Here is a question for some of you. Before I ask it, let me give you some background. First of all, I have four children whom I have homeschooled all of their lives. My oldest son is 25, a graduate of Grove City College and an engineer. My second son is 22, a graduate of Worcester Polytech in MA and is heading to Carnegie Melon next fall for graduate studies. He was given a nice scholarship from WPI for his undergraduate work. My third son will be a sophomore at a local private Christian college and is a National Merit Scholar. He recieved a very nice scholarship to attend that school. My youngest is a girl who is starting her first year of high school in the fall (at home, of course).
So, I am a huge advocate of homeschooling and my kids have all done very well. They have always scored very high on standardized tests—not just the SATs, but also the tests that are done during grade school. To qualify for the National Merit Scholarship, you have to score in the 99th percentile on the PSAT.
About me—I have a degree in engineering, so I push math big time. My kids typically take calculus in 9th or 10th grade.
The reason I’m giving you this background before asking my question is that I don’t want to be accused of being “anti-homeschooling.”
Here is my question: How can the info taken from the test scores of homeschooled kids be compared to the test scores of their public school counterparts when the homeschooled kids take the tests voluntarily (that is, their parents decide if they’ll take it) and the public school kids take the tests because they all have to? I can see comparing the SAT scores because that is completely voluntary. But, the Stanford Achievement Test and the IOWAs? I’ve never understood that.
Any help for me here?
It is not voluntary in every state. It is required yearly in WV unless you decide on the portfolio option which is a ton of work on the parent. Testing is easier.
Also, public schools actually teach to the test and homeschoolers do not so in that way the results should be in favor of the public school.