On 2-5-13, the state of SC introduced a bill to try to eliminate option three for South Carolina Homeschoolers (which greatly impacts, MANY of us) and to try to regulate things more by requiring state-wide testing. I am just not a believer in the validity of generalized testing (such as the IOWA) test....I don't believe it's a good measure of what students know, I never did....I don't believe it's a good measure of how hard they work, or even an indication of their skill sets....except how well they memorize data or take tests. I for one, was always an "A" student in the traditional school setting. I had to work VERY hard to achieve good grades...but I will tell you, I never did well on the standardized state testing (partially because they made me sleepy, and I didn't care;)...but I cared a great deal about my school assignments, and it was reflected in my work. The beauty of homeschooling is, we the parents, can truly work at our children's respective levels! I have a younger one who is stronger in math, and maybe little "ahead" of her traditionally-schooled peers; and an older one who is doing a great job at the same level. Taking standardized testing does not take these things into consideration...that's where the majority of homeschooled parents come in...we've decided to take on the responsibility to teach our children, and have the ability to cater to their individual needs. .... now, there are many homeschoolers who opt to have their children take standardized tests, just to keep themselves in check. I would like to do that at some point, but I don't believe this is the business of the state. Then there is the other question....if this bill passes, what will the state of SC do with the test scores? Will they report these with the test results with the traditional schools? I've heard from many fellow homeschoolers and articles I've read, that when their kids are tested, they are actually testing much higher than their traditionally-schooled peers. My generalized statement is not a plug for homeschooling or a stab on traditional....we all must decide what is best for our children and our families on an individual basis. When you choose to homeschool, it's not a grade by grade thing...it's a big picture thing! One test, each year, when my curriculum and approach might not be on the same time-table as that of the traditional schools, is NOT a good indicator of how well my children are doing...and they are doing VERY well! They have a zest for life, a love of learning, a huge creative drive, a beautiful innocence, kindness....I have a child, who, JUST after turning 8, was reading recipies, looking through the kitchen, putting grocery lists together, and baking baked goods, completely from scratch with NO help from the parents! That takes an incredible amount of educational skill-sets.......those things cannot be measured or tested! (ok, the taste test speaks for itself; and trust me, this girl has genuine talent!) And what about all the experiential learning that happens...because we are not "confined" to a classroom? My girls don't just read about places like Yellowstone, The Badlands, Glacier National Park, The Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, the Smokey Mountains, The Adirondacks, Stowe, Vermont and the "Sound of Music" family, Florida, Georgia, SC, Wisconsin, salt marshes, ocean tides, nature centers, butterfly gardens, etc etc....my girls have the opportunity to actually experience these wonders of the world, and have an incredibly beautiful appreciation of nature as a result! Homeschooling gives us the time and ability to experience life and learn from it in ways that cannot possibly taught from books or tested!
The law-makers are attempting to step in and start trying to take control over home-schoolers, and let a "test" decide the fate of our children, that could GREATLY impact our children, not necessarily in a positive way, for the rest of their lives! (don't they have enough "issues" in the public schools as it is? Do they want the already under-staffed schools to become more overcrowded, with the direction they appear to be headed?) Quite frankly, I'm not sure they realize just how much money homeschoolers save the state by schooling our children at home and taking on the financial burden ourselves! And yes, we still pay our property taxes that help fund the traditional schools:)
Homeschooling does not belong in the hands of the law-makers!
link to the proposed bill:
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