportunity to talk about buoyancy, density, and the properties of carbon dioxide.
Dissolving Candy Canes
How do different liquids affect the state of a solid—in this instance, a candy cane? Fill four clear jars about halfway with different liquids—one with cold water, one with hot water, one with cooking oil, and one with vinegar. Ask your kids to make scientific predictions about what might happen to a candy cane when it’s left in one of the jars. Have them measure the candy canes before you begin.
As the kids place a candy cane in each jar, set a stopwatch to time the dissolving process. Have your children observe and make notes. Which liquid dissolves a candy cane the fastest? Which one is slowest? How long does it take before the candy cane is completely gone? What happens to the liquids in the jars?
The candy cane dissolving process fascinates kids of any age. If you have preschoolers who shouldn’t be around the hot water and other liquids, make them their own sensory toy using a clear plastic bottle filled with water and chunks of candy cane, with a tightly closed lid. They’ll enjoy shaking it around and making their own observations.
What other kinds of Christmas candy can you use to change up this Christmas science experiment? Does shaking the jars make the process any faster? Allow your kids to question, observe, and practice the scientific method as long as they want with this activity.
States of Matter with Chocolate and Crayons
Once you’re done dissolving candy canes, you can go on to experiment with the states of matter of your Christmas chocolates. Simply fill sandwich bags with chocolate pieces and have your children hold them and try to melt the chocolate with their hands alone. How long does it take? Do the same with crayons. Do they melt? Once you’re done with the chocolate and crayons, you can turn them into fun shapes or make ornaments!
For more Christmas science experiments for your homeschool, check out Pinterest or your favorite homeschool blogs. You can try the ice and salt melting experiment, fizzing candy canes, or the foaming snowman. As you blend science with elements of Christmas, you can remind your children of just how amazing God’s creation is, and how Christ’s birth was part of His great plan to redeem it.
• • • • •
Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.