The Iowa Achievement Test

November 20, 7:23 AMRaleigh Homeschooling ExaminerStacey Cotrufo

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The Iowa test is the fill-in-the-bubble test that most of us grew up with

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Every year as a homeschooler in North Carolina, you will need to administer a state-recognized standardized test to your child if they are over the age of seven.  There are several tests that you can choose from including the Iowa test, the CAT test and the Woodcock-Johnson test.  Today we're going to look at the Iowa test.

The Iowa test is a multiple-choice, fill-in-the-bubble type of achievement test that most of us are familiar with from public schools.  The purpose of administering these tests is to measure the achievement and skills of students in subjects such as reading, math, and language arts with the option of also testing them in science, social studies and sources of information.  You can test students from grades K-12. 

The Iowa test is a little on the time-consuming side;  the test should be done for two-three hours over a span of two to five days.  If you have a child that has test anxiety, this can be an issue.  Breaks are given between each individual subject/section so it is not as if they are testing solidly for the full time, but for a child that does not like or is not familiar with this kind of test, it can be intimidating. 

It is not recommended for parents to administer the Iowa test to their own children.  In order to be an administrator you must have a B.A. or B.S. degree.  Also, the publisher of the test states that test confidentiality dictates that tests be administered and returned within 50 days of receipt.  If you do not belong to a support group that administers the test as a group or know anyone who meets the criteria, you can find a list of testing services here.  The cost of the test on it's own is normally around $40.  The fee for a testing service is extra. 

You do not grade these tests yourself.  The Iowa test is mailed back to the publisher  and machine scored.  Within four to six weeks, you will receive your child's scores.  You can see a sample of what the score result sheet looks like here.  This test, or any standardized test, must be given to your child every year.  Most parents decide to administer the test anytime between March and May of their school year, but the choice is yours.

For more information on the Iowa test you can go to the Bob Jones University Press website.  They are the main publisher/supplier of the test.  For more information on standardized testing in general, you can go to the DNPE (Department of Non-Public Education) web-site, as well. 

It does not matter which test that you choose for your child.  The important thing is that you do test each year.  You can change tests from year to year; you can even test your child twice using different tests each year.  The choice is yours.  The Iowa test is the most widely recognized standardized test available and should your child ever be back in public school, they will be familiar with its format.