Assessment
How Can You Monitor Your Child’s Learning?
Simple Tools for Homeschoolers (Without the Stress!)
If you grew up in public school, you probably remember the annual ritual of filling in endless bubbles on standardized tests. But have you ever wondered—were those tests really designed to help individual kids grow, or were they meant for something else?
The Limits of Standardized Testing
Standardized testing was originally developed to compare large groups of students and schools—not to track each child’s unique progress. When I was a kid (I’m aging myself here!), we only took these tests every few years. Fast forward to today: most public schools now give standardized tests two or even three times a year, in an effort to show individual growth over time. When I was teaching, my own school gave these assessments three times each year—taking up valuable learning time and, in many cases, causing more stress than insight.
Tools like the NWEA MAP test do attempt to measure growth, but this comes at the cost of multiple lengthy testing sessions annually. Even then, the results don’t always provide real direction for your child’s day-to-day learning or help you understand how they learn best.
Is Anyone Really “Ahead” or “Behind”?
One of the greatest freedoms of homeschooling is that children can learn at their own pace. In Minnesota, we’re required to cover certain subjects, but not to follow rigid grade-level benchmarks. This means there’s no such thing as being “ahead” or “behind”—just moving forward on your own path.
A Tool for Growth and Documentation:
Teaching Strategies Gold
Objectives for Development & Learning
For families who want a clear, positive way to track growth, I highly recommend looking up the Objectives for Development & Learning (search: “objectives for development and learning 2018 pdf”).
This tool is now aligned with state standards and shows how skills develop as a progression—not a one-size-fits-all checklist.
It now goes up to third grade! This makes it even more valuable for families seeking a bigger-picture view of their child’s learning journey.
You simply mark the date your child reaches each skill within their color band, providing a range of what’s typical at each age/stage.
It’s also an excellent framework for building a portfolio—collect work samples, photos, or stories to show your child’s journey and meet documentation requirements.
If you’re looking for a true growth measure and direction on what comes next, GOLD offers a developmentally appropriate roadmap instead of just a snapshot or score.
For Families Interested in Formal Assessment
For Minnesota families, standardized testing is required starting the school year when your child turns 7 by October 1. For those formal requirements, Homeschool Boss is a convenient and reliable resource for NWEA MAP testing. They provide detailed reports and make the process as stress-free as possible.
Bottom line:
You don’t need to stress about being “behind” or test your child endlessly. There are gentle, developmentally appropriate ways to track growth, celebrate learning, and create documentation—if and when you want it.