Testing, Testing!

I just got an email about TerraNova testing for 5th & 7th grade Connections students. It is testing time of year again. While most teachers I know get a little tired of the emphasis on testing, it also has a valid side. A month ago I asked for the SBA (Standards Based Assessment) tests for writing, math and reading for my kids. I do wonder whether they are learning what they need to be learning and "at grade level." I suppose this concern is part of the national testing mania and the desire to "quantify" learning. So last week Aurora began her SBAs and I will be having Denver do his practices starting in a few weeks. What it will do is reassure me that the kids are indeed learning (or that at least they know what other kids at their grade level should know), and it will also give me a platform for teaching the kids what they need to know, filling in any learning gaps. I feel like my homeschooling classroom is just one step away from a real classroom, with few radically different teaching and learning methods going on. The biggest difference is just that the kids work at their own pace and more independently. Thinking about the testing issue brings this home to me because many homeschooling families I know are anti-test and would avoid being in Connections just so they could avoid the tests. I don't want my kids to base their self esteem on how they do on tests, and I tend not to talk about test scores with them too much, but they are a good tool for seeing where they are at.