POC4U (which stands for Person Optimized Curricula for You) is a compilation of Jill Dixon's learning style assessment (The Concise Learning Styles Assessment with Instructional Guide) and curricula planning program (Person Optimized Curriculum - The 6 Point Diagnostic Prescription). POC4U was designed so that home educators could assess the learning styles of their children at home in an inexpensive and informal manner. POC4U is a user-friendly manual that assesses primary and secondary learning styles and includes curricula suggestions for each learning style. A family will need one copy of POC4U. Access to a copy machine is necessary if you have multiple children because you will have to make copies of each assessment.

I found POC4U easy to use. The instructions are clear and uncomplicated. It took my older daughters 25 minutes to answer 75 questions. Each question is answered by circling 1, 2 or 3. Scoring was simple; just count the number of 1's, 2's and 3's then add them up. These totals are used to graph the child's' auditory preference, visual preference and tactile/kinesthetic preference. Using the graphed scores, a parent/teacher will see what learning style is most prominent.

Following the assessment section is a diagnostic grade placement screening for determining the grade level for reading/decoding, math computation, and written expression. The reading decoding section took my 14 year old 5 minutes and my 8 year old 10 minutes to complete. The math computation section took between 10 and 30 minutes (older students are assessed on more material). The written expression section is a parent checklist of skills for each grade K to 8th.

The final section in POC4U is filled with curricula suggestions and teaching techniques for each learning style. The suggestions are helpful. The curricula suggestions are thorough. Most resources suggested by Mrs. Dixon are resources that have been on the market for several years and have stood the test of time. Many of my favorite programs appeared in one or more sections.

I highly endorse POC4U. It is a very helpful resource for a new home educator and an eye-opening product for many veterans. I have recommended it to my friends with children in public and private school. I wish it had been available 10 years ago!



-- Product Review by: Tina Rice, Senior Research, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine