Testing

So this is Elazar's first year testing.  According to NYS homeschool law, the annual assessment must be from a list of tests every other year starting in 4th grade (and every single year in high school). 

The child must get 33rd percentile or above.

If the child doesn't get 33rd percentile, the child can demonstrate a "year of growth" by getting the same percentile the next year, on next year's test.  If he gets 10th percentile on the 5th grade test, and then 10th percentile on the 6th grade test, then he achieved a year of growth.

So the standards seem to leave a lot of wiggle room for unschooling.

I showed Elazar a sample question, which he didn't understand.  I told him it was like a riddle.  He said, "Oh! So tests are like a bunch of riddles."

The test is six sections.  He does one section a day, at the same time as Chen.  I sat next to him during the test.  Chen gets extra time from her 504, and Elazar needed extra time, too.  One of these days I have to call the special ed dept and see about 504 plans for homeschoolers.  Eventually, Elazar is going to have to get tested.  Right now I'm planning to wait until at least 7th grade, possibly 9th, so that he can actually sit through the tests.

He did okay reading.  Reading so much in a row is not something he is used to doing.  I could see that he definitely had some gaps in comprehension.  Not so much in the stories.  He more didn't understand what the questions were asking or what the choices were saying.  This didn't bother me much because he comprehended the gist of the actual paragraphs.  He didn't know some of the grammar, which I'm sure he'll pick up as he continues through life.  He didn't know some of the vocabulary. 

Math was interesting.  He's been 100% unschooled.  He has never been taught math.  The question was how to handle the test.  In theory, I could look at the test in advance and teach him the math beforehand.  But I didn't bother.  I did have to explain to him that 4/7 means "four pieces out of seven" and once I did that, he was able to do the fractions.  He understood immediately that meant he should add or subtract the numerator and leave the denominator the same.  He did have some trouble with 2 x 1/4.  I think he got that one wrong. 

Much of the test was subtraction of 4-digit numbers and division of 4-digit by 1-digit.  These drove him bonkers.  In the beginning, he was happy to do it.  But he was calculating it on his fingers and he got weary of it quickly.  I showed him how to use scrap paper.  Interestingly, he intuitively knew to carry the one.  But I did have to explain to him about borrowing 10 when he couldn't subtract a larger number from the smaller number.

All of the decimals were a whiz for him because they were all like dollars and cents, and most of his math is dollars and cents. 

He didn't know what the long division house was (I didn't know what it is called, and I just googled "what's the long division house" and it's called a viniculum).  So I just said the inside is the cookies and the outside is the amount of people who get cookies.  He did all right with those in the beginning and then he got worn out. 

It took him double time to complete the test and he was guessing the longer problems by the end. 

Interestingly, this kind of math will rarely come up for him.  In this society, he can use a calculator for these kinds of things.  I was able to see that he has a great mathematical mind, a good sense of how things work mathematically, and he'll get along just fine with a calculator. 

We have one more section left.  He didn't enjoy today's section, but until now he's enjoyed it to the point where he reminded me each day that we have to do the test.