Does your child need a standardized test this year? Pick your state and grade for the answer: which tests count, who may give them, and where the results go.
Pick your state to see what this year needs.
| State | What is required | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | No testing while homeschooled. A placement test may come only if your child later enrolls in a public school. | A.R.S. 15-745 |
| California | No testing is required. | |
| Florida | Every year you file an annual evaluation with the district, by one of five methods. A test is one choice, not a requirement. Choose one: a certified teacher reviews the portfolio and talks with your child; any nationally normed achievement test given by a certified teacher; the state assessment given by the district; an evaluation by a licensed psychologist; or another method you and the superintendent agree on. | Florida Statutes 1002.41(1)(f) |
| Georgia | A nationally standardized achievement test at least every three years, starting at the end of grade 3. Results are kept, not submitted. Give it in consultation with someone trained in giving and interpreting norm-referenced tests. Georgia's own state tests do not count, since they are not nationally standardized. | O.C.G.A. 20-2-690(c)(7) |
| Illinois | No testing is required. | |
| Michigan | No testing is required under the home education exemption. | |
| Missouri | No testing is required. | |
| New York | An annual assessment, filed with the fourth quarterly report. | 8 NYCRR 100.10(h) |
| North Carolina | Every student takes a nationally standardized achievement test every year. It must cover at least English grammar, reading, spelling and math. You choose the test and arrange it. Keep the results at your school for at least a year; you send them nowhere unless asked. | N.C.G.S. 115C-549 / 115C-557 |
| Ohio | No testing or evaluation is required. | |
| Pennsylvania | A standardized test in reading or language arts and in math in grades 3, 5 and 8 only. Separately, every year an evaluator reviews the portfolio. Use the state assessment through your district at no cost, or an approved nationally normed test at your expense. The parent may not give the test. Results go into the portfolio for the evaluator and are never filed with the district. | 24 P.S. 13-1327.1(e)(1) |
| Tennessee | For independent home schools, a standardized test in grades 5, 7 and 9. Either a nationally normed test you choose and pay for, given by someone not related to your child, or the state assessment. Results go to you, the director of schools, and the state board of education. | T.C.A. 49-6-3050(b)(5) |
| Texas | No testing is required. | |
| Virginia | Every year, by August 1 after the school year, evidence of progress: a test composite in or above the fourth stanine, or an evaluation. Use a composite score in or above the fourth stanine on any nationally normed achievement test (or an equivalent ACT, SAT or PSAT score), or an evaluation that the superintendent finds shows adequate growth, such as a letter from a licensed teacher. Children under six on September 30 are exempt. | Code of Virginia 22.1-254.1(C) |
| Washington | Every year, a standardized test approved by the State Board of Education or a written assessment by a certificated person working in education. The test is given by a qualified individual. The result goes into your child's permanent records at home; you do not file it. | RCW 28A.200.010(1)(c) |
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Make a free parent accountReference information reviewed August 2026 against primary sources (statutes, NCAA and Common App published requirements). This is general information, not legal advice; requirements change, so verify anything load-bearing for your family against your state's current law.
In some states. North Carolina, Washington and New York test or assess every year, Pennsylvania in grades 3, 5 and 8, Tennessee in grades 5, 7 and 9 for independent home schools, and Georgia every three years from the end of grade 3. Florida and Virginia accept a test as one way to show progress. Arizona, California, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Texas require none.
It depends on the state. Pennsylvania does not allow the parent to give it, Tennessee requires someone not related to your child for a test you choose, and Florida requires a certified teacher to give a test used for the evaluation. Check your state guide.
Usually not. North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Washington keep results at home or with your evaluator. Tennessee sends them to the district and the state board, New York files the assessment with the fourth quarterly report, and Florida and Virginia file the evaluation or evidence of progress with the district.