Testing... testing

Well, we survived our first day of placement tests for the new curriculum, and I'm happy to announce that we all still love each other! I made it clear to the boys that the better they do, the less work they'll have to do, so Matthew really takes his time and gets it right. We did our spelling tests outside in sidewalk chalk... I have no idea how to send those in, but we had a really good time. I figure if you got a boy excited about spelling, you did something right!!! Everyone's anxious about the new system, but we're trying to take our time and do it right. I know there's no way to really shake the grade levels, but they won't show up on the covers of their workbooks. That's a plus to all of us. Especially if Matthew were ever to find out that Morgan is in a higher spelling level. Everything seems easy to Morgan, and this will be a good way for him to keep moving forward without Matthew knowing a thing, or needing to care. We learned so much about boys at this conference, and it has really calmed my nerves and given me new insight. Matthew is just one of those boys who learns at his own pace, and it's not time to worry about him. These tests are showing it, too. It's just so awesome to see what all he has learned when it really hasn't seemed like he's heard a word I've said!! He's testing pretty normal across the board. Mallory is, too. I thought she was a bit behind in the verbal, but it's all looking normal for her age so far. We haven't progressed far enough in the math test for any kind of final results, but that's the one Michael and I are most anxious to see. Looking at the test, it's going to be a while before she gets stumped. She's tested through all of first and second and half of third without one single mistake. They are allowed 2-3 mistakes per unit, or about an 80%, but she hasn't missed a beat. The great part is that she doesn't have to repeat anything she understands. If she gets fractions but misses too many on long division, she can get specialized material in the one and just some refreshers in the other. I guess this material has been around for 30 years, so they probably know what they're doing!! We are all looking forward to it, but we're now seeing it may still be a month off or more! Oh, well. Some things are worth the wait!!