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How Do I Become a Registered Home School Tester?

Oregon law (OAR 581-021-0026) requires a person administering home school testing to be qualified and neutral.

A qualified person is an individual who:

Holds a current personnel service license or teaching license from Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission;

or

Has been licensed by the Oregon Board of Psychologist Examiners;

or

Has met the publisher’s qualifications for purchase, AND evidence of purchase of at least one test from the list of approved tests;

or

Provides evidence of satisfactory completion of a graduate course in which test administration and interpretation is included in the objective;

or

Provides evidence of having been previously qualified as a tester and has during the previous year administered at least one test from the list of approved tests.

A neutral person means an individual selected by the parent or guardian of the child to be taught at home who has no relationship by bloodline or marriage to the child.

If you feel you meet both of these important criteria and wish to test home school students in Oregon, it is suggested that you register with Oregon Department of Education. They maintain a statewide list of testers. For more information, contact Oregon Department of Education, 255 Capitol St NE, Salem, Oregon, 97310, phone 503-378-3600, web http://www.ode.state.or.us.

You may also register directly with LBL . If you are not on the ODE statewide tester list, then you must prove your qualification (as listed above). Usually this is a copy of a current teaching certificate. Your name and contact information will then be published on our Home School Resource sheet and web site. Please let us know if you DO NOT want to be included in these publications.

How are test results reported to the ESD?

It is the parent’s legal responsibility to submit test results.  LBL will request applicable test results from all home school students by September 30th of their designated testing year. Once LBL receives test results, a confirmation letter is sent to the family right away. Standardized achievement test results reported to the LBL must include the following essential information:  student name, birth date, and grade level; tester name, address, and qualification statement; test name and level; date test was administered; and total battery percentile score/national percentile rank.  Testers are encouraged, but not required to use our Test Score Report Form. To obtain a master copy, please contact our office.

What are the testing requirements for home school students?

Tests approved for assessment of home school students are the two most recent versions of the following nationally recognized tests:

• Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (TerraNova 1st /CTBS edition)
• IOWA Tests of Basic Skills / Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (ITBS forms A and B)
• Metropolitan Achievement Battery (MAT 7 and MAT 8)
• Stanford Achievement Test Battery (Stanford9 and Stanford10)

The Oregon Department of Education has made the following announcement:

As a result of test updating by CTB / McGraw-Hill, the CAT/5 will not be accepted for registered home school students. Oregon Administration Rule (OAR) 581-021-0026 (1) (a) states that one of the "two most recent versions" of an approved test must be used. This test will no longer be one of the two most current versions of the CAT, as the publisher is no longer producing the CAT/5

As many of you are aware, CTB / McGraw-Hill has revised their tests and now offers a test called the Terra Nova. The Terra Nova test was recently approved by this publisher for release to home schoolers. It is known by the name "Terra Nova 1st Edition (CTBS)." This test is available now.

You will note that with this change, no form of the CAT will be available. This certainly limits home school testing options. However, until such a time as the State Board approves a new list of tests, home schoolers will have to work with those that remain.

This will leave options from the two most recent versions available to home schoolers of TerraNova (CTBS), the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills / Tests of Achievement and Proficiency, and the Stanford Achievement Test Battery.

Please check our website at: www.ode.state.or.us/go/homeschool for additional updates as available.

Sincerely,
Karyn Chambers
Education Program Specialist
Learning Opportunities, Options & Supports

If you have comments or concerns regarding these changes, Karyn Chambers can be reached at (503) 947-5773 or (503) 947-5773.

If you have any questions regarding specific student situations or LBL Home School office procedures, please contact the Home School office at (541) 812-2687 or homeschool@lblesd.k12.or.us.

Parents often ask about using the Oregon Statewide Assessment tests, or the SAT, ACT or even GED for high school age students.  Oregon law sets the tests approved for home school students and we cannot accept other tests – unless it is specified in a student's IEP or PDP.

For new home school students, the first examination does not need to be completed for at least 18 months after a child has begun home schooling. If a child completes the 3rd, 5th, 8th or 10th grade during this 18-month window of time, testing would not need to occur until the next applicable, required grade level. If the child never attended public or private school, the first examination must be taken at the end of 3rd grade.

Parents are free to teach their child at any grade level, however for testing purposes the ESD will assign the student a grade level and test-due year calculated by the child’s chronological age, per OAR 581-021-0026(6).  The law specifies, "Testing for grade levels 3, 5, 8, and 10 shall occur in the third, fifth, eighth, and tenth year ending August 15". Parents may have their child tested at the ESD-assigned grade or higher, but must submit scores by the indicated date.  Each student with results due this year will be sent a reminder letter that specifies which grade level testing is due. If you have questions about what test a student needs please call our office.

Home school students establishing eligibility for interscholastic activities must test annually at the end of each school year (prior to Aug. 15th) because test scores are used to determine eligibility for the following year.  Parents need to submit a copy of these results directly to their resident school district.

Special testing rules exist for students with disabilities.  We have a new document to explain assessment for students with disabilities (see enclosed), and copy will be mailed out to every student with test results due this year.  Visit Oregon Department of Education's website www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/specialty/home/guidehomesch_disab.aspx for in-depth information.

It is the parent's legal responsibility to submit test results. Once LBL ESD receives test results, a confirmation letter is sent to the family right away. Standardized achievement test results reported to the LBL must include the following essential information:  student name, birth date, and grade level; tester name, address, and qualification statement; test name and level; date test was administered; and total battery percentile score/national percentile rank.  A copy of our test result report form is included for you convenience. Test results do not have to be reported on this form. 

Where do I get testing materials?

Test Publishers

• California Achievement Test
  CTB/McGraw-Hill Order Services Center
  20 Ryan Ranch Road
  Monterey, CA 93940
  800.538.9547
  www.ctb.com/
• Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (TerraNova)
  CTB/McGraw-Hill Order Services Center
  20 Ryan Ranch Road
  Monterey, CA 93940
  800.538.9547
  www.ctb.com/
• Iowa Tests of Basic Skills / Test of Achievement and Proficiency
  The Riverside Publishing Company
  Customer Service
  425 Spring Lake Dr.
  Itasca, IL 60143
  800.323.9540
  www.riverpub.com
• Metropolitan Achievement Battery
  Harcourt Assessment, Inc
  19500 Bulverde Road
  San Antonio, TX 78259
  800.211.8378
  harcourtassessment.com
• Stanford Achievement Test Battery
  Harcourt Assessment, Inc
  19500 Bulverde Road
  San Antonio, TX 78259
  800.211.8378
  harcourtassessment.com

Other Testers and Home School Support Groups

We have been told that test publishers often will only sell their tests in large packets, making the cost prohibitive for someone wishing to give only a few tests a year. Unfortunately, we have no control over the distribution or availability of tests required for home school. We suggest that you contact other testers or home school support groups to get more information about purchasing small numbers of tests.