Evaluations

In Pennsylvania when I first started homeschooling the law stated that children who were eight years old or older needed to be evaluated each year, and that those in grades 3, 5, and 8 needed to be tested. The law changed to a lower age, but the change didn't impact our family because Oliver turned eight the year it went into effect. Because of COVID-19, homeschoolers didn't have to be evaluated or tested in 2020. Since my kids were in grades 2, 4, and 6 last spring, they weren't due for a test anyhow. Nadia was evaluated in 2017 and Nadia and Ian were both evaluated in 2018 and 2019. The evaluations aren't a big deal to me, but I was really hoping that the testing requirement would be waived again this spring since the pandemic certainly isn't over yet. Our state requested another waiver, but the Biden administration said the school districts MUST conduct their state testing this year even though some schools have not yet resumed meeting in person. I'm not a big fan of standardized testing in general, and I haven't found it to be helpful with my children thus far. Nadia took a standardized test at Camp Susque in 2017. Nadia and Ian both took the MAP Growth test online in 2019. I had been planning to use the MAP Growth test for Oliver and Ian this year, but I've made other arrangements. The evaluators I used from 2017-2019 are only certified for K-6th grade, which means I need someone else to evaluate Nadia this year. I ended up picking a woman in Bloomsburg, and the price she charges to administer the Woodcock Johnson was less than what it costs to do the MAP Growth online. We are scheduled to be at her house from 1-4pm on May 1st during which time she'll look at the portfolio and other documentation for all three kids plus administer the WJ-IV for Ian and Oliver. 

Thinking about possibly visiting three different Six Flags parks for the first time sometime this summer (May-July) lead me to consider visiting some other places in conjunction with those trips. Some of these places are already open but 5 of the 6 National Parks are not open at the moment. I'm hoping some (or all) of them will open sometime over the next four months. If so, I'm thinking we could do a one day trip to Six Flags America in Maryland (primarily to spend time with cousins), and a one day trip to the Buffalo area to visit the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural site plus Six Flags Darien Lake. We could also have a two day trip to The Great Escape plus possibly four National Parks (if they reopen) - Martin van Buren plus three in Hyde Park. Lastly, we could take a three day trip to Springfield, MA to visit Six Flags New England, Old Sturbridge Village, the Springfield Armory (if it reopens), and the Springfield Museums. Most of these sites had been included in the vacation plans for fall 2023. If we are able to visit them this year then I think we can add other things to the fall 2023 trip - the Weir Farm and PEZ factory in CT, Acadia National Park in ME, Quebec City, and three sites in Rhode Island (Newport Mansions, Roger Williams Monument, and John Brown House museum). The one member of our family who would NOT like these plans if he could comprehend them would be Milo. The only thing on our calendar thus for as far as amusement parks was Knoebels in May, and they are very pet friendly. I was planning on bringing Milo along. Pets aren't allowed at Six Flags. I'm thinking we could offer to pay Micah and Isaiah $10 a day to pet sit Milo when we go on these one, two or three day trips. We are planning to take Milo with us to Long Island in July, and if we go on our vacation in the fall, he'll have to stay with someone else for 3.5 weeks.