Elementary School
For Kindergarten though 5th grade: We suggest using The Diagnostic Prescriptive Assessment. http://www.edudps.com/dpa.html
Parents determine when and how often to administer tests. The tests may be used both as a pre-test at the beginning of the year to help determine curriculum and at the end of the year to determine skill mastery.
Other assessments to consider: Skill placement tests are also available from various curriculum providers. These tests may also work well at the beginning of the year to determine math and reading resources for the coming year. Options include:
- Math placement: Saxon, Singapore, and Math U See all have free placement tests on their website. Ray's New Arithmetics Parent-Teacher Guide also has grade level assessments for 1st - 8th grade
- Phonics and Reading:
- Ultimate Phonics provides a free online reading test that lets you quickly and easily test reading ability of anyone, ages 4 to adult.
- The Blumenfeld Oral Reading Assessment Test: Here's a quick, proven, inexpensive way to measure the reading grade level of your student(s) privately. A one-time investment, this 380 word test is easy to administer and score, can be done in less than 15 minutes, and will tell at what grade level (1-12) your student is reading. Any reading problems are easily detected, allowing you to provide any needed remediation. Another 380 word test to use after your remedial work is administered is also provided, so you can check for improvement/correction. 5 copies of each test ("before" and "after") are included, along with information about the background of the test, an explanation of how it works, and how to score it. First and second graders can be tested using the beginning part of the test, but the overall test is intended for third grade and up.
- Reading Comprehension:
- A Beka Speed and Comprehension Readers: Beginning in fourth grade, the A Beka Book reading program provides specific opportunities for students to develop their comprehension skills. Now is the time to begin stressing the important of reading for information at the best possible speed. The best way to help students develop these skills is to provide for much practice and to provide them with a variety of stimulating, well-written reading materials. The speed and comprehension exercises for grades 4-6 are purposely varied as to content, degree of difficulty, and length. They are challenging and interesting. Quizzes are included for each reading exercise.
- Robinson Curriculum provides some excellent assessments for Reading Comprehension. The CDs include 49 examinations that are connected to a specific book. Students may be encouraged to read and test on a specific book as needed to test comprehension. The following description of these assessments is taken from the introductory pages to the Robinson Curriculum: The format of most of these examinations are identical to College Board Scholastic Aptitude Tests of Verbal Ability (before the SAT was dumbed down in 1995). The SAT format has been used but the questions have been restricted to reading content and vocabulary based solely on the book matched to the individual examination. The examinations test the effectiveness with which the student has accurately extracted the meaning of the text of each book and has understood the author's vocabulary and sentence structure.
- Learning Style:
- Discover Your Child's Learning Style: If you have ever called our office to ask about appropriate curriculum for your child, you may have been asked the question, "How does your child learn?" This is a common topic among our consultants since we do understand that children as well as adults learn differently. Many times parents don't know how to answer the question of learning style, and this book is here to help. The authors take the time to explain the different styles of learning and offer simple assessments to help the parent make a determination concerning their own children. They not only help you assess, but offer suggestions on how to teach children in each category. The book is 250+ pages, and worth every minute you will spend reading it. Learn about your child's disposition, talents, interests, learning modality, and appropriate learning environment. After finishing this book, you may make some changes in your homeschool approach. This book also makes suggestions on how to talk to your child's teacher about how he/she learns.
- The Concise Learning Styles Assessment: Teaching can be much easier when you know and are familiar with your child's learning style. This book was designed to help you identify whether your child benefits more from auditory, visual, or tactile/kinesthetic methods. For each style there is a short "test" for the child to complete by answering questions on a scale from 1-3. Typical characteristics for each style are included, as well as tips for teaching each type. Make school easier for you and your children by finding their learning styles.
Middle and High School
Diagnostic tests in several subjects are available for free from Varsity Tutors. http://www.varsitytutors.com/practice-tests
Varsity Tutors is a live learning platform that connects students with personalized instruction to accelerate academic achievement. To date, students have accessed more than 1 million hours of live one-on-one instruction. Additionally, through the company’s free online learning tools and mobile applications, Varsity Tutors has created a learning ecosystem of free test prep books and more than 200,000 free practice questions, answers and explanation sets across more than 150 subjects and tests.
When students complete an online test from Varsity Tutors, not only will they receive a score, but they will also see a breakdown of scores in each concept area for a quick assessment of skill mastery. There are many tests available. Subjects include:
Varsity Tutors is a live learning platform that connects students with personalized instruction to accelerate academic achievement. To date, students have accessed more than 1 million hours of live one-on-one instruction. Additionally, through the company’s free online learning tools and mobile applications, Varsity Tutors has created a learning ecosystem of free test prep books and more than 200,000 free practice questions, answers and explanation sets across more than 150 subjects and tests.
When students complete an online test from Varsity Tutors, not only will they receive a score, but they will also see a breakdown of scores in each concept area for a quick assessment of skill mastery. There are many tests available. Subjects include:
- Reading and Literature
- Math
- Science (all the high school sciences are listed)
- History (Ancient, World, American)
- Geography
College Readiness
For College Readiness (math and verbal skills): The Peterson's Online Academic Skills Course provides diagnostic testing and online lessons to help you build the skills you need to be ready for college. Cost: $195 www.petersons.com/college-search/online-academic-skills-course.aspx#/sweeps-modal
The Classic Learning Test: Colleges have a great advantage in adopting the CLT as an option for their college admissions entrance exam. The CLT may replace a student’s ACT or SAT score so as to clarify a student’s academic ability and academic potential. The test is designed in such a way as to attract, assess, and admit the best students, those who will not only be intellectually prepared for college but also those who are virtuously and ethically prepared for higher academic studies. The CLT is not merely another college entrance exam, it is a college-maturing exam. That is, it intends to not merely provide colleges with another pool of applicants, though it will; it is intended to provide colleges with a pool of applicants who will become the academic and moral standard bearers of their institutions and departments. The Classic Learning Test (CLT) was developed in 2015 and has a team actively working on increasing adoption in colleges and universities, particularly in the liberal arts