State Testing for Homeschoolers in Pennsylvania: Grades 3, 5, and 8 Explained

Pennsylvania is one of the few states that mandates standardized testing for homeschooled students — and the rules are more nuanced than most parents realize. If your child is approaching grades 3, 5, or 8, understanding exactly what the law requires (and what it does not require) can save you weeks of unnecessary anxiety and help you prepare a portfolio that sails through the annual evaluator review.

Which Grades Require Testing?

Under 24 PA C.S. §13-1327.1, standardized testing is mandatory only in grades 3, 5, and 8. These are the only three years your child must be tested. Grades 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, and every high school year carry no mandatory testing obligation under the home education statute.

The subjects tested must include reading, language arts, and mathematics. Science, social studies, and other subjects are not tested under the state mandate — though some families choose broader assessments for their own records.

This is important to understand clearly: Pennsylvania's testing requirement is not continuous. You test in those three specific grades, document the scores in your portfolio, and move on.

Which Tests Are Approved?

Pennsylvania law does not restrict families to the PSSA (the state's public school test). The Pennsylvania Department of Education maintains a list of approved nationally normed standardized achievement tests. As of the current academic year, approved options include:

• California Achievement Test (CAT)
• Comprehensive Testing Program (CTPIV)
• Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS)
• Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)
• Metropolitan Achievement Test
• Peabody Individual Achievement Test Revised (PIAT-R)
• Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-10)
• Terra Nova
• Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement (Revised III and IV)
• Wechsler Individual Achievement Test III (WIAT-III)

Each of these is a nationally normed assessment, meaning your child's scores are compared against a national sample of same-grade students. Among homeschooling families in Pennsylvania, the California Achievement Test and the Iowa Test of Basic Skills are consistently popular because they are untimed or minimally timed, available for home proctoring by a neutral third party, and straightforward to administer.

Who Can Proctor the Test?

The law explicitly prohibits the parent or guardian from administering the standardized test. A neutral third party must proctor the exam. In practice, this is often:

• The child's annual evaluator (many evaluators offer proctoring as part of their service)
• A local homeschool co-op that organizes group testing days
• A certified teacher or school psychologist who is not the child's supervisor
• A testing center that accepts homeschooled students

Plan this early in the spring. Testing windows for May and June fill quickly, particularly in counties with high homeschool enrollment like Lancaster (4,851 students enrolled in 2024-2025), Berks (2,522), and Allegheny (2,387).

What Do the Scores Actually Mean?

This is where the most widespread misconception lies: Pennsylvania law sets no minimum acceptable score for homeschooled students. There is no passing or failing threshold. A below-grade-level result does not automatically invalidate your home education program or trigger enforcement action by the school district.

What the statute actually requires is that the scores are included in the portfolio and reviewed holistically by the evaluator alongside the rest of the child's work. The evaluator assesses whether the student is making "sustained progress in the overall program" — not whether the child scores at or above grade level on a single test.

This means a third-grader who scores in the 40th percentile in reading is not automatically in violation of anything. The evaluator will look at that score alongside the contemporaneous reading log, the work samples, and their interview with the child. If those together show a child who is engaged, progressing, and receiving appropriate instruction, the evaluator will certify accordingly.

Who Receives the Test Scores?

This is the other critical point that trips up families new to Pennsylvania's system. Since Act 196 of 2014 fundamentally restructured the oversight model, standardized test scores are NOT submitted to the school district. The scores stay in your private portfolio. The only document that goes to the district superintendent is the evaluator's certification letter, which simply states that an appropriate education is occurring and that the student is making sustained progress.

Districts that attempt to demand test scores directly — and some still do, especially in suburban Philadelphia counties — are exceeding their legal authority under current law. The evaluator's letter is the legal instrument of accountability. Your portfolio, including the test scores, is your private property.

Preparing Your Child Without the Pressure

The most effective test preparation for homeschooled students is the curriculum you are already delivering. The approved tests assess foundational skills in reading, language arts, and math — the same subjects that are mandated throughout your program under the home education statute.

A few practical notes for testing day:

• Schedule testing well before June 30. Your evaluator needs time to review the portfolio and submit their certification letter to the superintendent by the end of the academic year.
• Keep the original score report. Some families receive a percentile ranking, a grade equivalent score, and a stanine score. Include the full report in your portfolio, not just the cover page.
• Do not require your child to take the public PSSA. Many families do not realize this is optional. Your child can take any approved nationally normed assessment — there is no obligation to test at the public school.
• Document which test was used. Your evaluator will note this in their review. Having the test name, the administration date, and the proctor's name clearly documented in your portfolio demonstrates organized, serious record-keeping.

How Testing Fits Into the Larger Portfolio

Your grade 3, 5, or 8 portfolio must contain three core elements: a contemporaneous log of reading materials, work samples from each required subject, and the standardized test results. The test scores are one of three required components — not the centerpiece of your entire compliance effort.

Evaluators in Pennsylvania look for a coherent picture of learning over the full year. A strong portfolio shows sustained progress across all mandated subjects, not just strong test performance in three of them. The test score confirms a data point; the work samples and reading log demonstrate the journey.

For families who want a complete, organized system for assembling this portfolio — including templates for the reading log, the attendance grid, and the end-of-year evaluator assembly checklist — the Pennsylvania Portfolio & Assessment Templates provide a structured, legally grounded framework built specifically around 24 PA C.S. §13-1327.1.

The Bottom Line

Pennsylvania's state testing requirement for homeschoolers is manageable when you understand the actual rules:

• Testing is required only in grades 3, 5, and 8
• The subjects are reading, language arts, and math only
• You choose from a list of PDE-approved nationally normed tests
• A neutral third party must proctor — not the parent
• Scores are kept in your private portfolio and never submitted to the district
• There is no minimum passing score required by law

The testing mandate is one component of Pennsylvania's broader compliance framework. When it is properly documented and organized alongside your reading log and work samples, it strengthens your portfolio rather than threatening it.

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