Vermont Homeschool Assessment Options: The Complete EOYA Guide

Every Vermont homeschool parent has to answer the same question every spring: which assessment method are you using this year? It sounds simple until you realize there are five legally recognized options, each with its own documentation requirements, costs, and practical tradeoffs. Getting this wrong — or worse, skipping it entirely — creates real problems if your child ever re-enters the public school system or you face a custody dispute.

Here is exactly what Vermont law requires and what each option actually looks like in practice.

What the Law Actually Requires

Under 16 V.S.A. §166b, as updated by Act 66 (H.461), signed in 2023, Vermont homeschool families must conduct an annual end-of-year assessment (EOYA) of their student's progress. The critical change Act 66 made: you no longer submit your EOYA to the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE). Instead, when you file your annual Notice of Intent, you attest that you will complete and retain the assessment.

That shift matters enormously. The AOE is no longer reading your portfolio or reviewing your test scores. They are processing your paperwork for completeness. But you are still legally required to conduct the assessment and hold the records for a minimum of two consecutive years. If your child transfers to public school, or if a legal dispute arises, those records will be requested.

Vermont law recognizes five valid assessment methods.

Option 1: Standardized Testing

A student takes a nationally normed, standardized achievement test. Vermont homeschoolers are not required to take the state's Smarter Balanced Assessment. Instead, most families use norm-referenced tests that can be administered privately — the California Achievement Test (CAT) and the Iowa Assessments are the most commonly chosen.

The CAT can be ordered through Seton Testing Services or BJU Press Testing, and many versions are parent-administered at home. The Iowa Assessments are typically administered through an approved testing center. Costs range from roughly $25 to $75 depending on the test and grade level.

One important limitation: standardized tests measure academic subjects like reading and math, but they do not cover all of Vermont's Minimum Course of Study (MCOS) subjects. For students under 13, Vermont also requires instruction in fine arts, physical education, and health. A standardized test score alone will not document those subjects. You still need supporting evidence for anything the test does not cover.

Option 2: Teacher Assessment by a Vermont-Certified Teacher

A licensed Vermont teacher reviews your student's portfolio, conducts an interview or observation session, and writes a formal written report affirming educational progress across your MCOS subjects. The evaluator must hold a current, valid Vermont teaching certificate — not just a general education degree.

Many evaluators are found through the Vermont Home Education Network (VHEN), local homeschool co-ops, or tutoring platforms like Wyzant. Expect to pay between $50 and $150 for the evaluation, depending on the evaluator and the depth of the review. Some evaluators offer a portfolio-plus-interview format; others will ask for your binder in advance and schedule a follow-up call.

The teacher assessment is popular because it provides third-party validation from someone qualified to speak to academic standards. For families applying to Vermont's Dual Enrollment or Early College programs, this documented history of certified review can strengthen a student's application.

Option 3: Parent Report and Portfolio

This is the most widely used option in Vermont, and for good reason: it keeps assessment control entirely within the family. The parent writes a narrative summary describing what the student covered across all MCOS subjects during the 175-day instructional year. That written report must be accompanied by a minimum of four distinct, dated work samples.

The phrase "four work samples" sounds minimal, and it is the legal floor — not the recommended standard. Best practice is to include multiple samples per subject showing progression from early in the year to late in the year. For a student under 13, you need evidence covering reading, writing, math, Vermont and U.S. history/government, natural sciences, English/American literature, fine arts, physical education, and health.

The AOE provides a free PowerPoint and Word template for the parent report format. Those templates cover the legal minimum but provide no guidance on how to actually write the narrative or what counts as an adequate work sample for subjective subjects like citizenship or fine arts.

If you want a structured system that walks you through the parent report format, subject-by-subject prompts, and sample documentation for Vermont's age-bracketed MCOS requirements, the Vermont Portfolio & Assessment Templates were built specifically for this.

Option 4: Online Academy Grades

Families whose students are enrolled in an accredited online academy or virtual school can use official report cards, transcripts, or final grade reports from that institution as their EOYA. The academy must be a recognized educational institution, not an informal online course.

This option works cleanly for families who run their homeschool through a structured virtual program. If your student completes formal courses through an accredited provider, the grades and transcripts serve as your assessment record. Keep copies — official documentation from the academy satisfies the two-year retention requirement.

Option 5: GED or HiSET

Passing the GED or HiSET high school equivalency exam satisfies the annual assessment requirement. This option applies primarily to older high school students who are completing their secondary education through the equivalency pathway rather than a traditional four-year diploma structure.

Choosing the Right Option

A few decision points worth thinking through:

If your student struggles with timed, high-pressure tests, the parent report and portfolio option removes test anxiety from the equation entirely. Portfolio assessment captures growth over a full year rather than a single exam session.

If you want independent third-party documentation — particularly useful if your student will apply to the University of Vermont's Early College program or community college dual enrollment — the teacher assessment creates a paper trail that carries institutional weight.

If you want the fastest, lowest-effort path, standardized testing with a parent-administered CAT is straightforward and produces a printable score report you can file.

If your child is in a structured virtual program, online academy grades are the cleanest option — the institution does the documentation work for you.

Most families in Vermont use the parent report and portfolio because it is the most flexible and the least expensive. But whatever method you choose, the records need to be organized, dated, and retained. Act 66 removed the submission requirement — it did not remove your obligation to have the documentation in hand.

If you are building your parent report and portfolio system from scratch, the Vermont Portfolio & Assessment Templates include fillable forms mapped directly to Vermont's MCOS subject requirements, age-bracketed checklists for students under and over 13, and a parent report template that walks through the narrative section step by step.

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