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Should home schooled kids be required to pass standardized state tests on key concepts in science -- such as a test on evolution?
Should home schooled kids be required to pass standardized state tests on key concepts in science -- such as a test on evolution?
I would argue against the standardization unless private and parochial schools are required to do the same thing. In Illinois, standardized tests and record keeping are not compulsory because the state identifies homeschooled kids in the same category as privately-educated kids, and therefore not under the same educational obligations as public schools.
Remember, there are a whole host of parents who educate their kids at home who are not of the anti-evolution crowd, and who choose to homeschool because of the desire to be absolutely certain where their children are with reading comprehension, science, mathematics, history, and government studies. Many parents don't homeschool because of their religious beliefs, but because of educational philosophy and to see their child learn at his or her own rate and with his or her unique kinds of learning (does she learn through visual cues, audio cues, or tactile cues? and so on).
And as darkendless pointed out, creationist parents will eschew evolution and will teach their kids creationism regardless of whether or not it's taught in public school science class or not.
Good point.
Personally, I think that if a test is adminstered across the board to public and private school students, home-schooled students shouldn't be excluded from it.
For example, here, we have standardized tests administered by the province in grades 3, 6 and 9 that measure performance in various key subjects and concepts. I don't think something like that would be an onerous burden on a home-schooling family.
Yes, but generally, standards and scrutiny are meant to address the kids whose parents aren't up to the task, not those who are, even though the burden of those standards and scrutiny gets placed on all of them.
I recognize that teachers in public schools (and hopefully private schools as well, though I realize this may vary by jurisdiction) are subject to a licencing system that is intended to provide some assurance that the teachers meet some basic level of qualification. Do we have the same assurance about the people home-schooling their kids?
I have no doubt that many home-schooling parents would meet the basic standards of a classroom teacher; I'd bet that many parents (and, I should say, many classroom teachers) would greatly exceed those standards... but would all of them? Is it the case that all home-schooled students are at least as well-off educationally as they would be in their local public school? If not, what do we do about it?
I think the issue isn't so much that they will be taught creationism, but that they won't be taught evolution. In the public system, or in a system where evolution is included on a standardized test for all students, even if the kid is being taught evolution in a "memorize this stuff to pass the test even though we think it's false" sort of way, they'll still have at least some exposure to important concepts.
Social skills and the ability to work as a team should be tested above all. I think you would find these days that individual work is dying in favour of congregations of like-minded individuals working together.
I don't think science and evolution are necessary, some distorted children who have been taught the bible as law will dismiss evolution and science whether they're home schooled or not.
Rojse: standards in Australia are lowered significantly, we face a skills shortage so they're dropping the bar. The OP to be an engineer is a 15.... 15, i could have got that if i did like maths A, home ec, business and other un-scientific subjects.
I put forward what I believe should be the case, rather than what actually is, which I am not too sure of.
Even if the OP for University entry is 15, universities do give more technical mathematics courses so that everyone has the same skills in that regard. And the testing and assessment reigemes for engineers are quite steep, so if any people that would not be good engineers start these courses, they don't end up finishing them.
I went to a Catholic high-school and we were taught evolution.I am quite sure I was never taught evolution
at my Roman Catholic HighSchool.
If they did, it certainly wasn't memorable,
or I'd remember I guess.
There was also no creationism in my theolgy classes.
(that I recall)
Is it "normally" taught in biology?
Home schooled students should pass the state's standardized tests. I have yet to encounter one that is science-heavy or tests knowledge of evolution.