Vermont Homeschool Teacher Assessment: Using a Vermont-Certified Evaluator

Vermont gives home study families five legally recognized assessment options, and one of them is having an individual holding a current, valid Vermont teacher certificate review your child's work and write an evaluation report. For some families, this is the right choice. For others — particularly those doing eclectic, project-based, or portfolio-heavy work — it requires more preparation than the parent portfolio option. Here is how it works, what evaluators actually look for, and how to decide if it's the right fit for your family.

What the Teacher Assessment Option Actually Is

Under 16 V.S.A. § 166b, one of the approved year-end assessment methods is a review of the student's progress by an individual holding a current, valid Vermont teacher certificate. The evaluator reviews evidence of your child's educational progress over the year and produces a written report affirming that adequate progress occurred.

The evaluator is hired by the family. Vermont does not set a fixed evaluator fee, so you find the person yourself, agree on the fee and review arrangement, and arrange the timeline with them.

The evaluator's report does not go to the Vermont Agency of Education. Under the 2023 Act 66 update, you retain the assessment record privately; Vermont's statute does not specify a fixed retention period. The teacher assessment report remains in your files rather than being submitted to the AOE.

What Evaluators Review

There is no standardized checklist or form that evaluators are required to use. The evaluation format varies by practitioner. That said, experienced home study evaluators in Vermont generally look at some combination of:

Work samples across required subjects. A collection of what your child produced during the year — written work, math worksheets, science observations, art projects, reading logs. For students under 13, this should cover all required subject areas under 16 V.S.A. § 906: basic communication, including reading, writing, and numbers; citizenship, history, and government for Vermont and the United States; physical education and comprehensive health, including the effects of tobacco, alcoholic drinks, and drugs; English, American, and other literature; natural sciences; and fine arts. For students 13 and older, physical education, comprehensive health, and fine arts are no longer required.

Student interview or demonstration. Some evaluators prefer to talk directly with the student — asking them to explain a concept they learned, read aloud, demonstrate a math skill, or describe a project. This approach favors students who learn orally and may be better suited than paper-heavy portfolios for some learners.

Attendance and activity records. A log showing that instruction occurred across at least 175 days, with some indication of what subjects were covered when.

Parent narrative. A brief written summary from the parent describing the year's curriculum approach, materials used, and notable accomplishments. This is not required in the statute but most evaluators request it to orient themselves before reviewing samples.

The evaluator is looking for evidence of educational progress — not perfection, not grade-level benchmarks, not test scores. Vermont law is intentionally flexible here. An evaluator who determines that a child made adequate progress in the context of their starting point and circumstances is doing their job correctly.

How Much Does It Cost?

Costs vary based on the evaluator, the complexity of the review, and whether an in-person visit is involved. Vermont law sets no statutory assessment fee, and evaluator prices vary; ask about pricing upfront. Some evaluators charge more for high school students (where transcript-level documentation is involved) or for families with multiple children.

Because this is a private market — evaluators set their own fees — you should ask about pricing upfront. Also ask about their timeline: if you need the report by a certain date, confirm they can turn it around in time.

Finding a Vermont-Certified Teacher Evaluator

Vermont does not maintain an official evaluator registry, but several resources help families find qualified evaluators:

Vermont Home Education Network (VHEN): VHEN has operated for over 30 years and maintains an informal community of home study-experienced educators. Their mailing list and support network are good places to ask for evaluator referrals.

Local homeschool co-ops and support groups: Families in co-ops have usually done this before and can recommend evaluators they've used personally. Personal referrals are the most reliable indicator of how an evaluator approaches home study work.

Retired teachers: Vermont has no shortage of retired educators who are willing to conduct home study evaluations as a part-time activity. A retired teacher with background in elementary or middle school education is often well-suited to evaluating younger students. For high school, look for someone with secondary subject expertise in the areas your student is strongest.

Online directories: Some national homeschool organization directories include Vermont evaluators, though coverage is patchy. HSLDA's evaluator directory sometimes lists Vermont practitioners.

When you contact a potential evaluator, ask:

• What subjects and grade levels are you most comfortable evaluating?
• What materials do you prefer families to bring?
• How do you handle project-based or experiential learning — or unschooling approaches?
• What is your turnaround time for the written report?
• What is your fee and does it include follow-up questions?

When the Teacher Assessment Is the Right Choice

The teacher assessment option makes sense in specific situations:

You have a skeptical co-parent or district. If your home study program might be subject to scrutiny — custody disputes, a school district that has pushed back on your enrollment, or a DCF inquiry — having an independent Vermont-certified educator on record attesting to your child's progress is meaningfully stronger than a parent self-assessment. The third-party credential adds credibility that a parent report, however thorough, cannot replicate.

Your child performs better in conversation than on paper. Some children — particularly those with ADHD, dyslexia, or anxiety around written output — demonstrate far more knowledge in a discussion than in written samples. An evaluator who conducts a student interview rather than relying purely on paper work captures that learning in a way a parent portfolio may not.

You're uncertain about your own assessment bias. First-year home study parents sometimes feel uncomfortable self-assessing their child's progress — either they worry they're being too lenient or they can't tell whether what they're seeing is normal progress. An external evaluator provides a calibration point.

You're doing high school and need transcript support. For high school students applying to Vermont colleges or dual enrollment programs, having a Vermont-licensed educator on record reviewing the student's work provides a level of external credentialing that pure parent-generated transcripts lack. Some colleges ask about the evaluation process during application review.

When the Parent Portfolio Is Probably Better

If your family does project-based, unschooling, or heavily experiential learning, the parent portfolio is usually more straightforward. You have direct knowledge of everything that happened; you can write the narrative around it; and you're not dependent on whether a specific evaluator understands your approach.

The parent portfolio is also the right choice if your child is anxious about evaluations, if the cost of a hired evaluator is prohibitive, or if you're doing the assessment late in the season when evaluators may not be available.

There is no legal hierarchy between the five assessment options. A parent portfolio conducted thoroughly is every bit as legally compliant as a teacher assessment. The choice is about what works for your family's situation.

Whether you're using the teacher assessment option or a parent portfolio, building organized documentation throughout the year is what makes either process workable. The Vermont Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers the full compliance framework, including how to structure your records to support whichever assessment method you choose.

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