
Homeschooling is a journey which provides parents an unique opportunity to tailor their children’s educational journey as per their needs, interest and preference.
However in order to ensure a consistent and remarkable homeschooling journey parents need to evaluate all aspects of the progress along with the necessary skills required for a person to become a well rounded individual.
Homeschooling offers flexibility and incorporates a structure assessment methodology in the process but in order to ensure the learning is effective and goal oriented there are various steps taken and some strategies introduced to evaluate homeschooling students progress holistically.
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Contents
So, what is the Importance of evaluation in homeschooling?
Evaluation is not just a parameter to be met by the rules rather it is proof of an effective educational journey in practice.
Given the benefits of homeschooling, more and more parents are turning to this alternative style of education .
The legality of Homeschooling in India is recognized by the government as given the benefits of homeschooling, more and more parents are turning to this alternative style of education.
Hence, the government has set up formal bodies to ensure structured learning. NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) is the government body that offers qualifying exams equivalent to board exams.
Homeschooling plays a very crucial role in structuring the overall understanding of a student being HomeSchool and it provides the structure to the whole learning journey.
Unlike traditional School, homeschooling often lacks standardized grade level tests and examinations which usually help students in tracking their progress.
It is suggested for parents to adopt methods that ensure academic growth in them while preserving the flexibility and personalized nature of the methodology.
Two major importance of evaluation in homeschooling are to balance flexibility and provide a structure to the assessment program.
- Flexibility : Homeschooling allows children to explore topics deeply without being pressured by the schedule and rigidness of the traditional schooling method; it promotes freedom and creativity well embedded in the learning journey.
- Structure : Regular evaluation provides structure to the overall homeschooling curriculum where flexibility is important but a structured assessment can provide measurable outcome and identify the areas of improvement that is required by a student to work upon creating a feedback loop of constructive feedback and focused and regularised effort.
Achieving a balance ensures students remain motivated while meeting essential academic standards.
Types of Assessment Methods
1. Informal Assessments
Informal assessment is a day to day tool that parents can use to keep a better understanding of their child’s progress providing an inside to their educational journey without adding any undue stress.
- Daily Observations:
Daily observation is a form of informal assessment which involves providing students approachable tasks like reading, solving problems or discussions where parents can look for signs of improvement and observe their child’s progress.
This progress can be measured in the form of confidence and ability to solve complex problems and can help students in developing communicative skills well embedded in their love for reading and learning.
- Open Discussions and Q&A Sessions:
Open discussions and Q&A session is another form of informal assessment where students can engage in conversation about what they have learnt in their educational journey and in the designated time where they were focused towards a certain topic.
Using open ended questions during the discussion to test the comprehension and critical thinking skills of a student can help them develop all the essential skills required.
Consider an example where a student is discussing the story and parents counter question in the discussion regarding the narrative of this story with questions like : ” Why do you think the character made that decision in the story?” Or ” Why did the protagonist of the story behave in that manner?“
2. Formal Assessments
Formal assessment introduces students to a structured approach of tracking progress where parents can use this method and tailor them as per the homeschooling curriculum.
- Quizzes and Tests:
Parents can consider using quizzes and tests specifically designed for a knowledge area that a student has mastered in during their learning process.
It is suggested for parents to keep the quizzes and tests short and focused so that it balances with their stress level and by providing clear indicators of understanding can help students in analysing these tests better.
- Written Assignments and Projects:
With written assignments and projects students can get a deeper understanding of complex topics.
Under written assignments and projects students are assigned to write an essay research paper and even involved in creative writing tasks to assess their comprehension and writing skill.
These projects encourage students to practically apply what they are learning and participate in interdisciplinary learning journeys.
Advanced Strategies for Holistic Evaluation
To assess a homeschooling student’s overall development, advanced strategies are required as they go beyond basic testing.
1. Benchmarking with Standardized Tests
By benchmarking the standardised test with the homeschooling curriculum like; Informal and Formal assessment parents can provide a reference point for the comparison between the two.
The standardized test highlights areas where students can Excel or constructively provide feedback for the areas of improvement in their learning journey.
Examples of such situations could be state proficiency tests or exams like SAT
2. Peer and External Reviews
Under this method of advance strategy being introduced to Homeschooling students are paired with other homeschoolers where they work on group projects and discussion to promote collaborative learning in them and motivate them to learn from their peers.
Under the circumstances students can learn from each other and this situation leads to peer review where contributing into the assessment journey with other home scholars helps students understand diverse perspectives and respect different opinions.
By enrolling students into online courses and programs parents can ensure an external review for the students progress.
External teachers can provide feedback for students on their assignments and performance based on the report.
3. Monitoring Non-Academic Skills
Holistic education includes all the non academic skills embedded in the curriculum for students where activities take place to boost students teamwork, emotional intelligence and time management skills.
Under the circumstances parents can monitor these skills and their impact during the group activities that they plan for their kids.
These skills are also very predominantly observed when students are participating in any co-curricular activities like sports and volunteer work.
4. Using Technology for Progress Tracking
As we observe this digital age we have a numerous amount of tools that can streamline students’ educational journey and can support their homeschooling evaluation process.
Some of the platforms introduced to students could be learning management systems like Google classroom or schoology where parents can create assignments, track their submissions and even provide feedback as happening in the online learning platforms.
They can also take advantage of educational apps like Khan academy Duolingo which will help students learn on their own and self-assess their journey in a very engaging way.
Students and parents can take help from progress tracking software which can help students in organising schedules for their learning sessions assignments and paves way for seamless tracking and reporting.
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5. Creating a Feedback Loop
By providing feedback to students, parents can create an effective environment where they grow by reflecting on the educational journey. It is essential for them to keep them motivated and see improvement in them.
In order to create a feedback loop there are three things that can be done:
- Using a mix of assessment methods like formal and informal to evaluate their performance properly.
- Offer constructive and specific feedback at the right time commonly known as building a feedback delivery system. For example while reflecting on an essay assignment parents can say ” your essay is well structured but consider using more examples to support your arguments for the next time”
- Parents can help students in setting clear goals that are actionable and attainable based on the feedback provided. The process is known as creating an action plan for students to reflect better on the feedback and make improvements.
Conclusion
Evaluating home school students is a difficult task and is a dynamic process that requires a mix of methods and strategies.
By introducing formal and informal methods of assessment parents can regularly monitor students progress and contribute to their educational journey constructively.
By balancing flexibility and structured assessment in homeschooling and curriculum, parents can monitor students’ non academic skills by leveraging technology to ensure a child’s holistic growth.
By introducing modern strategic assessment plans to their curriculum parents can ensure a creative solution to all the homes schooling assessment issues to create an effective and enriching educational journey for their children.
Before ending the article here’s a list of most frequently asked questions related to homeschooling.