HOTM Review: Diagnostic ELA/Reading Assessments (12/14/09)

My very first review with HOTM was posted today! I have quoted the article here for you to read, enjoy!

Review: Diagnostic ELA/Reading Assessments by Mark Pennington

December 14, 2009 by Cassie
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As a homeschool parent living in a very homeschool-supportive state I have never been required to have my children take standardized tests. In many ways, this is great for us. But there is a lot to be said for regular testing. As a parent-teacher, you walk away from the experience with a real idea of how your child is performing compared to his peers. Ideally, any weaknesses will be revealed and you can then formulate a plan to strengthen those areas.
The only area I have ever really stressed about educationally is reading and language arts. So very much of education hinges on our mastery of these areas! I am always evaluating and questioning if we are doing enough to prepare our children for a lifetime of learning. I was thrilled to receive Diagnostic ELA/Reading Assessments by Mark Pennington to review!
Let me just start out by saying this is a jam-packed resource. Although it was written with the classroom teacher in mind, every single assessment is totally and completely useable for the homeschool setting. The first 12 pages explain why these tests are useful, if not necessary, for evaluating student's abilities. It is also explained how to go about using and administering these tests. There are 18 different areas that are tested ranging from beginning reading skills all the way through high school writing competency. This would definitely be a resource you could use throughout your child's schooling, no matter what the grade or age. Each individual assessment has a teacher's instruction page which informs you exactly which skills are being evaluated, how to administer the test, and how to record and use the results to help your student(s). Not a single language arts skill area that I can think of is ignored in this thorough assessment package. The assessments are very easy to use and also easy to score, making evaluating your child's skill levels quick and painless for both parent and child.
The fact that this is a multi-grade level resource makes it very much worth the initial investment, especially considering that in e-book format, you can print as many copies as you need for all your students to be assessed on a regular basis. I would very highly recommend this useful tool for any parent who wants a clear picture of how much their child is learning and applying in the reading and language areas of their education.
This item is available for purchase through CurrClick and can be found: HERE.
Cassandra Simpson is a homeschooling wife and mother of four children, ages 1, 8, 9, and 12. She is starting her 6th year of home educating in Indiana and uses a "Classically Eclectic" teaching approach. Cassandra is the Assistant Lead Moderator for HOTM's forum and loves talking homeschool with anyone who will listen! Her hobbies are reading, blogging, sewing, and cooking. You can check out her family's blog at In His Image.