Y’all let’s break it down in plain English and talk about how Georgia Mountain Academy takes the headache out of this whole process.
What Georgia Actually Requires
Here’s the deal: Georgia law says your home schooled child needs to take a nationally standardized test every three years, starting after they finish third grade. That’s it. Every three years.
Now, don’t get confused by the Georgia Milestones test you hear about on the news. That test is for public schools and doesn’t count for home schoolers because it’s not nationally standardised. You need a test that compares your child to students across the country, not just across Georgia.
The Tests We Use at Georgia Mountain Academy
We’ve chosen to focus on two of the most respected tests out there: the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) and the Cognitive Abilities Test (CoGAT).
Why these two? Because together they give you a complete picture of what your child knows and how they think. The ITBS shows you what they’ve learned in subjects like reading, math, and language. The CoGAT reveals how they learn best – whether they’re strong with words, numbers, or pictures and patterns.
We Handle the Hard Stuff for You
Look, we know you’ve got enough on your plate planning lessons, teaching multiple kids, and trying to get dinner on the table. That’s why we handle the testing process from start to finish.
When you test with us, we take care of:
– Administering the test according to all the rules
– Scoring everything correctly
– Analyzing what those numbers actually mean for your child
– Explaining the results in a way that makes sense for your Family
Understanding Your Child’s Results
This is where we really shine. Getting a stack of numbers and percentiles doesn’t help you teach better. What helps is understanding what those numbers mean for YOUR child.
When we go over the results with you, we’ll show you:
– Where your child is excelling and where they might need some extra attention
– How their learning style affects the way they tackle different subjects
– Specific ways you can adjust your teaching to help them succeed
– How they’re doing compared to other students their age across the country
That Two-Week Notice Thing
You might hear folks talking about giving two weeks’ notice for testing. Here’s the straight talk: Georgia law doesn’t spell this out, but most testing places (including us) need time to get everything ready. When you test with Georgia Mountain Academy, we’ll work with you to schedule a time that fits your family’s schedule.
Keeping Your Records Straight
Georgia requires you to keep your test results with your children’s school records, but you don’t have to send them to anybody. We’ll make sure you get everything you need for your files, and we can even help you organize all your home school records if you need a hand with that.
The Bottom Line
Testing every three years doesn’t have to be a source of stress. When you work with Georgia Mountain Academy, you get more than just a test score – you get a partner in your home school journey who helps you understand exactly how your child is learning and growing.
Ready to take the mystery out of testing? Give us a call, and let’s talk about how we can help your family meet Georgia’s requirements while getting the information you need to home school with confidence.
Ready to Book Testing? Click Here: https://gamtnaca.org/product/standardized-testing/
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