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DS7 will be doing his first standardized test this spring. I'm thinking about going with Seton Testing Services and I'm trying to decide which grade level to order. He's been doing Beyond as written with spelling list #1.

I was reading the test contents on the site and I don't know if some of the 2nd grade testing content is covered in Beyond. If you could take a moment and venture over to their site and read the 2nd grade level test contents I'd be most appreciative to hear your opinions. Here's the link: http://www.setontesting.com/content.php

Thank you so much!

The CAT from Seton is only language arts and math. If you are doing Beyond exactly as written with the once a week language arts and Singapore Math, then I think your child won't have any difficulty with Seton's 2nd grade CAT test.
Are you required to test? I have done Seton and their CAT test is not very comprehensive. The results really don't give you a lot of information. It is a shorter test and doesn't give a break down like some of the other standardized tests. The most you are going to get is a stanine number that isn't very illuminating of strengths and weaknesses.
I think the CAT test is fine for state requirements. It is short and IMO relatively easy compared to the grade level it represents. For my own purposes though (to see strengths and weaknesses in specific categories of language arts and math), it fell short of my expectations. It really didn't tell me anything that I could work with to improve my child's skills in any areas.

We must show proof of advancement. We have used Seton's testing booklets since 2005. Both the state of VA and OH approve of these tests. My son actually enjoys taking the standardized tests. These are just like the tests I had when I was in school. I went to a public school, I highly ranked public school in an upper middle class neighborhood (even so I SOOOOO wish my parents had homeschooled me). I have him test with the grade he would be in school if he where still going to school (he went for k and first, pulled out a couple months into second). Except I decided to have him slow and had him re-do the same standardized test two years in a row.

Tidbits of Learning wrote:The CAT from Seton is only language arts and math. If you are doing Beyond exactly as written with the once a week language arts and Singapore Math, then I think your child won't have any difficulty with Seton's 2nd grade CAT test.
Are you required to test? I have done Seton and their CAT test is not very comprehensive. The results really don't give you a lot of information. It is a shorter test and doesn't give a break down like some of the other standardized tests. The most you are going to get is a stanine number that isn't very illuminating of strengths and weaknesses.
I think the CAT test is fine for state requirements. It is short and IMO relatively easy compared to the grade level it represents. For my own purposes though (to see strengths and weaknesses in specific categories of language arts and math), it fell short of my expectations. It really didn't tell me anything that I could work with to improve my child's skills in any areas.

Yes, we are required to test in NC. I definitely want one I can administer at home. Thank you for the breakdown of this CAT. Now, is the one from Seton the same as a CAT 5? Or is that a different one?

And which test do you prefer to get a better understanding of your child's strengths and weaknesses?

Please forgive all the questions - just trying to muddle my way through this new area in our lives.

aspenskies wrote:We must show proof of advancement. We have used Seton's testing booklets since 2005. Both the state of VA and OH approve of these tests. My son actually enjoys taking the standardized tests. These are just like the tests I had when I was in school. I went to a public school, I highly ranked public school in an upper middle class neighborhood (even so I SOOOOO wish my parents had homeschooled me). I have him test with the grade he would be in school if he where still going to school (he went for k and first, pulled out a couple months into second). Except I decided to have him slow and had him re-do the same standardized test two years in a row.

Thank you for sharing your experience with this test. It is so helpful to hear from those who have been-there-done-that.

alydar wrote:
Yes, we are required to test in NC. I definitely want one I can administer at home. Thank you for the breakdown of this CAT. Now, is the one from Seton the same as a CAT 5? Or is that a different one?

And which test do you prefer to get a better understanding of your child's strengths and weaknesses?

Please forgive all the questions - just trying to muddle my way through this new area in our lives.

Seton's isn't the CAT5. It is the CAT Survey. It is smaller samples of questions and the breakdown is minimal. We have done the CAT and the ITBS (Iowa). The ITBS gave me individual breakdown and I received 4 pages one complete with paragraphs breaking down my dd10's strengths and weaknesses. The Seton's CAT only gave 1 page with only 1/2 a sheet with simple breakdowns. There was no in-depth review of the test and how the kids had done and what needed more work. ITBS gave me a thorough breakdown and already this year we addressed several math issues that plagued us for 2 years by knowing exactly where her difficulty came from and where she showed a lack of understanding. You do need a degree to administer it though. I am getting the PASS test this year mainly b/c my son who is 3rd grade and required to test panicked about the timing of the test when we did the CAT. The PASS test is untimed and gives a thorough breakdown. I will post a link to it, but I don't know if it is allowed so if it disappears, you can google Hewitt Pass Test.
http://www.hewitthomeschooling.com/Testing/tMain.aspx

Tidbits of Learning wrote:

alydar wrote:
Yes, we are required to test in NC. I definitely want one I can administer at home. Thank you for the breakdown of this CAT. Now, is the one from Seton the same as a CAT 5? Or is that a different one?

And which test do you prefer to get a better understanding of your child's strengths and weaknesses?

Please forgive all the questions - just trying to muddle my way through this new area in our lives.

Seton's isn't the CAT5. It is the CAT Survey. It is smaller samples of questions and the breakdown is minimal. We have done the CAT and the ITBS (Iowa). The ITBS gave me individual breakdown and I received 4 pages one complete with paragraphs breaking down my dd10's strengths and weaknesses. The Seton's CAT only gave 1 page with only 1/2 a sheet with simple breakdowns. There was no in-depth review of the test and how the kids had done and what needed more work. ITBS gave me a thorough breakdown and already this year we addressed several math issues that plagued us for 2 years by knowing exactly where her difficulty came from and where she showed a lack of understanding. You do need a degree to administer it though. I am getting the PASS test this year mainly b/c my son who is 3rd grade and required to test panicked about the timing of the test when we did the CAT. The PASS test is untimed and gives a thorough breakdown. I will post a link to it, but I don't know if it is allowed so if it disappears, you can google Hewitt Pass Test.
http://www.hewitthomeschooling.com/Testing/tMain.aspx

Thank you for answering my questions. It helps me get a better grasp on all this.

Whitney,

The ladies are doing a great job of helping you talk through your testing options. They are right that there are many different routes you can take for standardized testing.

We have always given the Iowa Basics Skills test at our house, which you can get many places but we do through Bob Jones. You do need a college degree to be able to administer the test, and you must be approved as a test administrator by submitting a copy of your college diploma. I give the Iowa Basics just because I think it is good practice in test-taking for my kiddos in all areas, and I personally like detailed feedback. However, it is a very long test to administer and does require a substancial amount of my time to give to multiple kiddos in multiple grades!

With that being said, I think there are different reasons for giving standardized tests, and that it is good to know your own goals prior to heading into testing (as your goals will make a difference as to what kind of test is best for you and your child at this particular time). Goals can change from year-to-year in test taking, so don't worry about keeping the same goals all of the time.

For example, if you are mainly concerned about making sure that your child is showing progress in a few key areas and about making sure that your child does not get test anxiety, you may wish to go with a test like Seton's CAT survey that is shorter, tests only the main areas, and does not cause as much anxiety. Or, if you desire more specific information about your child in many different areas, don't mind taking several days to test, and aren't worried much about test anxiety due to timed tests; then you may wish to consider something like the Iowa Basic Skills or the CAT5 test.

We've found that it does help to give the same test a couple of years in a row, just to compare results from a similar test from year to year. So, this may be something to consider as well.

Blessings,
Carrie