Standardized Testing

Basic Achievement Skills Inventory (BASI)

nationally normed (standardized) test available for grades 3-12
no requirements as to who can give it; parents may administer it to their children
covers math, reading, and language
timed test
takes about two hours to administer

Brigance Diagnostic Inventories

While anyone can use this test, it is particularly valuable for students with special needs. The test is a long, in-depth test, but very thorough and helpful in goal setting. Public and private schools routinely use these tests to develop an IEP; parents can use them to develop objectives for the next year and to develop their own student evaluation plan.

parents are allowed to administer the test
parents may tailor the test to their student's needs and abilities, choosing the subtests to be administered
most subtests are untimed; some have suggested time limits; others are untimed
may be given over a period of time
Yellow Brigance covers birth to developmental age 7
Green Brigance covers grade levels Pre-K through 9

California Achievement Test 6 (CAT6)/Terra Nova

This test is popular among Christian schools and homeschooling families because it contains more traditional values and because there are no qualifications necessary to administer it. Parents can administer the test and return it to the company for scoring. The CAT is a timed test.

The CAT/6, normed in 2005, has changed its name to the TerraNova 2nd Edition. It is the same test as the CAT/6. You can expect to see fewer references to the CAT (California Achievement Test) since the TerraNova name is replacing the CAT name. There is also a TerraNova 3rd Edition, normed in 2011.

Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS; High School Version – ITED)

This is a top-rated, nationally standardized test designed to evaluate thinking skills.

timed test
permits greater flexibility for students taking a test out of grade level
permits a wider grade range of students to be tested at the same time
administrators must hold a bachelor’s degree
“Directions for Administering” come with the test and should be returned with the test after testing is complete
the ITBS takes 2-3 days to administer
some restrictions on who may proctor the test that vary by company
can be given to grades K-12 and can be coupled with a cognitive test called the CogAT (optional)
the ITBS tests listening skills through grade 2
optional to cover science, social science, and reference skills for grades 1-12
grades 8-12 can also take the Interest Explorer, a test that asks about 180 questions

The information on the Interest Explorer is combined with the test results to suggest several fields of study for higher learning and/or employment that would be most appropriate for that student

Personalized Assessment Summary System (PASS; High School Version - ITED)

not nationally normed
approved by the State Department of Education as an alternative test
developed by homeschoolers for homeschoolers
untimed
grades 3 - 8
administered by parents
a placement test is available, allowing children to be tested at their actual level instead of taking a test with questions both above and below their level
scoring includes detailed analysis and suggestions for dealing with areas of difficulty

Stanford Achievement Test (SAT; High School Version – TASK)

top-rated, nationally standardized test
tests listening skills through 8th grade
includes the scores from science/social studies in the Complete Composite score
gives the option to cover science, social science, and reference skills for grades 1-12; if these are not given, the score is reported as a Core score
untimed
can be administered in a group or individual setting
proctor must adhere to certain criteria such as holding a baccalaureate degree and there may be certain limitations as to whom they can test in a specific setting
takes 2-4 days to administer depending on the student
students should be given all the time they need as long as they are working productively
may be given to grades K-12
may also be coupled with a cognitive test called the OLSAT

Note: This test is not to be confused with the Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT), which is a completely different type of test, administered to primarily high school students and used for college admission.

Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement III (WJIII) or Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement-Revised (WJIII-R) or Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement IV (WJIV)

The Woodcock-Johnson is a nationally standardized test that is widely used by school systems to determine eligibility for learning disabilities as well as for gifted programs. It is particularly suited for students who need flexibility in their testing.

must be administered one-on-one (no group testing)
must be administered by someone who owns the test; only qualified examiners may own the test
provides flexibility; the examiner has 20+ subtests to choose from and can combine these various subtests to meet any special testing needs
test has oral sections and written sections
timed and untimed sections
not a multiple choice test
ages 4 through adult
may be administered in one sitting or multiple sittings

Other testing options:

Some testing distributors offer online testing services. Do a search for "standardized achievement testing online" for these opportunities.

Georgia Law requires that students are to take a standardized test at least every three (3) years, beginning in the third grade. Parents may give these tests yearly, if desired. Parents are NOT required to send in test scores to the county or to the state. In fact, school officials do not even want to see them. The test results are for parents to help assess the progress of their child(ren). Keep the test results in a file designated as a permanent folder for each child.

Qualifications

In most circumstances, the test publishers require that these tests be administered by qualified examiners. Qualified examiners are usually those people who hold a baccalaureate (B.A., B.S.) degree from any college or university in any subject area. You do NOT need to be a certified teacher to test students. Some test publishers allow parents to administer tests to their own children; some allow this practice with other restrictions. Contact the testing service for their guidelines.

Restrictions

In order to ensure the reliability of their standardized tests, test publishers are very strict about who can purchase their products. For this reason, these publishers will only sell to distributors who closely regulate these tests. Certain conditions must be met in order to administer these tests. Groups or individuals who administer the tests must agree to meet these conditions.

How will I know which test to use?

Georgia law states that homeschoolers should use a nationally standardized achievement test, but does not specify any particular test. Your choice will most likely depend upon what is most available to you and what fits the needs of your students. The scores are more helpful if you consistently use the same test from year to year.

The subject matter and skills covered by the tests is standardized and, for the most part, quite uniform. Content is checked against widely used curriculum. Both textbook publishers and testing companies tend to contain fairly uniform content (they’re standardized!). The curriculum you use should not make a significant difference in the outcome of your child's scores.

Group testing

Many parents will recall taking standardized tests in groups at various times during their school years. If you'd like somebody else to proctor the testing, you can search online for individuals or homeschool groups in your area that might offer group testing for a small fee.

Where do I obtain a standardized test?

Please refer to our page of test suppliers for options of where to purchase standardized tests.