How do you teach speed/testing skills?

[Michellelg]

We have homeschooled my son from the very start. We live in a state where you only have to report your intent, no testing or anything. We are very likely moving to PA soon, and they have all those stiffer requirements, including testing. We've never done testing but DS would finish out his third grade year there, and that's a year they require testing for. I am having him take the car online through Christian liberty, since he has never tested at all and I wanted an idea of what we needed to work on. I would like to add that he is exceptionally bright in many areas and average in others. He reads on a 6th grade level or so. But he is homeschooled and has never had to worry about speed. Taking the test he only managed to answer about half of the reading computer questions, and now I don't think he will get half of the math done. I watched him for a while and it isn't because he is struggling but rather he is being very thorough. He chooses his answer carefully then double checks it. Personally, that sort of work ethic makes me happier than his ability to answer 48 questions in 30 minutes, but I guess we will be teaching to te test now

Any advice?

[Michellelg]

Forgive the typos. I'm mobile and couldn't see what I was typing past the first paragraph :P

[foggierbard9]

Do his scores on the tests actually affect whether you can continue to homeschool him or is it just the state requiring tests of everybody just to require them?

I would find that out first. If the test doesn't affect the state saying you can/can't homeschool/he has to be in public school...then I wouldn't worry about how he did on the test, how fast he got it done. I might work with him on just picking up speed so that when he gets to higher grades and he wants to take the ACT/SAT he will have the speed to take it in the allotted time.

[Michellelg]

Good question. I'll try to figure out the answer.