Minnesota Homeschool Testing Requirements: What the Law Actually Requires

Minnesota homeschool families ask this question constantly: do we actually have to do standardized testing? The short answer is yes when the statutory testing rule applies, unless you qualify for an exemption. The longer answer involves understanding what the law requires, what it leaves entirely up to you, and where the real gotchas are.

Here is a clear breakdown of Minnesota's testing requirements under §120A.22, without the vagueness that usually surrounds this topic.

Who Must Test

For a non-accredited homeschool, annual assessment is required for children ages 7 through 16 in Minnesota. This is separate from the broader compulsory-instruction age range.

There is one important extension: if the Initial Report was filed after the student's 16th birthday, the testing requirement extends through age 17.

The testing requirement does not apply to:

• Children under age 7
• Students who have completed a recognized homeschool diploma and are no longer under compulsory education age
• Students instructed in a school or by a person accredited by an agency recognized under Minn. Stat. §123B.445 (see below)

The HBEAA exemption. A school or person accredited by a recognized agency is exempt from the annual testing requirement. The Home-Based Educators' Accrediting Association (HBEAA) is identified as an accreditation option with an approximately $450 annual fee as of 2025. It is one recognized accreditation route, not the only possible exemption.

Do Homeschoolers Have to Take State Tests?

No. Minnesota homeschoolers are not required to take the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) — the state tests administered to public school students. MCAs are a district-administered program, and homeschoolers are not district students.

The requirement is for a nationally norm-referenced standardized test — a different category entirely. Norm-referenced tests compare a student's performance to a national sample of peers. The MCA is a criterion-referenced test measuring mastery of state standards. These are different instruments for different purposes, and the state cannot require you to use the MCA.

What Counts as an Acceptable Test

Under §120A.22, the test must be:

1. Nationally norm-referenced — it must compare your child's performance to a national sample at the same grade level
2. Standardized — consistent administration conditions, published norms

Tests that meet this standard include:

• Iowa Assessments (formerly Iowa Tests of Basic Skills / ITBS) — among the most widely used by Minnesota homeschool families, available through the University of Minnesota's Statewide Testing Program and private testing providers
• Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-10) — also available through the Minnesota Statewide Testing Program (MSTP) at the University of Minnesota
• Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) — individually administered, commonly used for students with learning differences or testing anxiety
• NWEA MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) — computer-adaptive, used by many co-ops and learning centers
• California Achievement Test (CAT) — widely used nationally, available through multiple homeschool-specific providers
• Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement — individually administered by a licensed examiner

The list is not exhaustive. The test must be nationally norm-referenced and standardized, and the superintendent and person in charge of instruction must agree on the examination, administration, and location. You are not limited to this list.

Annual Assessment Options: How Families Actually Test

Minnesota law gives parents significant flexibility in how they arrange testing. Three common methods:

1. University of Minnesota Statewide Testing Program (MSTP) The MSTP offers Iowa Assessments (Form E) and the Stanford Achievement Test to homeschool families. Tests are administered through the program's available arrangements. This is a testing resource, not a substitute for the statutory agreement with the superintendent and person in charge of instruction about the examination, administration, and location.

2. Home administration Some tests can be administered at home by a parent. Iowa Assessments and the CAT are commonly used this way. You must follow the standardized administration procedures exactly — timed sections, no assistance with individual questions, appropriate test conditions. Deviating from administration guidelines compromises the normative comparison.

3. Co-op or group testing Many Minnesota homeschool co-ops organize group testing days where a trained administrator conducts the test. This removes the parent from the role of test administrator (which can reduce pressure on both sides) and keeps costs lower through group purchasing of test materials.

4. Private evaluator A licensed psychologist or educational evaluator can administer individually-administered tests like the Peabody or Woodcock-Johnson. These are more expensive but provide detailed diagnostic information beyond a simple percentile score — useful if you have specific concerns about your child's development or want a comprehensive picture for a college application portfolio.

What the Test Must Measure

Minnesota requires the test to assess academic achievement. The law does not specify a commercial test by name, but a "total battery" score is one mechanism that triggers the 30th-percentile rule. Choose an examination that produces the score information needed for the statutory assessment.

For compliance purposes, use a full-battery test that covers core academic areas and produces a composite or total percentile score. This protects you from ambiguity if a question ever arises.

If the examination does not assess all areas required by Subd. 9, Subd. 11(b) can require the parent to assess the applicable subject areas unless the parent qualifies under the teaching-license routes in Subd. 10(1) or (2).

The 30th Percentile Rule

If your child's total battery score is at or below the 30th percentile, or performance is one grade level below same-age performance, §120A.22 Subd. 11 requires you to obtain an additional evaluation by a qualified professional to assess whether a learning problem exists.

This does not mean your child returns to public school. It does not mean you lose your right to homeschool. It triggers an evaluation requirement only — and even the evaluation outcome does not dictate your instructional approach.

The evaluation must be conducted by a qualified professional. Private educational psychologists, learning specialists, or speech pathologists may be used; you are not required to use the public school district's personnel.

What the Superintendent Can and Cannot Require

Your superintendent receives the Initial Report and the continuing Letter of Intent. The Initial Report identifies the intended annual test when testing is required; the continuing Letter is due October 1 each school year and reports changes.

What the superintendent cannot require:

• Routine submission of actual test scores while the child is homeschooling
• Routine review of test results while the child is homeschooling
• A specific test imposed unilaterally rather than agreed with the person in charge of instruction
• A district employee or district facility when that administration detail has not been agreed

Test scores are generally maintained privately while the child is homeschooling. You do not routinely file them with the district, but you must provide scores if the child later enrolls full time in public school, for placement. The requirement is to test and maintain proof of administration, not routinely to submit scores.

Keeping Your Records in Order

Maintain proof of administration and test score reports from every year your child is under the testing requirement. If a question ever arises about your compliance — from a superintendent, a court, or a college admissions office — those records help document that you fulfilled the legal obligation.

If you're building a complete homeschool compliance record that integrates your testing documentation with your subject logs and annual reporting, the Minnesota Legal Withdrawal Blueprint includes templates designed specifically for Minnesota's documentation requirements — including how to structure your testing records year over year.

Common Misunderstandings

"I heard we have to test every year." Yes, but you choose when. There is no single statewide testing window stated here. Most families test in spring so results are available before the next October reporting deadline. Some test in fall for a baseline. The law requires annual assessment; the examination, administration, and location are agreed with the superintendent and person in charge of instruction.

"The district said we had to use their test." That is not accurate. The superintendent cannot unilaterally mandate a particular nationally norm-referenced test or testing location. The examination, administration, and location are agreed with the person in charge of instruction. If a district tries to impose a choice without that agreement, ask it to identify the statutory basis.

"We use an online curriculum — does that count?" No, not on its own. Curriculum-based assessments, end-of-year online quizzes, and portfolio evaluations do not satisfy the standardized testing requirement. The test must be nationally norm-referenced, which means your child's performance is compared against a national sample, not against the curriculum's own benchmarks.

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