Open your test booklets...

I adore standardized testing. I'm equally sure that I should not admit that. There's something about the 12-30 minute chunks of time so neatly punctuated by "You may begin." and "Put your pencils down and close your test booklets." I like bubble sheets and the butterflies that begin fluttering in my stomach as soon as the test starts. I love how the right or wrong answer almost pops off the page. I love the whole atmosphere surrounded those end of year evaluations. So surely it comes as no surprise that my children do too.

This week we find ourselves surrounded by the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, a comprehensive survey of what Joe and Louisa have learned this school year and a way to measure how they are doing compared with other students in the same grade across the country. Beyond being one of the few hoops to jump through as a home-schooling family in North Carolina, it also provides the much needed skill of performance under pressure, double checking their work, and a comprehensive review of a variety of subjects. In addition to the ITBS we are also sitting for a writing test, ever the weak point for homeschoolers to try and gage what we need to review before public school in the fall. Thanks to Karen who suggested this years ago. It has been and continues to be a wonderful tool. Since Joe finished fifth grade math years ago, (making the ITBS a bit deficient in assessing where he is now) he also completed the Iowa Algebra Aptitude Test last week as well as North Carolina's EOG (End of Grade) practice tests in Math for grades 5, 6 and 7. Did I mention how much we love to take tests??

As the temperature rises and the days stretch out towards summer we are nearing the end of our school year here at the Great American Adventure Academy. With a myriad of summer camps and field trips left to go I think it is safe to say that we have all enjoyed our time together. It seems odd to think that this phase of our lives is coming to a close. Next year, they'll enter into a different world both academically and socially. Kev and I will resign as their primary teachers, handing them over to the school system in New Hampshire. We'll slip quietly into the background, asking each afternoon how their day was and whether they need any help with homework. In truth, we are all looking forward to the change. Louisa is looking forward to a large classroom full of more potential girlfriends, Joe to hanging out with peers who feel that being a smart alack is a worthy aspiration--rather than his parents who see it as a character flaw. I'm sure there will be bumps in the road ahead as we all adjust to new roles and relationships. But as for now, we're finishing strong. Like kids all over the country, they'll ponder their questions, mark their bubble sheets with number 2 pencils and enjoy the warm nearly summer sunshine this afternoon.