Explaining Standardized Testing
by Lynn Scully

Standardized testing is a means to determine the effectiveness of an education. Many parents use standardized tests to ensure that the child is at the appropriate grade level for his age. Standardized testing is also a necessity for college admissions officials to be sure that a prospective student has the skills necessary to succeed at the college level.

Read on to learn the most common standardized tests, what they are, when to prepare for them, when to take them, how to register, and the role of each test. To ensure that the student’s ability is accurately represented, provide the opportunity to learn each test format. Log on to the appropriate web sites with the student so he can go in knowledgeable and comfortable with the test style.

What to look for
Since the scoring of these tests varies, look at the national percentages to gage your child’s progress and ability level. Ideally, your student’s average will remain the same or increase with each testing opportunity, regardless of the test type. If the percentage on any section decreases drastically, you may need to re-evaluate your education program to ensure alignment with national standards designed for a college preparatory, science base, classical education.

Elementary and Junior High

The SSAT is a test for ages 10 – 14 and is traditionally used by private elementary and secondary (9-12) schools to determine the skill level, educational level and aptitude of applicants. There are two grading scales, one for grades 5 - 7 and another for grades 8 - 11. The test focuses heavily on vocabulary in the form of synonyms and analogies, and reading comprehension. The math requires arithmetic skills, including fractions and decimals, percents, and basic word problems; basic algebra, including simple solving and ratios; and basic geometry. The 30 minute essay, which is not scored, is forwarded to the admissions office of the schools identified by the test taker. Go to www.ssat.org to become familiar with the test format, to register, and to find a nearby test center. The SSAT is offered 7 times a year, usually at private schools, but can also be administered by an independent educational consultant.

High School - All the following tests except the ACT may be researched at www.collegeboard.com

Information for home schooling families for registering and preparing tests is provided on the website.

The PSAT is a pre SAT. Since the PSAT scores are not sent to colleges, the PSAT provides an opportunity to become familiar with the SAT format (it is slightly shorter and does not include the 25 minute essay) without the concern of colleges seeing your “first time taking this kind of test”. In addition, the corrected answers sheet and test booklet are returned to the student (through the guidance office of the school administering the test), allowing for a more complete SAT preparation. The PSAT is given once a year, usually on either the second Wednesday or Saturday of October. You must contact your nearest high school in early September to register for the test. You will register at the school and pay a fee. This is the only high school level test that requires registration through a local guidance office. Take advantage of this great opportunity both sophomore and junior year to become familiar with the test format and the testing situation.

The SAT I is a reasoning test, which means it combines logic and reasoning skills along with the knowledge gained in a classical education: good reading comprehension and vocabulary recognition; grammar and editing skills along with the ability to formulate a persuasive essay; and complete algebra I, algebra II and geometry knowledge. The SAT may be taken at any age (it is the cornerstone of the John’s Hopkins Talent Search program for Junior High students) but is usually challenging for students below age 14.

The SAT II is a subject test, which means it is not logic based (the aspect of tests that people consider “tricky”). There are multiple 1 hour subject tests available in many high school level topics such as math, sciences, languages, literature, US History and more. Up to 3 subject tests may be taken on the same day. The appropriate subject test should be taken when study in a subject is complete, regardless of age.

Many colleges require at least one SAT II score as part of the application, but the SAT II also provides a great opportunity to demonstrate subject knowledge. For instance, a student may have completed Hebrew studies and, while not receiving a grade, can demonstrate that proficiency on the SAT II. Subject tests are especially valuable for a home schooled student to exhibit subject matter mastery to a college admission’s board, or to provide an objective “final exam” for personal use.

The ACT is a four section test: grammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension, math, and science, along with an optional essay. The ACT is similar to the SAT in that it is a nationally administered standardized test accepted by college admissions officials as part of a complete college application. The ACT differs from the SAT in that the math section is less a reasoning test and more a subject knowledge test. The Science section is not based on previously learned science information; it is the “reasoning” section in that it combines critical reading skills and graph interpretation skills to determine answers. The best way to prepare for the Science section is to increase reading comprehension and become familiar with the test format.

The math section focuses more on knowledge than reasoning skills, no formulas are provided and basic function calculators are permitted. (The SAT provides many basic formulas and allows advanced function calculators).

The format of the ACT is preferred by some students because the answer numbering system makes errors on the answer sheet less likely, time management more flexible (for instance , there is a 60 minute math section, so pacing is more flexible- but may prove difficult for students with focusing problems), and the essay is optional. www.act.org

An AP test, scored from 1 to 5, (5 is the highest) may provide proof of advanced proficiency in a subject beyond that associated with a standard high school education. AP test scores may be accepted by a college to provide credit for a college level course, or allow a student to skip beginning level classes. However, not all colleges provide credit for a high AP test score (Why? Their name is on the diploma, they want to be sure that your education represents the education they provide). It is best to check with the college if you are taking the test for that reason alone. An AP test may be valuable to the home schooled student as a gauge of advanced proficiency, and the preparation program can provide guidelines and goals for a course of study.

College

The CLEP test is designed to provide college credit for “information mastered” in order to speed up the college process, reduce college education costs, or move a student into advanced courses quicker. The CLEP test is accepted by many colleges (check first!) and is most commonly used by adults re-entering college after a long break, or those entering college for the first time but who have practical (work-related) experience in a subject. For instance, a person who has been doing basic accounting on the job may take a CLEP to avoid beginning accounting courses and gain credit towards a degree in accounting, Thus, the future accountant may work college into a busy schedule (night or weekend only classes) and decrease the financial burden of earning a degree.

The home schooled student may wish to take a CLEP to demonstrate advanced proficiency, but should exercise caution when looking to shortcut the college education drastically. After all, there is more to the acquisition of knowledge than a paper and pencil test can demonstrate: class discussion, labs, peer interaction, professor feedback, and more are provided in the college education.

View all standardized testing as an opportunity to better serve your student’s needs and tailor his education to his present abilities as well as his future aspirations. As his parent and primary educator, you want to know that you are providing him with the thinking skills, knowledge, and challenge to enable him to one day live his dreams and exceed his goals.

About the author
Lynn Scully has been tutoring and guiding High School students through their college admission process for the last 18 years. She is author of the get IT (Independent Tutorial) SAT Program. www.getSATprep.com
You may email her with questions for consideration to be answered in a future column at lynn@getsatprep.com.

© 2006 Lynn Scully, LLC

Note: Meet Lynn at the New England Homeschool & Family Learning Conference, July 14, 15 in Boxborough, MA.