Composite Email of the Day:
I’m a type-A parent freaking out about the test/assessment requirement. Should I test my <8yo? What if my 8-18yo fails? Etc. so on and so forth in the kinds of obsessions that we all do at some time or another.
Answer:
Dude. Listen to me. Carefully.
The test/assessment requirement exists SOLELY to provide you with an external metric by which to measure your child against children their same age from 40 years ago.
It's not a bar.
It's not a goal.
It's merely a tool.
If your child (8-18) completely bombs the test or assessment, in regards to h** age OR STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT the law says that you should "make a good faith effort to remedy the deficiency."
Do the test or assessment once a year from 8-18.
Don't prep for it.
Don't worry about it.
Don't open the scores when they come back if you don't feel like it.
You're with your kidlets 24/7/365.
You KNOW how they're doing.
You don't need a test from 40 years ago or an assessment from someone who doesn't know you to know how they're doing. Do it to be in compliance with the law, and then forget about it.
Seriously.
Or I will sentence you to watching Captain Fantastic. Or reading John Holt. Or Grace Llewellyn. Or John Taylor Gatto.
Chill out.
~Jen GS