133: Stop Guessing: Find Out What Grade Level Your Child Is REALLY On
written by: Elan Page
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If you've ever felt a little fuzzy about where EXACTLY your child is academically, you’re not alone.
In homeschool life, grade level can feel a lot less rigid than it does in a traditional classroom. Your child might be reading well above their age, right on target with math, and still catching up in writing. And if you're just getting started or gearing up to choose a new curriculum, you may be wondering, "Okay, but where exactly is my child academically?"
What’s important to remember is that age doesn't automatically tell you what your child knows. And that's actually one of the best parts of homeschooling: you get to teach your child according to where they really are, not where a birthday says they should be.
So if you want to stop guessing and start making more informed decisions about curriculum, pacing, and what your child is ready to learn next, there are several types of academic assessments that can help.
Let’s talk about what each one is, when you might use it, and how the information you get can help you create a personalized academic plan for your child.
1) Choosing a Curriculum? Start With a Placement Test
If you've already chosen a curriculum - or maybe you're seriously considering one - you might be wondering where exactly your child should begin.
Instead of simply purchasing the level labeled for their grade, you can use a curriculum-provided placement assessment to make sure you're starting at the right level for your child.
A lot of curriculum companies offer homeschool placement tests to answer that question. Math-U-See, for example, offers a placement questionnaire that helps you figure out exactly which level makes sense for your child within their program.
And what’s important to remember is that, with these curriculum-provided assessments, you're not trying to determine your child's overall academic level. You're simply trying to find the right entry point into that specific curriculum.
Finding that is important because it can save you from:
- Buying a level that's too advanced, leaving you and your child frustrated
- Buying a level that's too easy, leaving your child bored and unchallenged
- Guessing your child’s academic level based on age instead of actual skill
So if you're curriculum shopping, always check whether the company offers a placement test first. Many are free, and they'll save you both money and frustration.
2) Not Sure Where Your Child Stands Academically? Try an Adaptive Assessment
Now let's say you're in a different situation: you haven't picked a curriculum yet. In fact, you're not even sure where your child stands academically in any particular subject.
This is where an adaptive or diagnostic assessment can be very helpful. Unlike a fixed test, where every child answers the same set of questions, an adaptive assessment adjusts to your child’s answers as they go.
For example, if your child answers a question correctly, the assessment may give them a more challenging question next. If they're struggling, the questions adjust to meet them at a more appropriate level.
The result is a more individualized picture of what your child knows, not simply how they compare to what's expected of a "typical" child their age.
Many adaptive assessments, like Renaissance Star Assessments, offer assessments in multiple subject areas, so you can get a broader view of your child's academic skills rather than looking at just one subject. Homeschool Boss offers several assessment options to help you find the one that fits your needs.
This kind of assessment can be especially useful if:
- Your child hasn't had a consistent academic program, either at all or for an extended period of time
- You're starting homeschooling for the first time and have no frame of reference for where your child is academically
- You want to identify gaps before building this year's academic plan
And remember: the goal is never to find out if your child is "behind." The goal is to find out what they know right now, so you can build forward from there instead of guessing along the way.
3) Just Getting Started? Try an Informal Assessment
If your child is younger - or maybe they've never experienced formal education or testing before - you don't need to jump straight into a comprehensive assessment. Sometimes you just need a general feel for where they are academically.
For example, can they recognize sight words? Can they answer basic questions about something they read? Do they understand addition, subtraction, or early fractions?
Free tools, like the assessments offered through K5 Learning, can help you get quick, simple answers to those kinds of questions, which is helpful if:
- Your child has never been in a traditional school setting
- You don't want their first testing experience to feel high-stakes
- You just want a baseline, not a full evaluation
You can also gather plenty of useful information just by observing your child directly: have them read out loud to you. Ask questions aloud, and listen as they think through their answers.
Observing your child - especially at a young age - is real data, and it can help you determine your child’s academic starting point.
4) Want to Measure What Your Child Learned? Use an Achievement Test
This is the category that people tend to think of when they hear the word “testing” or “assessment.”
Achievement tests are typically given at the end of the school year, and they measure what a child has learned over that period. These are standardized tests like the STAAR in Texas or the FAST in Florida that are given to public school students.
Many states don't require homeschoolers to take the same standardized test as public school students, but some do require homeschool families to complete a formal end-of-year assessment.
Private testing options like the California Achievement Test or Iowa Assessments are commonly used for this purpose, and they can typically be taken virtually at home or by joining a group of students in person who are all taking the test together.
Here's what you need to remember: an end-of-year achievement test and a diagnostic assessment are not interchangeable.
- End-of-year achievement tests are designed to measure what your child learned after a period of instruction.
- Diagnostic assessments are designed to help you understand what your child knows now and identify areas that may need additional instruction.
So if you're at the beginning of the school year and trying to figure out what curriculum to buy, a diagnostic or placement assessment is what you need.
Conversely, if you're at the end of the school year and want to measure what your child has learned, an achievement test is what you need.
*Note: if your state doesn't require end-of-year testing, you can still choose to test for your own records or to get a sense of how your child is progressing academically. However, you're not obligated to do it just because it feels like something you're "supposed" to do.
Just know that end-of-year testing is optional unless your state says otherwise. And if you’re not certain whether or not your state requires end-of-year testing, you can go here to select your state and find out what’s required.
Choosing the Right Assessment for Your Child
So here's your simple cheat sheet to find out where your child is academically so that you can create a personalized plan to meet their specific needs:
- Placement assessment: use this to figure out where your child should start within a specific curriculum.
- Adaptive or diagnostic assessment: use this when you want a broader picture of where your child stands academically.
- Free or informal tool: use this when you just want a general starting point, especially with a younger child.
- End-of-year achievement test: use this when you're trying to measure growth over the year, or your state requires it.
No matter which type you use, remember that the assessment itself isn't the goal; the information you learn from it is the point.
You’re figuring out what your child already knows, where they’re strong, where there might be gaps, and what they’re ready to learn next. That's what actually helps you build an academic plan personalized specifically for your child.
When you use these assessment resources, you no longer have to guess. All you need is a little more information to fill in the gaps, and now you have a clear way to get it.
THE HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR FAMILIES OF COLOR
Once you've got a clearer picture of where your child is academically, the next question is usually: okay, so what curriculum option(s) should we use?
My Homeschool Curriculum Guide for Families of Color takes some of the guesswork out of the search by bringing together culturally affirming curriculum options across subjects and grade levels!
