Why don homeschoolers have to take tests? How do parents know if their children are learning?
Homeschools are private schools, and like conventional private schools, students are not required to take state-mandated tests. Most homeschoolers do NOT want their children to take state-mandated tests because they do not want to be forced to prepare their children for tests based on the values, principles, and beliefs of the state. Homeschooling parents want to educate their children according to their own principles and beliefs. Because homeschooling parents spend so much time with their children, they have many opportunities to observe what they are saying and doing and can easily observe their learning. Many parents find that keeping informal records also helps; they can review what their children were doing a few months ago (or longer) and compare it with what they are doing now. Homeschooling parents are frequently surprised at how much their children know, including things no one has officially “taught” them. See the WPA handbook for more information on record keeping and ways
