Binding: CD-ROM
EAN: 0795968301008
Format: CD
Label: Virtual Knowledge
Manufacturer: Virtual Knowledge
Platform: Windows 95
Platform: Windows 3.x
Publisher: Virtual Knowledge
Studio: Virtual Knowledge
Feature:
- Grade-Based Testing
- Progress tracking
- Detailed Analysis
- Customized Printable Reports
- Parent Handbook
Product Description:
Measure and improve your child's skills in Reading, Math, Spelling and more!
The Children's Skills Test series provides a "total picture" of exactly how your child is performing in all essential subjects needed for success at school!
Customer Reviews:
 fun but doesn't seem all that accurate for grade levels, 2007-06-02
I bought this to help evaluate my children (age 6), with whom I homeschool. They loved using this program. It took them each about an hour to complete all the tests, which they eagerly did in one sitting. The directions were clear and they did not need any help from me. The issue I have with it is that while my children's reading scores appeared accurate, their math and spelling were way off the chart - scoring on the 5th and 6th grade level, which I can surely attest they are not at that level. The trouble with the spelling section is that they only have to choose the correct spelling from a field of 3-4 options. My children are very good readers and can pick out the correct words. However, that does not translate to actually spelling a word from memory. They are two very different skills. I have no experience with other multiple choice achievement tests so I don't know if others measure spelling in similar ways. As for the math, I really am not sure how they scored so high. I can only assume that they guessed very well. Also, the way they measure IQ scores seems a bit skewed as well. A major part of the score relies on the one game that is difficult to play if children are not fully adept with the mouse. They have to be able to use the drag and drop feature fairly well. I suppose children with a lot of computer experience might not have much difficulty, but my children appeared to become very frustrated by this game and easily gave up on questions if they couldn't get the mouse to do what they wanted it to. This brought down their score considerably. The program (being only a static computer program) doesn't take into account the large discrepancies between the very high achievement scores and the fairly low IQ scores. Even a small notation when this occurs would be helpful to the parent - "The achievement scores and IQ scores do not correlate as well as would typically be expected. This could be due to..."
All in all - it's a fun game for the children to play to help prepare them to answer questions on a standardized test. It offers a good baseline for parents to evaluate their children but I would not rely on the results for curriculum planning or grade placement.
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