Standardized tests for homeschoolers
Three well-known tests, what their own pages say, and which states ask for a test.
The Iowa Assessments, Pearson's Stanford Achievement Test and NWEA's MAP Growth all cover kindergarten through twelfth grade, according to their publishers' pages. Pearson says it does not sell, score or report testing to homeschool students and lists resellers instead. Your state's law page says whether a test is required; the table lists the states that ask.
Checked October 29, 2026.
This is a plain-words summary, not legal advice. Laws change: check your state's current law and its education department before you act.
What the publishers say
| Test | What its page says | How a family gets it |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa Assessments (Riverside Insights) | A vertical scale that tracks growth from kindergarten through high school. | The page does not say; contact the publisher. |
| Stanford Achievement Test, 10th edition (Pearson) | Listed for grades K-12 on paper and 3-12 online, with national norms and percentile, stanine, grade-equivalent and NCE scores. | Pearson says it does not sell, score or report homeschool testing and points to its own list of homeschool resellers. |
| MAP Growth (NWEA) | A computer-adaptive test for K-12 in math, reading, language arts and science on a RIT scale. | The page does not say; its call to action is a request for information. |
States whose law page mentions a test
| State | What the law page says |
|---|---|
| Colorado | In grades 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11, each child takes a nationally standardized achievement test or a qualified person (a licensed teacher, a teacher at an independent or parochial school, a licensed psychologist, or someone with a graduate degree in education) evaluates the child's progress. The results… |
| Florida | Each year the parent arranges one annual educational evaluation and files a copy with the district superintendent's office. The parent picks the method: a Florida-certified teacher reviewing the portfolio and talking with the student; any nationally normed achievement test given by a certified… |
| Georgia | A nationally standardized test at least every three years, starting at the end of third grade, given with someone trained to give and read norm-referenced tests. The parent keeps the scores and records; they are not sent in. Georgia Milestones tests do not count as nationally standardized tests. |
| Hawaii | Provide test scores from a nationally-normed standardized assessment for grades 3, 5, 8 and 10, either from the school's statewide testing (free) or private testing at your own expense. The Department's page adds that public school students are no longer tested in Grade 10 but are tested in Grade… |
| Louisiana | State tests are not required for home study students; a parent may ask the local school board to give them. At each yearly renewal the parent sends one of three things: a packet of materials about the year's curriculum, standardized test scores, or a statement from a certified teacher who examined… |
| Maine | Each year after the first, an annual assessment of the child's progress is sent with the notice. Choose one: a standardized achievement test, a test agreed with the school officials, review by a Maine-certified teacher, review of a portfolio by a support group that includes a certified teacher or… |
| Minnesota | Each year the child's performance must be assessed with a nationally norm-referenced standardized achievement test (children ages seven through 16, and ages 16 through 17 if the first report was filed after age 16). The parent and the superintendent must agree on the test and where and how it is… |
| North Carolina | Every year the chief administrator must give each student a nationally standardized test (or equivalent measure) covering English grammar, reading, spelling and mathematics. There is no minimum score. Results stay in the home school's files for at least one year and are shown to DNPE if it asks.… |
| North Dakota | In grades four, six, eight and ten, each child takes a standardized achievement test used by the school district, or a nationally normed one if the parent asks. A licensed or approved teacher gives it. The parent files the results with the superintendent. The test requirement does not apply if the… |
| Oregon | Children taught at home are tested in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10 with a test the State Board of Education has approved, given by a neutral person who is not related to the child. The first test comes at least 18 months after leaving public school. The Department says testing is due by August 15. A score… |
| Tennessee | Independent home school students in grades 5, 7 and 9 must take a standardized test. Either a nationally normed test the parent picks (graded in English language arts and math, proctored by someone not related to the student and recorded by the test's developer) or the same state-approved test… |
| Vermont | Each child's academic progress is assessed at the end of each school year and the parent keeps the record. The allowed ways are: a standardized assessment, a review by someone with a current Vermont teacher's certificate, a parent or guardian report and portfolio with a summary and at least four… |
| Virginia | By August 1 after the school year, give the division superintendent either (i) evidence of a composite score in or above the fourth stanine on a nationally normed standardized achievement test (or an equivalent score on the ACT, SAT or PSAT), or (ii) an evaluation or assessment the superintendent… |
| Washington | Every year, either have a standardized achievement test approved by the state board of education given to the child by a qualified person, or have a certificated person who is working in education write an annual assessment of the child's academic progress. The result goes into the child's… |
| West Virginia | Every year get an academic assessment of the child for the previous school year, in one of four ways: a nationally normed standardized achievement test (acceptable progress is the fourth stanine or better, or improvement), the state public school test taken at a public school in your county, a… |
Before you buy
- Read your state's testing line first; you may not need a test.
- Check whether the test you choose is accepted by your state.
- Ask the seller whether a parent may give it and who scores it.
Sources
- Riverside Insights: Iowa Assessments (checked October 29, 2026)
- Pearson Assessments: Stanford Achievement Test Series, Tenth Edition (SAT10) (checked October 29, 2026)
- NWEA: MAP Growth (checked October 29, 2026)
- Peabody's state homeschool law pages (each lists its statutes and state education department pages) (checked October 27, 2026)