This is the time of year many homeschoolers begin to schedule their children’s annual assessments. We have several how-to resources — see the featured links below — to help you through this process which may be particularly reassuring and instructive for new(er) homeschoolers.
Thanks to the passage of a homeschool freedom bill in June 2022, the home education law recognizes that students must demonstrate individual progress commensurate with “age, ability, and/or disability.” This small change to the language in RSA 193-A makes a huge difference for thousands of home-educated children. Our kids are not judged on an artificial standard or compared to anyone else, and there are many options to show your child’s progress.
The law also changed to explicitly state that the annual assessment and portfolio remain the private property of the family, further underscoring that home education is independent and not subject to the review, judgement, or approval of public officials.
We created a bunch of resources to help answer all your assessment questions and determine which option may best reflect your children’s learning. Create a free account at our website, www.gshenh.org, to have everything at your fingertips!
This is a direct link to the Annual Assessment how-to guide. It includes an Assessments FAQ and two videos to help make the whole process easy to understand and painless.
Key Points
- Three broad choices: Independent home education families have three broad choices for the annual assessment — a standardized test, a teacher evaluation, or something else that shows your child’s “progress commensurate with age, ability, and/or disability.”
- No specific due date: You determine when it is appropriate as long as the assessment is done annually. Maybe your child started homeschooling mid-year and you are using work done at the former school as part of the portfolio to show progress. Maybe you started in September and want to use the summer months to finalize your child’s work for the year. Maybe you want to more-or-less follow a traditional school year. Administer the assessment when it is reflective of your child’s academic year.
- Results are private: Regardless of your assessment method, home education families keep the results private and do not share them with their local public school, Participating Agency, or anyone else. Add the assessment to your children’s portfolios as part of their educational records and keep it all in a safe place for a minimum of two years.
Option #1: National Student Achievement Test
Home educators may choose from a number of national achievement tests such as Basic Achievement Skills Inventory (SASI), the California Achievement Test (CAT), the Stanford Test, the Iowa Basic Skills Test (ITBS), the Personalized Achievement Summary System (PASS), the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), the Classic Learning Test, the TerraNova, and others. There are different types of tests — some are online and others are paper/pencil; some are timed and others aren’t; some require a proctor but many don’t; some are aligned to Common Core while others are not; and the range of subjects covered vary by test. Consult the providers’ websites for more information. While the array of choices may be a bit overwhelming, it allows you to select what best reflects your child’s progress and individual learning experiences. Many test service providers offer samples or practice exams for your review.
Option #2: Teacher Evaluation
New Hampshire certified teachers, someone with reciprocal certification, or a teacher currently teaching in a NH nonpublic (private) school may perform a home education annual evaluation. These assessments typically include a review of the portfolio including work-product samples from the year such as worksheets, writing samples, videos, computer programs, tests, creative pieces, field trip records, and fine-arts performances. We recommend families have a discussion with potential evaluators to determine if the person is a good “fit” for your assessment needs. Families should contact evaluators well in advance to discuss the teacher’s experience and specialties, evaluation process, cost, availability, and to confirm credentials. It is also an opportunity to have any particular questions addressed which may be particularly important if your child has a learning disability. We have curated an extensive list of teachers who offer evaluation services to homeschoolers in our resource database; check it out to find one right for you.
Option #3: Individualized Measurement of Achievement
Independent homeschoolers have a third “other” option for showing “progress commensurate with age, ability, and/or disability.” If you don’t wish to do a national student achievement test or a teacher evaluation, you may elect to do something else, agreed upon with your Participating Agency. Examples of alternatives are the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT), the SAT for a grade level other than 11th grade, a report card or transcript from a third-party education provider, or a capstone project or presentation. If you go this route, get the agreement in writing so there is no confusion later.
As you prepare for the assessment, be assured that you know your children best and are fully empowered and capable of making educational decisions for them. Try not to worry about them behind “behind” their peers. The reality is that in any classroom, there are some children who are ahead and some who need additional support or time. The beauty of homeschooling is that our children are able to have an education that fits them on their own timetable.
Deep breath… You’ve got this!
