Testing Options and Requirements
Families of Faith requires a standard of mastery in the core academic areas before a student will be promoted to a subsequent grade, or have high school credits added to his transcript. Students who wish to transfer at the end of the school year must have a certified report card to promote.
Validation Procedure:
Kindergarten students must have a portfolio review to determine the level of proficiency before they will be promoted to the first grade and a diploma issued.
First through 5th grade students are not required to be tested or evaluated each year. It is recommended that students have their first evaluation by standardized testing no later than the fourth grade. Students who are struggling in one or more academic areas should be tested or evaluated by the guidance office sooner. Students who wish to transfer to another school are required to have their report cards certified by testing or portfolio review before their records will indicate that they have been promoted. Testing or review must show that the student has accomplished a minimum of one year of academic progress in the core academic disciplines.
6th through 8th grade students must be tested each year. These are the years when high school is planned and prepared for. Students who miss critical evaluations at this level may be putting their high school and college preparedness in jeopardy. Students who wish to transfer to another school are required to have their report cards certified by testing or portfolio review before the their records will indicate that they have been promoted. Testing or review must show that the student has accomplished a minimum of one year of academic progress in the core academic disciplines.
High school level students are required to submit a test to the school each year because we are issuing credits for the classes they have completed. Testing or review must show that the student has accomplished a minimum of one year of academic progress in the core academic disciplines and or obtained a level of proficiency that is commensurate with the grade issued. High schoolers that have finished Algebra I and are planning to attend college may prefer to use the SAT I or ACT instead of the BASI. All college-bound Juniors should take one as practice, and Seniors should take them again to raise their score as high as possible. Many students take these tests two or three times a year while in high school, hoping to increase their score for college admission.
To sign up for either of these tests, use the FFCA school code: 100-829 from either of the test’s web sites where you will be directed through the registration process including choosing of a testing location near you. (www.sat.org, which directs you to www.collegeboard.com or www.act.org)
Testing Dates 2011-2012
The BASI (Basic Achievement Skills Inventory) standardized test dates for students enrolled in Families of Faith Christian Academy are listed below. Students in 8th -12th are required to take a placement test each year. Students who have taken the ACT, SAT or CPT after February 2012 may use those results as their end- of-year evaluation, and are not required to take the BASI.
County-registered homeschoolers are required to submit a test to the county. The BASI is on the state of Florida approved list. Homeschoolers may register for the test, as well; the cost is $49 per student.
Each testing group is limited to twelve students. Please call or e-mail the school office to have your student placed on the testing list. The test takes 2 1/2 hours to complete, so students only need to be scheduled for the morning or afternoon session, not both.
At the Lakeland Office:
4406 South Florida Ave., Suite 20
Lakeland FL 33813
April 14th 9:00 a.m.
April 14th 2:00 p.m.
May 12th 9:00 a.m.
May 12th 2:00 p.m.
June 2nd 9:00 a.m.
June 2nd 2:00 p.m.
jlawson@familiesoffaithchristianacademy.com
Overview of Testing
When standardized testing first became popular, its aim was to evaluate individ- ual students to determine areas of proficiency and need. In most cases that is not how it is commonly used now. In fact, many private schools require testing in every grade, because testing has become the standard by which schools are judged and promoted. Schools that use an accelerated curriculum (like ABeka) use testing to promote their school without a word about the fact that a large percentage of students must repeat a grade or even be put back a grade after passing it at a different school. Testing does provide a good judge of proficiency for many children, but not all. The rule of thumb is that few, if any, students test above their level, but many who “freeze” will test well below the level at which they are competent. In general, testing a student under the third grade, or before they have mastered the basics of reading, will produce limited useful results. The most common grades for our families to utilize testing are around the 4th, 6th, and 8th grades and all of high school.
What tests are available?
NOTE: Click the dual enrollment link under High School Planning for information on the CPT.
FCAT was created for the Florida Public School system. It is not designed for private school students, nor would we subject our students to a curriculum-specific test as opposed to a real nationally-normed reference assessment. The test you may choose for your student should be based on what the student has used before and the purpose of your present testing. The following are descriptions of the tests that are available and when they are most appropriately given.
BASI: Basic Achievement Skills Inventory:
The BASI is a newer test that is on the State of Florida’s approved list for students using the Corporate Tax Scholarship to pay tuition in private schools. Because of its approved status with the state, Polk County has approved it for end-of-the-year evaluations for county-registered homeschoolers. Other counties may accept it as well, but parents should verify its acceptance before scheduling testing. FFCA offers this test to homeschoolers at a cost of $49. Students enrolled in FFCA do not pay a testing fee; it is a part of the registration and tuition fees you already pay. The BASI has three clear advantages over previous tests used by FFCA students. The first advantage is the time it takes to test. Most students complete the entire battery in about three hours, including instruction time, sample questions and short breaks. The second advantage is that computer-generated reports are available locally instead of having to be grouped and mailed off for scoring. And, lastly, it can be taken at any time during the year instead of just a few weeks during the normed testing period.
SAT: Scholastic Aptitude Test www.satstudent.org
(They have subject tests as well. The SAT I or reasoning test is referred to here.)
ACT: American College Test www.act.org
These are the two college entrance exams that colleges and scholarship organizations want to see. Most colleges in the country require one of the two; some, Florida Bright Futures, for example, will use scores from either test. If using the SAT I or ACT, the school’s “code number” is 100-829. Registration booklets, which also list the six test dates, as well as testing locations, are available at the school office in the fall of each year for either of these tests. However, most students register online because it is much more efficient.