Standardized Testing for Florida Homeschoolers: Which Tests Count, Where to Take Them, and Who Pays

Testing is the part of Florida homeschooling that pulls double duty. For a traditional home education family it is one of the ways to satisfy the annual evaluation. For a PEP family it is a requirement every year. And in both cases the scholarship can pay for it. Here is how the pieces fit.

Where testing fits in Florida law

A traditional home education program must file an annual evaluation with the district, and one of the accepted methods is a nationally normed student achievement test administered by a Florida-certified teacher. Another is a state student assessment taken at a participating school. Neither is required — a portfolio review by a certified teacher is the most common choice — but families who like an objective yardstick use testing on purpose. PEP is different: PEP students are not under district evaluation, and instead must submit annual norm-referenced test results to their scholarship funding organization. For a PEP family testing is not optional.

Which tests families use

Any nationally normed achievement test qualifies. In Florida homeschool circles the common ones are the Stanford Achievement Test, the Iowa Assessments, the California Achievement Test and the TerraNova as group tests, and the Woodcock-Johnson as an individually administered test. High schoolers often add the PSAT, SAT, ACT or CLT, which double as college admission and Bright Futures scores. A test's publisher will say plainly whether it is norm-referenced; if the description does not use those words, ask before you book.

Group test or individual test

Group tests are given by a certified teacher to a room of students, often through a co-op, a homeschool support group or a testing service, at a modest cost. Individual tests like the Woodcock-Johnson are one child and one evaluator, cost more, and produce a detailed profile that is especially useful for a child with learning differences or a family considering FES-UA. Either satisfies the evaluation as long as a certified teacher administers it.

Who pays

Standardized testing is on the covered list for PEP, FTC and FES-EO, and FES-UA covers it as well. PEP's list specifically includes norm-referenced tests, AP exams and industry certification exams. Testing is usually paid by reimbursement: keep an itemized receipt showing the full date, the test name, the student and proof of payment, and file it the same month. A testing provider who is set up for direct billing can invoice the account instead — ask when you register.

Action items

• Decide by winter which evaluation method you will use, and if it is a test, book a spring seat — group testing dates fill up.
• Confirm the administrator holds a current Florida teaching certificate; the evaluation depends on it.
• PEP families: put the test-results submission on the same calendar as your renewal.
• Keep the score report with your portfolio. Even a district evaluation done by portfolio review benefits from a test score in the binder.
• Photograph the receipt the day you pay and file the reimbursement before the season gets busy.

Testing services and certified evaluators are listed in the vendor directory, and the evaluation rules in full are in our Florida guide.

My Learning Source is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with Step Up For Students or the Florida Department of Education. Program rules and amounts change every cycle — confirm details on the official program pages before making financial decisions.