Terra Nova Testing for Homeschool: What It Is and When Arizona Families Use It

One of the first questions parents ask when they start homeschooling is how to know if their child is actually on track. School report cards, however flawed, provided a consistent external reference point. Without them, many homeschooling parents look for a standardized benchmark — and the Terra Nova is one of the most widely used options.

This post explains what the Terra Nova test is, how it's structured, who uses it, and what Arizona homeschoolers specifically need to know about testing requirements and voluntary options.

What the Terra Nova Test Is

The Terra Nova is a nationally normed, standardized achievement test published by Data Recognition Corporation (formerly CTB/McGraw-Hill). It assesses student performance in core academic subjects across grades K–12 and is designed to compare a student's performance against a nationally representative sample of same-grade peers.

The test is not affiliated with any single state curriculum or standards framework. Because it's norm-referenced rather than criterion-referenced, it doesn't ask whether a student met a particular state standard — it shows where that student falls relative to the national distribution, expressed as percentile rankings.

This makes it particularly useful for homeschoolers, who often use curricula that don't align to state standards and who can't use state-mandated assessments as benchmarks.

What Terra Nova Measures

The Terra Nova covers these core content areas depending on the grade level and edition used:

• Reading/Language Arts: Reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, language mechanics, and written expression
• Mathematics: Math concepts, computation, and problem-solving
• Science: Life science, earth science, physical science (available in some editions)
• Social Studies: Available in some editions
• Cognitive Skills Index (CSI): An optional component that measures reasoning ability separately from academic achievement

Most families use the "Complete Battery" or "Survey" versions depending on how much testing time they want. The Survey version is shorter and covers the core subjects; the Complete Battery is more comprehensive.

Results are reported as National Percentile Ranks (NPR), Normal Curve Equivalents (NCE), and Grade Equivalent (GE) scores. The percentile ranking is usually the most useful number for parents: a 65th percentile score means the student performed better than 65% of students in the national norm group for that grade.

Arizona Homeschoolers and State Testing Requirements

Arizona homeschoolers are explicitly exempt from state standardized testing. A.R.S. § 15-745 states that nothing in Arizona's education statutes shall be construed to require the testing of children instructed in a homeschool program. This is a hard statutory prohibition — the state cannot mandate that homeschooled students take the Arizona Academic Standards Assessment (AASA) or any other state exam.

This exemption is complete. There is no annual testing requirement, no portfolio submission requirement, and no requirement to demonstrate academic progress to any state agency. Arizona's legal framework for homeschooling imposes zero assessment obligations.

Terra Nova testing, when Arizona homeschoolers use it, is entirely voluntary.

Why Homeschoolers Use Terra Nova Anyway

Despite having no legal obligation to test, many Arizona homeschooling families use Terra Nova or similar tests for several reasons:

Personal benchmarking. Parents want to know whether their child is keeping pace academically. A nationally normed test provides an external reference that parent-graded work cannot.

Documentation for re-enrollment. If a homeschooled child later returns to public school, the receiving school will test the student to determine appropriate grade-level placement. Having a Terra Nova score on file gives parents a sense of where that placement is likely to land and allows them to address gaps before re-enrollment.

College admissions preparation. For high school students building a transcript, some parents include Terra Nova or similar test scores in the student's homeschool records to strengthen the academic documentation alongside parent-issued transcripts and course descriptions.

IEP and special needs documentation. For families with children on an IEP or with documented learning differences, periodic standardized assessment can help track progress and support justifications for specialized instruction.

Dual enrollment eligibility. Some community colleges require placement testing for homeschooled students. Maricopa Community Colleges, for example, accepts an unweighted 2.0 GPA on a parent transcript or an EdReady placement test score of 75 or higher. Terra Nova results aren't used directly for this purpose, but they give families a general picture of academic readiness before pursuing dual enrollment.

Where to Take the Terra Nova as a Homeschooler

Homeschoolers have several options for accessing the Terra Nova:

Homeschool co-ops and resource centers. Many regional homeschool co-ops administer the Terra Nova or similar tests as a group testing service for members. In the Phoenix metro area, the Covenant Home School Resource Center (CHSRC) and similar organizations periodically offer testing days. Tucson-area co-ops like Christian Home Educators of Tucson (CHET) have offered similar services. This is typically the most cost-effective option.

Third-party testing services. Several companies offer Terra Nova testing by mail or through authorized test administrators. Parents order the test kit, administer it at home under specified conditions, and return it for scoring. Seton Testing Services and similar providers specialize in homeschool administration. Costs typically range from $25 to $60 per student depending on the battery selected.

Local tutoring centers. Some private tutoring centers and learning centers accept outside students for standardized test administration.

Public school option. Under A.R.S. § 15-745 and the State Board of Education's provisions, Arizona homeschoolers can voluntarily take the AASA (Arizona's state test) at their local public school at no cost. To do this, the parent contacts the District Test Coordinator before the spring testing window (March-April) to register the child in the PearsonAccess system. This is a state test, not the Terra Nova, but it provides a free benchmarking option for families who want it.

Terra Nova vs. Other Tests Homeschoolers Use

Terra Nova is one of several nationally normed achievement tests popular in the homeschool community. The main alternatives are:

Iowa Assessments (formerly Iowa Tests of Basic Skills / Iowa Tests of Educational Development). Widely used, covers grades K–12, similar structure to Terra Nova with percentile rankings. Often slightly preferred among Charlotte Mason and classical homeschool communities.

Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-10, not to be confused with the college admissions SAT). Another well-established nationally normed test. Covers K–12, strong in reading and math.

California Achievement Test (CAT). Older test, widely used in homeschool circles because it's available for home administration without a certified test administrator in many versions.

MAP Growth (NWEA). Computer-adaptive test that adjusts difficulty in real time. Used by many private schools and some homeschool cooperatives. Gives Rasch Unit (RIT) scores that track growth over time rather than percentile rank against a static norm group. Requires access through a school or testing center.

All of these serve the same basic purpose: externally validated benchmarking against national peers. The choice between them is largely a matter of cost, access, and which test your co-op or testing service offers.

What Arizona Homeschoolers Should Know Before Setting Up Testing

A few practical notes specific to Arizona:

No testing requirement means no deadline. Unlike some states (Florida requires an annual portfolio evaluation or standardized test, for example), Arizona imposes no testing timeline. You can test in September, March, or not at all — the state has no interest in the results.

Testing doesn't replace the county affidavit. The Affidavit of Intent to Homeschool filed with your County School Superintendent is the legal basis for your homeschool. Test scores are not submitted to any government agency and have no bearing on your legal compliance status.

For ESA families, testing is also voluntary. Students in the Arizona ESA program are not homeschoolers under state law, but they are also not subject to mandatory testing. The ADE may require quarterly progress documentation for ESA compliance, but this is different from standardized achievement testing and is governed by the ESA contract terms, not A.R.S. § 15-802.

Results are private. Your Terra Nova or Iowa Assessment scores are yours. They are not reported to the state, the school district, or any government agency. They are for your own planning purposes.

A Note on Testing for Families Mid-Transition

If you're in the process of withdrawing from public school — or just completed it — standardized testing is not the immediate priority. Before you think about benchmarking, the legal steps have to be in place: written withdrawal notification to the school, and the Affidavit of Intent filed with your county superintendent within 30 days.

Once those two steps are complete, your homeschool is legally established and you can structure the academic program as you see fit. Testing, if you want it, is a tool you add when you're ready.

For the withdrawal and affidavit process, including county-specific filing procedures and school notification templates, the Arizona Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers both steps in sequence.

Summary

Terra Nova testing for homeschoolers is a nationally normed standardized achievement test that provides percentile rankings across core academic subjects. Arizona homeschoolers have no legal obligation to test — A.R.S. § 15-745 explicitly exempts them from all state testing requirements. Families use Terra Nova voluntarily for personal benchmarking, college prep documentation, and tracking academic progress over time. Testing is available through homeschool co-ops, third-party services, and home administration kits, typically in the range of $25–$60 per student.

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