Steve Deckard, Ed.D., Assistant Professor, Institute for Creation Research states, "One aspect of education where evolutionary theory has had a stranglehold is standardized testing. This is especially true for standardized science achievement tests.

"These tests have been written from a secular, humanistic, and evolutionary world view. Because of this inherent bias, young people educated in evangelical Christian private or home schools which teach creation science are at a distinct disadvantage.

"This situation is changing. Association of Christian Schools International, in cooperation with the developers of the Stanford Achievement Test series, introduced in the fall of 1995 a special Christian School Edition of the Stanford Achievement Test.

"The ACSI/SAT Christian School Edition is known as a custom-made test. The non-core questions use a Biblical and traditional-values approach with illustrations, examples, and stories." Also included in the ACSI/SAT is a Bible Assessment subtest. (Read more.)

Home-school families may have access to the ACSI/SAT by:

•  Testing at a ACSI-member Christian school.

•  Your support group can become an ACSI member if it has a paid administer and meets other criteria (call 800-367-0798) and can then order the tests.

Inge Cannon, of Education PLUS, observes, "As the culture moves in the direction of secularism and away from any demonstration of Biblical values, Christians will find the gap between what they are teaching and what the tests measure to grow increasingly wider."

Inge goes on to recommend that home schoolers:

•  Take only the basic battery (reading, math, language arts) and avoid the additional tests that make up the complete battery (science, social studies, and at lower levels, the environment) if they must take a standardized achievement test.

•  Strive to change state home-school laws to reflect this option or to allow for other forms of evaluation.

Remember that a standardized achievement test cannot measure the sum total of your child's progress. It is only one assessment tool with limited value.

•  Measure your child's ability to recall certain facts, basic skills, and concepts common to the grade tested.

•  Compare your child's scores with other students' scores.

•  Assess your child's year-to-year development of learning, if the same test is used for several years.

•  Help you determine your child's academic strengths and weaknesses, as well as the effectiveness of your curriculum, teaching methods, or emphasis, when results are combined with your own observations.

•  Tell you if your child has achieved academically to the level of his ability.

•  Measure your child's intelligence or the many other skills and abilities not on the test.

•  Replace your own informed evaluation of your child's knowledge and skills, gained from your daily observation of his work and more thorough and frequent review questions.

Following are the most commonly used standardized achievement tests. For more information about each test, see the test publisher's website links below.

Check with your state or local home-school organization for local sources of tests and testing services.

1. California Achievement Tests (CAT/5, CAT/6)

Published by CTB/McGrawHill. California Achievement Tests, Fifth Edition (CAT/5) and TerraNova, The Second Edition

•  California Achievement Test, 1970 Edition (more demanding than recent editions) is available from Christian Liberty Academy School System. (CAT/6)

2. Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). Published by Riverside Publishing.

•  ITBS and other tests and assessments available from Bob Jones University Press Testing and Evaluation.

3. Stanford Achievement Tests (SAT), Tenth Edition. (Not to be confused with the SAT college entrance exam.)SAT 10 and Stanford 10 - Abbreviated Battery were published by Harcourt Assessment, but according to their website, Harcourt Assessment is pending sale to another company.

•  SAT and other tests and assessments available from Bob Jones University Press Testing and Evaluation.

•  ACSI/SAT 10 may be available from ACSI or ACSI-member schools. (See "Standardized Tests and the Christian Worldview" above.)

Comparison of the Stanford and Iowa Achievement Tests

BJU Press notes that both tests are top-rated, nationally standardized tests that evaluate thinking, and neither is more difficult than the other.

•  Stanford evaluates listening skills through grade 8; Iowa through grade 2.

•  Stanford tests are administered untimed; Iowa tests are timed.

4. Personalized Achievement Summary System (PASS) Tests

The PASS Test was developed specifically for home schoolers. As other achievement tests, it estimates student achievement in the subjects of reading, language, and math.

Parents may administer this untimed test in their own home. A pretest places your child in the correct test level.

•  Available from Hewitt Homeschooling Resources.

5. Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, TerraNova (CTBS). Now called TerraNova CTBS. Published by CTB/McGrawHill.

•  Available from The Sycamore Tree.

6. Metropolitan Achievement Tests, Eighth Edition (MAT 8). Previously published by Harcourt Assessment (see note in #3 above).

The Miller Family Series: Good reading with wholesome, character-building stories about missionary adventures;peer relationships; character qualities; health, safety,and courtesy; wisdom from Proverbs; plus activity books.Great to read aloud for all ages! Birch Court Books: Create a Curriculum or Enhance Your Current Program. Common Sense Press, Beautiful Feet Books, Draw-Write- Now, Key to... Workbooks, CalcuLadder, and much more. Free Media Mail shipping with online order of $20. Free catalog: 800-655-1811. www.BirchCourtBooks.com.

It is wise to prepare your child for a test and teach him some basic test-taking skills.

The desire to do well on a year-end test can provide added accountability and motivation for learning throughout your school year.

You will choose the material you teach your child based on more important criteria than passing a test. In fact, much of the most vital information you want your child to learn will not appear on a standardized achievement test.

(See Newsletter #81 about setting spiritual, academic, social, and life skills goals and objectives.)

However, be sure to include all information the test will cover in your curriculum.

•  Create or buy study aids for teaching and reviewing key facts and information that needs to be memorized such as flashcards, checklists, outlines, and summaries.

•  Check out the audio resources carried by Sing 'n Learn that help your children learn and review basic information.

•  Don't overplay the test's importance.

•  Help your child approach his test with confidence and a positive attitude of doing his best.

•  Explain that this test is to show how much he knows and that he is not expected to know everything on the test, although he might know most of it.

A practice test will increase your child's self-confidence and reduce his test anxiety.

•  Use a practice test to familiarize your child with testing formats, directions, strategies, and sample questions (not exact questions) similar to those found in the test.

•  Use the practice test written specifically for the test your child will be taking.

A reader writes, "I have found it not only helpful, but almost essential to go through practice tests with our children well in advance of the test itself.

"We always find something just a little different from what we studied, and this gives us time to prepare.

"Two different tests are even better, for the same reason, and help children become more at home with different wording and formats."

Practice tests are available for various standardized tests at different grade levels from the following suppliers.

•  "Achieving Peak Performance" from by Curt and Jenny Bumcrot

•  "Test for Success" and "Better Test Scores" Bob Jones University Press Testing & Evaluation

•  "Spectrum Test Prep" from Timberdoodle Company

•  Various products from Sycamore Tree (see "Test Preparation" under "Store Directory")

•  Free Online State Practice Tests

A reader writes, "Our children do very well in a private testing situation in the administrator's home.

"Ask your local Christian home-school support group leaders who is qualified to administer standardized tests in your area.

"Arrange a brief get-acquainted interview in the test-giver's home. Look for someone who is patient and kind with young children and who believes in home education. Then make an appointment for the test.

"Have your child take his test early enough to retake it if necessary after you see the results."