NH Homeschool Standardized Test Options: CAT, Iowa, and More

Standardized testing is one of four ways NH homeschool families can satisfy the annual evaluation requirement under RSA 193-A:6. It's not required — portfolio review is equally valid — but for families who prefer objective data or whose children test confidently, it's a straightforward option.

Before getting into which tests qualify and where to order them, one point needs to be clear upfront: since House Bill 1663 passed in 2022, there is no minimum score your child needs to achieve. The 40th percentile threshold that used to govern NH homeschool testing was permanently eliminated. Your child can take any qualifying test, score anywhere on it, and you have satisfied the annual evaluation requirement. The score is for your information only — it is never submitted to the state.

Which Tests Qualify Under RSA 193-A

The statute requires a "national student achievement test." This language is broad by design, giving families flexibility. Tests that are consistently used by NH homeschoolers and recognized as qualifying include:

California Achievement Test (CAT) The CAT is among the most popular choices for NH homeschoolers. It covers reading, language, mathematics, science, and social studies. The CAT/5 and CAT/6 versions are both widely available for home administration. Parents typically meet the basic qualification requirements set by the test publisher (usually a high school diploma and no direct family relationship to the child taking the test). Cost: approximately $25 to $50 depending on the grade level and version ordered.

Order from: Seton Testing Services or BJU Press Testing are the most commonly used sources. Christian Liberty Testing also offers the CAT.

Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) / Iowa Assessments The Iowa Test is a norm-referenced achievement test covering vocabulary, reading comprehension, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science. It's rigorous and widely respected — many NH families near the Hanover/Upper Valley area (where academic standards for college preparation tend to run high) prefer it for the detailed percentile data it provides. Cost: approximately $30 to $55 for home administration.

Order from: Riverside Insights (the publisher) offers proctored testing through approved testing centers. Several NH-based testing services can proctor the Iowa Test if you prefer not to self-administer.

Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-10) Not to be confused with the college admissions SAT, the Stanford Achievement Test is another norm-referenced option covering reading, mathematics, language, science, and social studies. It's known for being thorough and producing detailed subject-level breakdowns. Cost: approximately $30 to $60.

Order from: Seton Testing Services. Some co-ops or learning pods offer group administration of the Stanford.

Classic Learning Test (CLT) The CLT is a newer entrant but has grown in use among homeschoolers, particularly families with a classical education focus. It's designed to assess verbal reasoning, grammar, and mathematics with a classical content orientation. The CLT10 is appropriate for younger students, with the CLT serving as a college admission alternative for high schoolers. Cost: varies by test level.

Order from: ClassicLearningTest.com directly.

The State Assessment Option

NH law also allows families to use the state assessment test administered by their resident public school district. This option is free.

In practice, very few independent NH homeschoolers use this option. The state assessment is aligned with public school curricula and typically uses Common Core standards as its framework. Many homeschool families prefer tests that aren't tied to public school metrics. Additionally, you need to notify the district superintendent well in advance to coordinate logistics, and some districts are slow to respond or unclear on their own procedures.

If you have no objection to Common Core-aligned testing and prefer not to purchase a test, it's a legitimate choice. But it's the least common of the four evaluation methods for independent homeschoolers.

The Mutually Agreed Alternative

The fourth option under RSA 193-A:6 is any "other valid measurement tool" mutually agreed upon in writing by the parent and the participating agency. This is the least frequently used path and requires proactive negotiation with your participating agency — it's not something you can decide unilaterally.

Examples that have been used include: a transcript from VLACS (the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School), a formal interview process with a district official, or a detailed rubric-based assessment agreed upon in advance. Most families don't pursue this route unless they have a specific reason to avoid both portfolio review and standardized testing.

What the Score Means (and Doesn't Mean) Post-HB 1663

Before 2022, NH homeschoolers had to score at or above the 40th percentile on standardized tests to satisfy the annual evaluation requirement. If a child scored below the 40th percentile, it used to trigger a remediation process — the family had to submit a remediation plan, and continued failure could theoretically result in termination of the home education program.

House Bill 1663 eliminated all of this in 2022. The 40th percentile threshold is gone. The remediation mechanism is gone. The law now states explicitly that evaluation results "shall not be used as a basis for termination of a home education program."

What this means practically:

• A low standardized test score has no legal consequences whatsoever.
• You do not submit test scores to your participating agency under traditional homeschooling.
• You keep the score for your own information and use it however you find useful — to adjust curriculum, identify gaps, inform college prep, or simply confirm what you already knew.

If you find your child tests poorly under timed, standardized conditions, this is a strong argument for choosing portfolio review instead. The annual evaluation requirement can be satisfied with either method — there is no hierarchy between them.

Choosing Between Testing and Portfolio Review

Most NH homeschool families don't agonize over this decision, but if you're weighing the options:

Choose standardized testing if:

• Your child handles timed tests without significant anxiety
• You want objective, norm-referenced data to compare against national benchmarks
• You use a structured curriculum that prepares children for standardized formats
• You prefer to handle the evaluation entirely on your own timeline, without scheduling around an evaluator's availability

Choose portfolio review if:

• Your child has test anxiety, ADHD, autism, dyslexia, or other learning differences that make standardized testing unreliable or stressful
• You use unschooling, project-based learning, or a non-traditional curriculum that doesn't map neatly onto standardized test categories
• You want a human evaluator to understand the full context of your child's year, not just a score
• You are an EFA family and need a signed evaluation letter to upload to the Children's Scholarship Fund by July 15th (standardized test scores are also accepted for EFA renewal, but many evaluators are faster to contact if your deadline is approaching)

Both methods satisfy the law equally. Neither produces results that go to the government. Choose based on what fits your child.

A Note on EFA Families

If your family participates in the Education Freedom Account program, your annual evaluation requirement works slightly differently. You must submit an Annual Record of Educational Attainment to the Children's Scholarship Fund by July 15th each year to maintain eligibility for the following year's grant (currently averaging around $4,700 to $5,255 per pupil).

Acceptable documents for EFA renewal include:

• A standardized test score (must show Total, Math, and ELA scores)
• A signed portfolio evaluation letter from a certified teacher that includes a statement confirming the child made educational progress

The key difference from traditional homeschooling: EFA families submit this document to a third party (Children's Scholarship Fund), not to the state or the participating agency.

For families who want their annual evaluation documentation structured correctly — including a template for the evaluation letter, a standardized test score record sheet, and the EFA record-keeping checklist — the New Hampshire Portfolio & Assessment Templates covers both traditional RSA 193-A families and EFA families in a single resource.

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