Standardized Testing for Ohio Homeschoolers

With spring just around the corner, homeschoolers are starting to think about getting their annual student assessments done. 

In Ohio, we have the choice to give our students standardized tests or have a portfolio of work evaluated by a licensed teacher. Either the test results or the academic assessment report needs to be turned in when notifications are sent to the superintendent for the next school year. For many years my family used the portfolio evaluations. The kids enjoyed putting a portfolio together and I enjoyed the input from our assessor. 

However, last year I decided to give Rosie a standardized test. She is doing very well academically and I wanted to see how she measured up to national standards. It was also just easier for me to test her last year and probably this year because of Rosie’s busy spring schedule. 

Since Rosie is probably college-bound, she will also need some skills and experience in test-taking during the high school years. Giving her tests in jr. high is a good way to prepare her for the bigger tests to come. (ACT, PSAT and SAT). 

There are a few things to keep in mind when deciding to go the testing route. 

• You can choose any test as long as it is a nationally normed standardized achievement test. Parents can administer the test as long as the publisher authorizes it. 
• The test can also be administered by an Ohio licensed or certified teacher.  
• Once the test is taken and the parents have the result, the composite score must be sent to the superintendent during notification. 
• That composite score must be at least in the 25th percentile. 

There are a number of tests that qualify for homeschoolers.  One of the most well known is the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. (ITBS) 

Ando LoPresto via Flickr, licensed cc.