Standardized Achievement Tests


Standardized Achievement Tests may be ordered from a variety of sources. Some require administration by a certified teacher.

COLLEGE TESTS
College tests, including the ACT (American College Testing Program), PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test, SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), are readily available through your local high school, community college, or college/university.

STANDARDIZED TESTS

* Bayside School Services 1-800-723-3057
Rents California Achievement Test/5 and the Test of Cognitive Skills to any home school family. Cost includes scoring and an individual report from the test company. If you order before December to test in any spring month other than April, the cost is reduced. A shortened form of the CAT/5 is also available.

* Bob Jones University Press 1-800-845-5731
Offers for rent the most recent versions of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (K-12), and Stanford Achievement Test (K-12). Both can be combined with a learning abilities test which is an extra cost. Homeschoolers can order at any time of the year.
Please place your order 4-5 weeks prior to the test date. It takes 4-8 weeks to receive results (consider this if you have a deadline to meet). The company that supplies the SAT requires that the tester be pre-approved. (Tester-not necessarily you- must have a college degree and have some knowledge of testing). To give the Iowa you must have a college degree or a teaching certificate. If you do not have either of these, Bob Jones will only mail to a qualified tester.

* Christian Liberty Academy
Rents the 1970 version of the California Achievement Test (CAT) for grades 2-12. You do NOT have to be enrolled in their program to order the test. They also have a service to help with curriculum decisions based on test results. Allow 2-3 weeks after ordering to receive the test. You will then have two months to administer the test and return it for scoring. This company gives only raw scores and grade equivalents, both of which are confusing. You can (and should) request more meaningful scoring, such as percentals and stanines.

* Christian Light Education (CLE) 1-540-434-0750
Provides the 1970 CAT and the 1989 Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills to those families enrolled in their program. They are both a curriculum/book seller and a provider of services such as record-keeping and transcripts for homeschoolers.

* Family Learning Organization
1-800-405-8378
Offers the Metropolitan Achievement Test, IOWA -1990 edition, 1995 edition, California Achievement Test, and other assessment services to homeschoolers. An added bonus is a discount for three or more tests ordered to one family. You have only three weeks from the time you receive the test to return the tests for scoring. Expect 2-3 weeks to receive results. They specialize in renting tests to homeshcoolers to administer to their children at home.

* Hewett Educational Resources____1-360-835-8708
P.O. Box 9
Washougal, WA 98671-0009
Rents the Personalized Achievement Summary System Test (PASS), a norm-referenced test especially developed for homeschoolers in grades 3-8. The PASS test's advantages are: a) it is administered by the parent in the home, b) it is untimed, c) it assigns the child an achievement level to test, resulting in shorter tests and items that are neither too easy or too difficult, and d) results show both overall achievement and performance in each of the three subjects, which are reading, math, and language. They recommend testing twice a year to obtain a more accurate measure of achievement. Send for more information. You can order by phone with a credit card.

* Seton School ____1-540-636-9990
Rents the 4th edition of the CTBS (California Test of Basic Skills) for grades K-12. Includes complete directions on how to administer the test. You can test at any time of the year.

* Sycamore Tree
Rents the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills/4, the newest edition. They say the advantage to this test is that is assesses more subject areas than most others.

* Thurber's Educational Assessments 919-967-5282
Rents The California Achievement Test (C.A.T./5)(r).

* Private Testers
Jan Sands____612-537-5570 New Hope
Nancy Blanchard____612-437-2523 Hastings
Roxie Stone____(612) 757-0941 Coon Rapids
Ann Kapala____(612) 953-3318 Apple Valley

The PIAT-R (Peabody Individual Achievement Test) is unique in that it is administered orally. This is useful for homeschoolers because many homeschoolers do much of their instruction orally, and because only the reading portions of this test require the child to read. This allows a more accurate picture of a child's level of achievement in other subject areas.

There are currently four licensed teachers in the Twin Cities area that administer the PIAT. Jan Sands and Ann Kapala ask families to come to their homes. Roxie Stone and Nancy Blanchard will travel to the homes of homeschoolers.

The preceding sources have set up programs to help home educators be responsible educators and/or comply with the testing regulations in their state.

* Minnesota Statewide Testing Program (U of M)____612-626-1803
879 - 29th Ave SE- Room 103
Minneapolis, MN 55114-2841
Offers the Iowa for K-12, plus two interest inventories. NOTE: all tests ordered for homeschoolers MUST be signed by the school district.. Many school districts will not allow homeschoolers to administer the test at all; some only restrict this to those with 8th - 12th graders. Results are back in 2-3 weeks and are mailed to the person who orderd the test. The program also offers a special rate for those who organize group testing.

Because the State of Minnesota has moved to manditory testing of all students, some public school administrators fear that parents might claim to be home educating and order tests delivered at home to "prepare" their child. Therefore, administrators re-verify that parents are legitimately home educating before releasing a test. This reverification process can be cumbersome and sometime discriminatory.

The Minnesota law does NOT REQUIRE submission of test scores to the school district. Support groups advise their members NOT to do so. Using the school district as a test source may compromise your student's right to privacy.

Please check carefully with these sources as to their policies for returns, length of time that you can keep the test, if testing has to occur during a particular time of the year, what exactly is included in the fee, etc. Consider shipping times for the test and the results if you have a deadline to meet. The above information is only informational and not an endorsement for any of the above services.