I was paying bills yesterday when I happened upon a couple of envelopes from my daughter's high school. When one turned out to be not-so-good news about her having too many absences, I was reluctant to open the other one. I did it anyway.

It was the results of the Standards Tests for our state. I'm happy to report that she scored in the advanced levels on every single subject!

There was also a score for various skills within each subject such as "literary response and analysis", or "exponents, powers, and roots". It showed what scores were considered 'proficient', and where your child's score was in relation to it. Happily, my daughter's score was at least proficient in every skill, and most often well above!

I am SO PLEASED! Her education is another reason we are here. Besides wanting to be near my MIL, we wanted our daughter to have the opportunity to go to a better school. Sometimes I've second guessed myself as she has gone from being one of the best students in her other school, to feeling quite 'average', a rather demoralizing experience for her. This boosted her confidence quite a bit.

This daughter LOVES her classes. All of them! She told me one day that even if she didn't have to, she'd WANT to go to school! She loves her teachers too! This is the first year I've heard her say that... at least since our home school days.

In spite of the challenges, I'm glad we're here.