Good luck to the punks having to take their ACTs at 8 a.m. on Saturday. What a waste of time and money.....

One week until A17 takes the ACT......

I HATE STANDARDIZED TESTING, and I have not made that a secret.  I do not think standardized tests are an accurate representation of the majority of students (99%). 

They are an archaic measure at best and need to be done away with. 

My kids have always tested above-average but that does not even matter to me. 

Some kids/people are just not good test takers but it is a nonnegotiable matter at the moment so we will play along.  Good luck A17 and the rest of the guinea pigs taking the test next Saturday!

Ramped up studying for the ACT......

Kudos to you if........

you are homeschooling a high school student.  You may want to read this article in its entirety.  Here is the summary but you may need $$$muchos dineros to pull this off.

Harvard wants homeschoolers:

Top schools including Harvard, MIT, Duke, Yale, and Stanford are all actively recruiting homeschoolers. These schools don't just grudgingly accept homeschooled students, they do everything they can to get them in the door, recognizing that homeschoolers are often better prepared for college than their brick-and-mortar schooled peers.

ACT help.......

More helpful ACT links.

ACT science
ACT strategies and tips
ACT math prep
More ACT tips and tricks

Seriously hate standardized testing and have many blog posts about testing but since they must be done.....

it certainly helps when they come back positive.  A16 just finished up her last standardized test to end 10th grade and head into 11th, and she nailed it.

Many of her scores were "post-high school," as in super awesome.  So proud of both of my girls!  Life gets better and better every single day!  Feeling so blessed.

Tomorrow is C17 last go at the ACT.......

She did well enough the first time around to get in pretty much which ever college she wanted but she is going to take it again for the sake of taking it again.

Good luck, C17!  You got this!

ACT round 2 coming up......

Even though C17 got a great score the first time around, she is going to take this test one more time in February.  Some students take the ACT three or four times before applying to college.  The nice thing about this is that the tests are super-scored so only the highest scores will be used by the colleges.  

ACT testing is finally here................

Tomorrow is a big day for several high-schoolers we know; C17, my nephew, a handful of friends, and thousands of high-schoolers!

It is the final ACT of the year.


So good luck to all of you students and way to go to the parents that have helped them get this far and are willing to get up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday and drive them to their testing destinations!


Click here for a checklist of what to bring and what not to bring.
Peterson's tips.

more tips.

Great video.

ACT.........is not easy as 1, 2, 3................

Reminder for ACT test-takers 2-4 on Sunday, May 22...........

Don't miss Kaplan's free Online ACT Live Prep on Introduction of ELA concepts.  Check it out here.

Just signed C16 up for her ACT test..............

time is going way too fast!!!!

Amazing extras for Apologia Biology Module 10 from study stack......

Flash card practice.
Matching vocabulary words.
Type in.
Take the test.
Study Stack home page.

How I feel every time testing comes around!!!!

My kids always do amazingly well but still, I am not big on standardized testing!  You can sift through my other posts about testing here.

SAT versus ACT, a closer look.

I have blogged about this topic before but now that the time is coming for C16 to really start prepping, which test will she take, if any?  

I am not a fan of standardized testing.  Not because my kids do not test well because they score in the high 90s in every subject in past testing but because some people do not test well for all kinds of reasons.  I just do not feel standardized testing is a good predictor of academic knowledge and the concept of multiple choice is outdated in my opinion.  

Lets figure this out.  

So you have your SAT and your ACT.  The SAT is to assess (aptitude) reasoning ability, and the ACT is focused more on knowledge, yada yada yada.

Do college admission boards prefer one test over the other?  The short answer is NO!  According to the research, both tests are viewed equally.  The SAT was the top dog of testing but not any more.  In 2014, around 1.7 million students to the SAT and around 1.8 million took the ACT.  You can read more about that here in this article by The Washington Post.  The class of 2015 included 1.5 million SAT test-takers and 1.9 million who took the ACT.  You can read all about that here from again, The Washington Post.

Another surprise is that some colleges do not require you take either.  What the what?  Here is a comprehensive list of colleges that do not require the SAT or the ACT to get in including Wake Forest University, Bowdoin College, and Wesleyan University.

So now what?  Still can't decide?  A little more info:

Image link.

SAT:
~The SAT strongly emphasizes vocabulary.
~No science section.
~Mandatory writing section.
~This test is broken up into 10 sections going back and fort between topics.
~College recruiters are looking at how you did on each section of the SAT.

ACT: Achievement test.
~Science section.
~Very straight forward.
~The ACT writing section is optional unless requested by the college.
~More advanced math topics including trig.
~Broken into 4 sections with no going back and forth between topics.
~College recruiters look at the big picture on the ACT scores (composite score).  The good thing about that is if you are a little weaker in one area than another, it will not effect your overall score negatively.
~Does not cost as much as the SAT.

Still cannot decide?  Try this.  Grokit has a free five minute quiz that can help you decide which test is for you.

Help for the SAT here.
My PSAT/SAT Pinterest board.
Sample SAT.
SAT

Help for the ACT here.
My ACT Pinterest board.
Sample ACT. PDF
ACT

Happy testing!

Need help for ACT and SAT essay test prep? No worries!

CurrClick has you covered with this fantastic live class.  Click here for the link.



Class description.
Anxious about the essay portion of the ACT or the 2015 SAT test? Fear not! This class will help you understand the secrets and techniques the test evaluators are looking for. 

We'll examine the differences between the two essay tests, prepare you to write an effective essay, look at various scored sample essays, and the evaluation rubrics for each essay.

Scope and Sequence: 

• Differences and similarities in essay tests and what evaluators are looking for in each type.
• Organizing your thoughts in response to the prompt.
• Developing a strong thesis response statement and supporting it with various kinds of details.
• Using strong writing techniques through varied sentence structure, active voice, transistion words.
• Closing the essay in a strong manner
• Examining various sample essays for each test and their scores

* The students will have a homework essay to complete at the end of the course using these techniques and timing themselves within the given test times. The essay needs to be submitted to the teacher within 2 weeks of the conclusion of the last session in order to receive feedback from the instructor.

This class meets on Thursdays, starting September 10th through September 24th at 1:00 pm CST for 60 minutes (3 sessions)

*Pre-requisite - The student should already know how to write a basic persuasive paper. This class builds on that knowledge.

Tips on surviving college prep.

We are at the point in our homeschooling adventure that one of my girls is ready to think about and talk about going to college.  This is a little early by some definitions but it never hurts to do a little research in advance.  Also with all of the dual enrollment programs there are, starting to accumulate college courses in high school is a great opportunity.  This can be a little chaotic and confusing
especially if you do not speak the college prep lingo.  In fact, it can be overwhelming for many different reasons.

When you decide to homeschool, you are taking on a huge responsibility, DO NOT TAKE IT LIGHTLY!  This is a job and a huge commitment.  It takes a very special and selfless person to commit to such a big task and put your child first but that is what a good parent does naturally so no big deal.  I am sharing my thoughts and many great resources on how to transition from high school at home to college so please take full advantage.  I am adding a lot of links and resources so don't get overwhelmed.  Deep breath and relax!

A lot of time researching must go into options for college, not because it is a difficult task getting your homeschooler into a college because it is no secret that colleges are actively seeking out homeschooled kids, now more than ever.  College prep begins in high school ensuring that your high school students takes the appropriate courses is the first step.

Some parents begin this process at 13, some parents take a gap year so that their child can formulate a plan on their own, travel, do missionary work, take a break, work, or any other number of reasons. You can read about the gap year here in this article from Time written in 2014.  This really allows your child to take time to figure out who they are or what they want to do with their life.  Colleges are now more open to the idea of a gap year.

Public school and private schools have the college requirements all mapped out, and all the students do the same exact thing to meet the requirements (cookie cutter philosophy).  Homeschoolers still have the same requirements guideline but that is the thing, it is just a guideline.  Homeschoolers can meet the requirements the way they see fit.  One of the many, many, many beauties of homeschooling.................

The basic requirements look like this:
English- usually three/four years.
Math- three years for most colleges but often four depending on the college/major.
Science- generally three years but sometimes four depending on the college/major.
History- three years but sometimes four depending on the college/major.
Foreign language- usually two years.  American sign language is considered a language credit.
Electives- usually two years-i.e. photography, drama, art, music, etc.

After you make sure your high school curriculum matches up with college requirements it is time to create a portfolio for your child.  At this age, they should be helping with this and have input.  The portfolio should at the very least have student writings, reading lists, extracurricular activities, volunteering information, summer programs, and awards/achievements earned.  Do not turn this into a scrap book.  You can add photographs if appropriate but nothing cutesy.  Keep in mind that a college admissions officer will give this portfolio about 10 minutes so you should keep this simple, concise, and clear.  Once you are done, have a few other people go over the portfolio to check for any mistakes that you might over look.

Did you ask what about a transcript?  You will also need to provide a transcript.  You really do not need to go crazy here either, simple is best!  Use the less is more kind of philosophy here.

Submit the transcript in a seal envelop with your name (the administrator) on the sealed part of the envelope.

Check out Lets Homeschool High School for transcript help and free downloadable templates.

Colleges also want the SAT/ACT scores.

HC USA is a fantastic resource.  A lot of info and courses.
My PSAT/SAT board. Pinterest

Help with foreign languages.
Duolingo-favorite of mine
Babbel-awesome resource

List of homeschooling friendly colleges which include Stanford, Columbia, Princeton. Duke, Tulane, Georgia Tech, Florida State University, and Auburn just to name a few.  Harvard and Yale also actively recruit homeschoolers.

Head to the library or pull up a chair at Starbucks inside of Barnes and Noble and read, read, read for free.

Must have books for college prep:

College Prep Homeschooling.

Homeschooling the Teen Years.

Article from US News
HSLDA
CLEP information

Dual enrollment programs.
What is dual enrollment? This is when your child is in their junior year of high school.  It is possible for you child to take college classes at a discounted cost from most local community colleges.  These classes will be added to the high school transcript and be credit towards an associate's degree (2 years) or a 4 year program.
By state
For Georgia-Accel program.
Dual enrollment info.
More dual enrollment info.

Free courses online.  These are a few of the best sites you will come across anywhere.
Khan Academy-My personal favorite.
Vlog  Brothers-John and Hank Green another one of my top picks.
MIT Open Course Ware
Easy Peasy all-in-one high school

Help me!
Help for the homeschool parent.
College requirements printable.-Print this now!
Jimmies Collage-Planning High School With an Eye on College Admission and Scholarships.
Sample transcript from HSLDA.
More detailed sample from HSLDA.
Blank copy HSLDA..
Family Education. 
Lets Homeschool High School.

Pinterest
My High School at Home board.
High School/homeschool/college on Pinterest
Homeschool High School Pinterest
College Prep Pinterest
More College Prep Pinterest

Happy homeschooling and college prep!

SAT vocabulary resources/info.

Have you ever heard of the word honorificabilitudinitatibus?  Another Shakespeare word-using 27 letters with a consonant/vowel pattern, as in consonant, vowel, consonant, vowel.... This word is most likely not on the SAT vocabulary test but it is an interesting word.

I believe that, for the most part, testing stresses out anyone who is soon to be the tester.  Not all people do well taking tests.  High schoolers can have a lot of anxiety over taking the SAT/ACT or whatever test they need to take to get where they are going.  If your child is studying Latin or Greek, those are both of great use in expanding vocabulary.  I found a few great links for vocabulary and wanted to share them.

For more help:
my previous blog posts regarding testing
quizzlet SAT words-they provide the spelling, the definition, and an audio of the pronounciation
sparknotes test prep
major tests-the words are listed in groups-roughly 10 in each group

Help! My child is in high school now what?????

ACT                                               PSAT                                                                      COMPASS


                     SAT                                                           CLEP
                         
                                                      MNSQT
PLAN    
                                                                                         AP

                                SAT II

As if the task of homeschooling your child all the way through high school isn't scary enough, you now have to decipher what all of those fancy abbreviations mean.  Even for the most OCD veteran home-schoolers, all of those little letters can cause a great amount of anxiety and maybe even PTSD.  LOL!

Which test does your child need?  When should your child take the test?  Can they take it again if they did not do so well?  And what exactly is an SAT or  an ACT?

I will try to break this down with the tests that most of our children will be taking, the PSAT, SAT, and/or the ACT.  These are on our radar for the next couple of years.

What the heck is the difference between achievement and aptitude?  Well, aptitude is a test regarding your reasoning and verbal skills.  It actually has nothing to do with what you may or may not have learned in school.  There is really no good way to study for this type of test.  An achievement test is a test designed to test you on what you have learned in school.  I know???

The ACT test is a test for college readiness and career planning tool.  The ACT is an aptitude test.
You can read more about the ACT here.

The PSAT test is to provide practice for the SAT.
You can read more about the PSAT here.

The SAT test is another standardized test for college admissions.  Another test designed for college readiness and help chart out a career plan.  The SAT is an achievement test.
You can read more about the SAT here.

These are the general consensus that I came up with during my extension search on this topic.

In 9th, relax.  Just focus on learning and developing good time management skills.

In 10th, keep the focus on academics but try and prepare for taking the SAT or ACT.  You can find practice tests here at The Princeton Review practice tests, free..  They are free, and they do not go on your record.

In 11th, this is generally when the PSAT/SAT/ACT is taken.  This way, there is enough time to retake the test for a better score in 12th grade.

In 12th, plan to retake or take the SAT or ACT for a final result.

This is a lot of information to absorb, and I have already taken all of those but that was about a million years ago.  I will leave you with more links to go through because I need an NAP at this moment.  Good luck!

Here are a few of the best high school homeschooling blogs anywhere.  These ladies also keep a lot of us afloat with all of their creativity and willingness to share ideas.
Heather W-blogshewrote
Kendra-Aussie pumpkin patch
Jimmie-jimmie'scollage
Jeanine Fulbright

My Pinterest page
A to Z college profiles
SAT college board
another link for when to take...
what is a good SAT score?
what is a good ACT score?
PSAT Pinterest
SAT Pinterest
ACT Pinterest

These are so funny!

Since we are testing now, this seems very appropriate!