Seri's Results

The results came in Saturday and when I got them I was sure I was making a mistake in reading them. But, no, there is no mistake, she did fantastic!!!!
She took the SAT (Stanford Achievement Test) Ninth edition. It is a national test and so it was graded nationally, not comparing her just to students in the state of Washington.
Here they are, drum roll please!

These are the evaluated grade equivalents. She just finished 6th grade and she is a young 6th grade as her birthday is in mid-August.

Total Reading -PHS (post highschool)
Vocabulary- 12.8
Reading Comp.-PHS
Total Mathmatics-PHS
Problem solving- PHS
Procedures-10.2
Language-6.3
Lang Mechanics-7.4
Lang expression-5.3
Spelling-4.7
Study skills-10.3
Science-12.8
Social Science-9.4
Listening-8.0
Using Information-PHS
Thinking skills-10.4
Complete Battery-10.3


Not too bad if I do say so myself!! Actually, I am ecstatic! One of the hardest things about homeschooling is wondering if you are doing it right. If they will benefit in the long run or if you are just screwing them up for life. Logically, I know we are doing the right thing, but everyonce inawhile the fear that somehow they wont turn out as well than if they had gone to PS creeps in.
It's nice for me to see it in black and white that I am doing at least as well as the PS if not better than they would have done.
I am so proud of her. It was also her very first time being in a testing situation.
Not to downplay her brilliance ( :) ) but it does make me wonder how far down our standards have gone over time. She is doing well, but in my opinion none of her skills should indicate a post-highschool equivalant. You do have to ask how far the bar has been lowered over time. It also scares me to think that her skills are indicative of it being OK to graduate with that level.
It also proved to me that several of my theories may be true in regarding how children learn. It may surprise some people but the only curriculum I use is for math and I use that because I am math illeterate and need to learn about as much as they need to. I do nothing prepared-wise for any other subject. No science curriculum, reading curriculum, no canned social studies, nothing..... I never taught the children using phonics or any pre-packaged program. We read the scriptures every night as a family, I read to them out of a classic book every night at bedtime and their father and I consistently have a book in our hands. That's it. A bit into our homeschooling I came to believe that
#1 every aspect of life is learning. They even try to replicate life in school because at some level they know that children learn better when it is real to them. Why should I send my children off to read a story problem about "Sue has $100 to spend on groceries and she buys this and this and this, how much money does she have left?" when they actually go to the store with me and help me budget things along with look for the cheapest buy per ounce rather than just the lowest price and so many other skills? You can not go through life without learning, even if you never set foot in a PS building, that's a fact.
#2 It does no good to teach them things they are one, not ready for, or two, are not interested in. It just wastes their time and yours and adds a great deal of frustration to the process. Seri was never interested in writing and honestly I don't think she was ready to truly write without it being frustrating both for her and me. Gradually i noticed that she started showing some readiness signs and now she is off and writing and I continue to be impressed with the material she produces. Best of all, she enjoys it. Not sure if that would be the same experience had she been pushed to write from an early age when she wasn't ready.
#3 If you do not force them to learn they will enjoy learning and will be able to teach themselves with little to no intervention from you. My children are endlessly curious and we have always tried to get them to answer their own questions. show them where the resources are, help them find someone who might know and ask them, etc..... As a result they teach themselves the things they want to know. Now that Serenitie is older she is showing that she can learn of her own accord and volition, she is self motivated to learn about what she is interested in and I don't have to be big brother and impose deadlines or material for her. It is so satisfying to watch her stick up a world map on her wall and pin flags to the places that were instrumental in WW2 as she follows why the war started, who it involved and where the places of geographical importance were.
Or wake up from a nap to find the older three standing in the kitchen, a spoon handle stuck in between four books on the counter, with an ice cube in the cradle, a soda pop tied to the end of a wire while the other end is looped around the ice cube and cutting through it. I listen to them talk about friction and temperature and why the wire can cut through the ice but the ice re-solidifies itself once the cut is made. With no input from me. Amazing.
In fact, now they will say something I did not know and will have to look up. No clue where they got the information from or why, but they had a question and found an answer. I swear half the time these kids know more than I do, including the five year old.
Too sum up, it is sure nice to see that I am headed in the right direction and that my children have not fallen by the way side. I am so proud of my baby girl!!!!!!!