published on or around the 15th of the month
from the author of www.brightkidsathome.com
May, 2006    volume 1- Issue 8


The Java House... radical opinions about whatever, from OldSage

Teens

 


Is It Assessment Time At Your House?
by Amy Cortez, Editor - The Eclectic Telegraph

In many states homeschool families are required to show improvement, or that they actually homeschooled their kids. Generally it is through some sort of assessment process like an academic test (sometimes called proficiency or standardized testing).

There are as many different opinions about academic testing as there are homeschoolers. Many people object to standardized testing.

Let's start with a definition:

as-sess ,v.t. 1. to estimate officially the value of (property,etc) for taxation. 2. to determine the amount of (damages, a fine, etc.) 3. to evaluate: to assess one's efforts.
The next word in my dictionary was
as-set, n. 1. A useful thing or quality.

The interesting definition to me was number 3. Actually the next definition is the real comment. In this age of standardized testing, how can one really measure one's efforts? One of my favorite topics is No Child Left Behind because of the element of required "assessment" of students and teachers. There's a "catch 22" for you! In the state where I homeschool, we have to send proof that our students show improvement each year and we have three choices in order to do that. One choice is the standardized test, the next is to have our portfolio assessed by a state certified teacher and the third is a method that both the parent and the superintendent agree on. Well, if you're dealing with a middle school age student that prefers Quantum Physics to Earth Science and Wheelock's Latin to English Grammar, you're kind of in a weird place, especially when none of these choices sit very well with you in the first place.

In our homeschool we look at Standardized tests as a necessary evil that measures someone's idea of some subset of knowledge the specific age group should know. We also know that one day we'll take the SAT College entrance test, so I administer a CAT-5 every year for 2 reasons. 1. so my student knows what a standardized test looks like 2. to satisfy my curiosity that he could play that game if he needed to. Lame reasons, but that's what we do. In this age of standardized testing I thinks it's better to be the informed player on the sidelines than the ostrich who doesn't even pay attention to the game in the stadium.

Over the years I have collected a lot of information on academic assessment, perhaps what I have collected can help you. [read on]

 


The Overscheduled Child
by Amy Cortez, Editor - The Eclectic Telegraph

A friend recently commented to me about another parent "they drive them to a bunch of activities and schedule so many things for them to do that when they don't have anything planned for them, they don't know what to do."

I asked "so do you think that makes them a good parent?"

They replied, "this parent thinks they are super parent, when really I have observed is all that they have with those kids is a superficial relationship because they don't really spend any time together, rather they let all these non-family members coach, instruct and mentor their kids."

Now one could take that conversation as gossip, but it made me realize the very special relationship homeschooling parents end up having with their kids because of the time we spend coaching, instructing and mentoring our kids. Personally, I think many activities outside the home are used more for babysitting than anything else.[read on]



 

 

The Dilbert Blog



 

Travelin' With The Kid
blog.brightkidsathom.com

Read about our adventures in our own back yard and on the road! From a mom who has been homeschooling and traveling with a highly gifted student for more than 5 years.

 


NASA's Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) satellites have provided the first three-dimensional images of the sun. For the first time, scientists will be able to see structures in the sun's atmosphere in three dimensions.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense…"

Bright Kids at Home
www.brightkidsathome.com
A practical website geared towards homeschooling and traveling with gifted and talented students. From a mom who has been homeschooling a highly gifted student for more than 5 years. Here you will find ideas about how you might homeschool your gifted student. You'll find ideas about how to homeschool and travel.


Huh? What's a podcast?

'Carrot Wars'
An excerpt from former home-schooler Alyssa Buecker's "Star Wars" spoof, "Carrot Wars," which was commissioned by HBO Family Channel. Watch. Linked to the video library at The Lawrence Journal-World, Lawrence, Kansas.
(VIDEO)
(Best with High Speed)

A Lego Knitting Machine from YouTube.
(VIDEO)
(Best with High Speed)


Lego StrandBeast
(VIDEO)
(Best with High Speed)

 


Try something new!

Seed 2007 Science Writing Contest
What does it mean to be scientifically literate in the 21st century? How do we measure the scientific literacy of a society? How do we boost it? What is the value of this literacy? Who is responsible for fostering it?

Essay submissions will be judged by a panel of Seed editors and special guests. Winning entries will be published in Seed magazine.

  • Submission Deadline: July 1, 2007
  • Maximum Word Count: 1,200
  • First Prize $:2,500
  • 2nd Place: $1,000 Prize

POWER PUZZLE - FIRST LEGO League 2007 Season

Registration is open!

FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is for 9-14 year olds.to learn more about FLL and other robotics challenges. Over 60,000 children participated last year. In the US there were over 50 tournaments.


Wrights Law is a very well done website for legal issues regarding Special Education?

Parents, educators, advocates, and attorneys come to Wrightslaw for accurate, reliable information about special education law, education law, and advocacy for children with disabilities. Begin your search for information in the Advocacy Libraries and Law Libraries. You will find thousands of articles, cases, and free resources about dozens of topics


Seedmagazine.com aims to provide our readers with the most relevant, insightful and entertaining original science content on the web. Updated 6 days a week, our site includes everything from breaking news and in-depth features to columns and reviews, including articles from Seed Magazine (subscribe). While our library includes the usual magazine fare, we also embrace the potential of the web to cross media boundaries by delivering podcasts, slideshows and a growing pool of video content.

Astronomers have detected the brightest stellar explosion, or supernova, on record. They say it may be a new type of supernova that may also oc-cur be-fore long in our own galaxy—what one re-search-er said would be history’s most awesome star show. [read on]

You can become Carbon Neutral, read how [here] Becoming carbon neutral means that we have obtained a carbon offset to balance out any greenhouse gas emissions we create by running our website and back office operations.


Alyssa Buecker might be one of the most famous home school students to come from Lawrenc, Kansas. It was her films starring her Guinea Pigs that did it. [read on]. Now Daphne the Science Guinea Pig wants her own movie!

Past Editions


 

 


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