First of all, I believe that it is healthy for my husband to worry about whether his boys are receiving the best education that they can receive. I want Mark to be satisfied that we are doing a good educational job as well as providing for the emotional needs of our children. In addition, one is tested in a variety of ways throughout one's life, and standardized testing is just one of them. I knew that the test would not reflect the history or science or French or art or music that we had done, Interviews don't' always pick the best person for the job, either. But, it is better to face an evaluation with equanimity than the fear and dread that I often hear expressed.
Evaluation is just a fact of life.
I anticipated that Aaron would do well, and that Mark would be happy and reassured that all was well with his sons, so that he could relax a little. I had to scrounge a bit to find the tests. I called our local elementary school. The principal agreed on the spot to include our children in the school's Iowa testing in April. But later she called to tell me that it was illegal for the district to administer the test to any home schoolers.