5 Easy Ways to Evaluate Your Homeschool Student Without Testing

While the world of public education is fraught with tests, homeschoolers are doing exceedingly well without testing.

I understand that some homeschool families still test due varying state regulations or personal preference, but many of us don't. 

We understand that a test is only a snapshot of a child's abilities. 

Assessing a student's progress, however, gives us a much more realistic view of a child's abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and progress.

But if we don't test, how do we know how our kids are doing?

There are plenty of ways to evaluate students without testing. Here is a quick list of five.


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Keep a portfolio. 

Keeping a portfolio is simple. It doesn't require a lot of effort or even a lot of paperwork. In fact, a few pieces from the beginning, middle, and end of the year will do. 

In this way, you'll be able to look back over the year and see the progress that was made - or wasn't. This will help you address any weakness and more forward with the areas they're strong in.

Use narration in your homeschool.

Narration is an excellent assessment tool. When a child narrates, whether oral or written, he is telling you exactly what he knows. This not only helps you assess what he knows, but what he doesn't know. It creates a special opportunity to correct facts or fill in missing information. 

Have your child make presentations.

Is your child an artist? Does she like to put on plays or skits? Maybe you have a science geek like I do. Science experiments are a blast (hopefully not literally!). Children are creative and love to show off what they know. Give them that opportunity!

Make mastery the goal!

Rather than worrying about if you're child is keeping up, focus on mastery as the overall goal. When your child has mastered a skill or concept, move on to the next. In this way, you're always observing the child's progress, noting her progress along the way.

Use notebooking in your homeschool.

Notebooking is a form of narration. When a child notebooks, he's creating a written record of his knowledge and progress. Using a mixture of words, colors, drawings, and objects to create a presentation will help your child better retain the information learned. 

As well, it's a presentation! One you can keep in a portfolio.