Wondering if your homeschool year was successful? Here are some practical ways to assess progress beyond grades, including testing options and alternative assessments that actually work.
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I’ve shared thoughts on what true homeschool success looks like and what it doesn’t. While I still stand by all of those points a few years down the road, that reflection was abstract in nature and didn’t discuss the logistics of measuring success from a homeschool teacher perspective. That’s why we’re talking about standardized testing, other assessment options, and the role of measuring homeschool success in moving forward from year to year.
How to Measure Homeschool Success
To set intentions for the next homeschool year, it helps to know where you and your kiddos landed in the previous one. That said, determining this can sometimes be easier said than done. Testing can help with that.
Let’s just get it out there: standardized testing has a bad reputation. And honestly? It’s a fair reputation to have in most educational contexts. There are lots of ways standardized tests can miss the mark when it comes to assessing what a student actually knows.
I used to hate testing too. For years, I felt like yearly standardized testing was a performance review for myself as a homeschool parent. I thought less-than-stellar scores would prove I was failing and that homeschooling wasn’t working at all. Worse, I worried they might suggest I shouldn’t be homeschooling and that my kids would be better off with literally anyone but me.
If you don’t imagine dire scenarios stemming from normal parts of life, make them about yourself, and create fake indictments resulting from those scenarios, what are you even doing? Tell me you can relate to spiraling this way.
When Testing Actually Becomes Helpful
Here’s what changed for me over time: I began to recognize that standardized testing isn’t personal. In a good way. It’s simply a tool that gauges progress from year to year and nothing more.
Once you have that gauge, you know if the next homeschool year needs to follow the same path or make a few adjustments. That’s it. No drama, no crisis, no questioning your entire homeschool existence.
So if you’re ready to consider testing as a helpful tool rather than a judgment on your worth as an educator, here are a few options to explore.
Testing Options That Work for Homeschoolers
MAP Growth Testing – You can learn more about this online option and book testing through Homeschool Boss. This one is incredibly homeschool-friendly and provides tons of useful information and action points along with the scores. It’s not just a number; it’s a roadmap.
California Achievement Test – This test has been around for decades and is used in private schools and homeschools around the US. The pros? It’s straightforward and inexpensive. The main drawback is that you’re on your own to interpret results and determine next steps.
Several services offer this test in standard booklet format or online. In the past, I’ve ordered from Seton or Christian Liberty Press.
Local Test Proctoring – You can often find regional test proctoring offered by homeschool groups and co-ops. Some use the Iowa Assessments, CATs, or another common test, so this is more about choosing where to test than what test to use. It’s a good option if you’d rather have someone else handle all the logistics. To find them, search online or ask other homeschoolers in your area.
What If We Don’t Want Traditional Testing?
Still not interested in standardized testing? I get it. Here are a few other ways to review your homeschool year and know how to plan for the next one.
Have an End-of-Year Meeting with Your Kid
If you keep a portfolio of your child’s work, use it to review the year together. If you don’t keep an official portfolio, gather your child’s work from the year and look at it together. You can still get a solid feel for how the year went by reviewing their work, subject by subject.
Ask open-ended questions about what they’ve learned. Ask your child to teach you a topic they’ve explored or a skill they’ve mastered. Be sure to include time for them to share thoughts about challenges, positive learning experiences, and curriculum choices.
To identify gaps, look for inconsistent quality across subjects, missing skill demonstrations, or areas with minimal samples. Make note of these; they indicate potential areas to address again next year.
Try Project-Based Assessments
Projects require students to integrate and apply knowledge, which is often more revealing than a traditional test. Set clear expectations with a simple rubric, allow choice within parameters, and have your child present the project and reflect on their learning.
For example, you could ask your preteen to create a mixed tape-style playlist that reflects the major history topics covered throughout the year. Then have them explain why they chose each song and how it relates to the historical figures or events.
To identify gaps, observe which aspects were challenging during the process. Did your child struggle with research, writing, organization, or presentation? These struggles highlight areas for future focus. If there were major content gaps, plan to review them again next year using a different approach.
Related: ACT and SAT Bootcamp from Mr. D Math
Review a Skills Checklist
Obtain grade-level standards or create customized checklists for each subject. You can compile these using the scope and sequence information in your chosen curricula or through a resource like Rebecca Rupp’s Home Learning Year by Year.
Once you have a working skills checklist, mark skills as “introduced,” “practicing,” or “mastered.” Include your child in the assessment process when appropriate. Unchecked or “still practicing” items at year-end clearly identify concepts to revisit or strengthen next year.
Each of these methods provides valuable information for planning next year’s curriculum, with the added benefit of respecting different learning styles and celebrating progress in ways standardized tests cannot capture.
Assessing Progress Matters More Than You Think
Whether you choose standardized testing or one of these alternative assessment methods, the point is to actually assess where you and your kids landed this year. Without some form of evaluation, you’re planning next year’s homeschool in the dark.
And here’s the thing: assessment doesn’t have to feel like judgment. It’s simply information. It tells you what’s working, what needs adjustment, and where to focus your energy next year. That’s not scary; that’s helpful.
So as you wrap up this homeschool year and start thinking about the next one, give yourself permission to honestly evaluate how things went. Look at the wins, acknowledge the struggles, and use that information to make next year even better.
Because that’s what good homeschooling looks like: not perfection, but thoughtful adjustment based on what you learn along the way.