Today, I finally received my son’s state test scores, and to be honest, I’m still trying to process it. I was completely shocked to see how low he scored on his math test. Out of five levels, he tested at level one. My heart sank a bit when I saw that. I knew math wasn’t exactly his favorite subject, but I didn’t realize just how much he was struggling.

After we talked about it, he admitted that he really doesn’t “get” math and feels overwhelmed when he’s working through problems. It broke my heart, but it also gave me clarity: this isn’t about him being lazy or not trying. It’s about him genuinely not understanding the material. And as much as I’d love to jump into grade-level math with him this year, I’ve realized we need to take a step back. Maybe a big step back.

So, it looks like I’m officially back on the curriculum hunt, searching for a beginner’s algebra course or a foundational math program we can use to rebuild his confidence and skills from the ground up. Just when I think I’ve got our plans lined up, we hit another curve in the road. One step forward, two steps back, as they say.

The good news is that his reading comprehension scores came back on grade level, which gave me a sigh of relief.

Tomorrow, I’m planning to start pulling together a curriculum packet for either life skills or Bible, depending on which I can piece together more easily. I’m hoping to finally test out my spiral binding machine and I can’t wait to see how it works. I’m about ready to bust a seam with excitement over it.

I’ll make sure to take some photos and share how it goes. If you’re also navigating test score surprises, curriculum pivots, or just the never-ending puzzle of homeschooling, know you’re not alone. We’ll figure it out, one page and one prayer at a time.