Whether your state requires testing is one of the most practical compliance questions in homeschooling. Get it right and it is a manageable annual task. Get it wrong and you may have gaps in your records or unknowingly put yourself out of compliance with state law.
This guide covers which states require testing, what types of tests are approved, how to administer them, what to do with the results and how accredited programs change the picture for families who want the simplest possible path through annual assessment.
Do You Have to Test? A State-by-State Reality
What Is Not Every State Requires It?
Approximately twenty states require no standardized testing for homeschool students at all. In these states, parents may choose to test voluntarily — for placement purposes, for college preparation, or for their own assessment — but there is no legal obligation.
States in this category include Texas, Oklahoma, Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, and others. If you are unsure about your state, the most reliable sources are your state’s homeschool legal advocacy organization or the Department of Education’s homeschool guidance page. Outdated community forum posts are not reliable sources for compliance information.
States That Require Annual or Periodic Assessment
The majority of states fall into a category requiring some form of assessment, though the requirements vary significantly:
Annual standardized testing: Some states require homeschool students to take a state-approved standardized test each year. Results may need to be kept on file by the parent, submitted to the district, or reviewed by a certified teacher.
Periodic assessment: A smaller number of states require testing at specific grade-level checkpoints — typically at third, fifth, eighth, and tenth grades — rather than every year.
Portfolio review as an alternative: Several states offer a choice between standardized testing and portfolio review by a certified evaluator. Some families prefer portfolio review because it captures a fuller picture of learning than a timed test. Others prefer the straightforwardness of a test score.
Professional evaluation option: In states like Pennsylvania, a certified teacher evaluator can assess the homeschool portfolio and attest to satisfactory progress, substituting for a standardized test.
High-Regulation States: More Oversight
States including Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont have more intensive review processes where test results — or portfolio evaluations — are part of annual reporting to the district. In these states, parents must understand both what to test and what the district will do with the results.
Approved Tests for Homeschool Students
What Counts as an Approved Test
Each state that requires testing specifies which tests are acceptable. The most commonly approved options are:
Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS): A widely used nationally normed achievement test covering reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies. Available to homeschool parents through several approved proctors. Results are norm-referenced, meaning your child’s performance is compared to a national sample.
Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-10): Not to be confused with the college entrance SAT, this is a K-12 achievement test approved in many states. Also norm-referenced.
California Achievement Test (CAT): Another nationally normed test available through homeschool testing providers.
Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement: An individually administered test often used by evaluators for students who need a more clinically detailed picture of academic performance.
State-specific tests: Some states have their own standardized assessments available to homeschool students. Check whether your state offers or requires a state-specific test.
AP Exams and CLEP: These are not annual assessment requirements, but they count as evidence of academic achievement in many college applications and are worth mentioning in the context of high school homeschool assessment planning.
Accredited Program Exemptions
Families enrolled in an accredited homeschool program may find that the program’s internal assessments and records satisfy state requirements in some states. This varies by state and by program. Zion Academy’s NAPS-accredited program provides structured assessment that documents student progress — families in states with testing requirements should confirm with their state’s guidelines whether the program’s documentation satisfies the requirement or whether an additional standardized test is needed.
How to Administer a Homeschool Test
Finding a Proctor
Most standardized tests approved for homeschool use require a proctor — an adult other than the parent who oversees the testing session. This requirement exists to make sure test integrity.
Acceptable proctors vary by test but commonly include:
- Librarians
- Community college administrators
- Pastors or church leaders
- Other homeschool co-op leaders
- Certified teachers who are not the child’s parent
Contact your local library, community college, or homeschool co-op about proctoring services. Many librarians are familiar with homeschool testing needs and are willing to help.
Purchasing and Ordering Tests
Several companies sell approved standardized tests directly to homeschool families. The most established providers include:
- BJU Press Testing Service
- Christian Liberty Academy (CAT)
- Seton Testing Services
- Bayside School Services (ITBS)
Order early — some providers have turnaround times of two to four weeks, and testing too close to a state filing deadline creates unnecessary stress.
Test Administration Basics
Follow the test booklet instructions exactly. Time limits matter. If your child has documented learning disabilities with testing accommodations, confirm that the testing service can accommodate those needs before ordering.
Administer the test in a quiet space without distractions. The testing experience should approximate the standardized conditions under which the norms were established.
What to Do With Test Results
Understanding Score Reports
Standardized test results for homeschool students are typically reported as:
Percentile rank: Your child’s score compared to the normed sample. A 70th percentile score means your child scored higher than 70% of the comparison group. Percentile is NOT the same as percent correct.
Grade equivalent: The grade level at which the average student would receive that score. A grade equivalent of 5.3 means a performance level typical of a fifth grader in the third month of the school year. Grade equivalents are widely misunderstood — a fourth grader with a 7.5 reading grade equivalent does not mean they should be in seventh grade reading; it means they scored very high for their actual grade.
Stanine: A 1-9 scale where 5 is average, 4-6 is average range, 7-9 is above average, and 1-3 is below average. Stanines are useful for quick interpretation when you do not need detailed analysis.
Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE): A less commonly referenced score, most relevant when comparing growth across years.
How to Interpret What You See
For parents reviewing test results practically: look at the percentile rank in each subtest area. Identify which areas fall in the average range (25th-75th percentile), which are above average (above 75th), and which may signal a need for additional support (below 25th).
A single year’s test result is less informative than a pattern across two or three years. One below-average score in math may reflect a bad test day; a consistent pattern across three years is information worth acting on.
Keeping Results on File
Regardless of whether your state requires you to submit test results, keep a copy of every score report in your homeschool file. These records protect you if compliance questions arise and serve as useful data for your own instructional planning.
This is one of those things that sounds complicated until you’re actually doing it.
If your state requires submission to the district, note the submission deadline and submit on time. Late or missing results can trigger district follow-up that creates more work for everyone.
Planning Your Testing Year
Building Testing Into Your Annual Calendar
Standardized testing should not be a surprise at the end of the year. Plan it into your homeschool calendar in the fall so you know:
- Which test you are using
- When you will administer it (typically spring, but check your state’s requirements)
- Who your proctor is
- When you need to submit results, if required
For families with multiple children at different grade levels, plan testing for all children in the same window to simplify the logistics.
Test Preparation Without Teaching to the Test
The goal of annual standardized testing is to get an honest picture of where your child is academically — not to perform well on that specific test. Teaching to the test produces inflated scores that give you less useful information.
That said, every child is different — don’t panic if yours takes a few extra weeks to click.
Reasonable preparation includes: making sure your child has encountered the main subject areas covered by the test, explaining what the test is and what it is for, and doing a brief practice session with the test format so the child is not thrown off by the mechanics. This is familiarization, not coaching.
When Results Show Unexpected Gaps
If test results reveal areas of concern — a subject where your child scores significantly below grade level despite a year of instruction — that is information, not a verdict. Use it to diagnose: Was the curriculum well-matched to your child’s learning style? Was the subject taught consistently? Are there signs of a learning difference that warrant further evaluation?
For guidance on what test results mean in context, see Understanding Homeschool Standardized Test Results.
For state-by-state specifics on what your state requires, see Homeschool Requirements by State.
When you are ready to explore programs that provide structured assessment alongside flexible home-based learning, Zion Academy’s enrollment options are available.
*Related: comprehensive homeschool guide | Homeschool Requirements by State | Enrollment Options*