Getting Back on Track

As some of you probably read in an earlier post, I was working part-time for a while due to a strike scare where dh works. I'm now back home full-time and trying to get everything back on track.

I found once I started looking at exactly where we were in our homeschooling that we hadn't gotten too far off track.  It took us a little over a week to get back to where we needed to be in the lesson plans.  But, we still aren't doing everything I had planned and would like to be doing. 

Dealing with Sickness

We've also been dealing with a lot of illness in our family this winter which is very unusual for our family.  We are all currently down for the third time since January.  So, the housework, laundry and schooling is a bit behind.  My throat is raw so I'm unable to do any read-alouds at the moment so we're just covering bits and pieces as we feel up to it.  I'll sort it out later.  :-) 

How do you guys deal with illness in your homes and schools?

CAT's

One thing we have gotten done is our standardized testing for this school year.  I always buy the tests with our tax return so they're done and out of the way.  I just need to get them mailed back.  We buy the CAT's from Seton Home for $25 a piece which includes scoring.  Our children have always done well on them and we are pleased with how easy they are to do. 

The very first year we started homeschooling when the children had been taken from public school they were a little anxious about "tests" so I told them that I had workbooks that I wanted them to do that would show me how well I was doing at teaching them - which really is how I view the test results.  I know my children are capable of learning and it's my job to figure out how to make that possible for them. 

Once we get their results back in the mail I get out the results from the year before and go over them with the children individually and privately (they don't need any encouragement to compete with one another).  That way they know how their doing, where they've improved and what they may need to work a little harder on. 

The results are broken down by sections and at the bottom there's a composite (or overall) score.  That composite score is the only one that I'm required to give to the school district, according to Ohio law, so I simply cover up the other scores and make copies of the results to send in with my notification form each year.  Be sure to check your state laws for which tests you can use and exactly what pieces of information you are required to share. 

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Posted by leslienoelani

I'm sorry to hear you've all been sick. We've had more viruses this year than usual, too.

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