Should I Test My Homeschooler?
By Faith Walessa
What are my state's requirements? Which test should I use? What are the benefits?
Contrary to popular belief, the choice to homeschool your child does not just mean choosing to have school at home. It is a decision to source all your own materials and curriculum, to find new ways to join extracurriculars and social activities, to spend more time with your children, and to create an entirely different lifestyle and household routine for the sake of your children’s education. Amidst the busyness of this life, we know the value of your time as homeschool parents. If you decide to test your children at home, you should be using a test that complements and adds value to your educational choices–a test that equips you to teach even better and your child to learn even better. The CLT3-8 brings exactly that value into your home education, making the decision to test an easy one.
We’ve broken down a few of many key reasons to consider the CLT3-8 for your homeschool family, and we hope you’ll take advantage of a test created with you in mind.
1. Content That Fits Your Family
You chose to homeschool your child for a reason. When you’re looking for a test to add into your homeschool routine, it should uphold your educational values and standards. We want your child to be tested on their true knowledge and abilities, instead of a particular core curriculum that is irrelevant to your home learning. CLT assessments are not bound to any formulaic mainstream ideas, but instead test on key skills that prove your child’s success, like reading comprehension and logical reasoning. As well, we use classic texts designed to excite your child’s imagination and fill them with the same love for learning you instill in them every day, with poetry and classic literature in the reading section and engaging math problems to test their reasoning. The difference is a child with a smile on their face, telling you about the amazing story they just read on their test, instead of an exhausted student with nothing new to show for it. To see the difference for yourself, view one of our sample tests here.
2. Student Analytics
Not only do we assess your child on what matters for them, but we deliver their results in a way that matters for you. The results of every CLT exam in our full suite of assessments (from grades 3 through 12) include comprehensive student analytics that assess your child’s performance on the test with more than just a final number. These analytics will break down your child’s results into questions of content and reasoning, highlighting their highest and lowest performance in areas like reading, writing, problem-solving, logical reasoning, and many others. Our analytics also provide a nationally normed percentile of your child’s score in comparison with others at their grade level. These tools and comprehensive feedback are a game-changer when it comes to curriculum planning and progress assessment. Building the CLT into your homeschool routine as a baseline assessment in the fall and a summative reflection in the spring will help you stay confident and proactive in your approach to your child’s education, with objective, quantifiable, and organized results delivered right to your inbox.
So many of the other standardized tests just measure how well a student studied for that test. The CLT series of tests give a true picture of readiness for the next academic level.
3. Testing Experience
With CLT, we provide the smoothest testing experience possible for your child. Forget any testing anxieties of the past, with stress-free, online exams that can be taken from the comfort of your own home and proctored by a parent, with multiple-day testing options to fit your unique situation. We aim to remove all the distractions and worries that might prevent your child from doing their very best, so we can give you the most accurate depiction of their ability and give them a truly positive testing experience.
4. College Preparation
If you begin using the CLT to test your child, keep in mind that future testing continuity will be an advantage. Familiarity with the content and style of the test becomes a huge benefit when your child enters high school and begins testing with the CLT10 (results of which are eligible for internal CLT awards and scholarships) or the official CLT, with scores tied to scholarships and admissions at over 300 of our Partner Colleges across the nation. These test scores could be a determining factor in their future, and they will be set up to achieve the best results possible with years of practice and testing knowledge behind them. I personally took both the CLT8 and the CLT10 several times before taking my first CLT, and I found my familiarity with the content and format of the test helped me feel more secure, focused, and confident throughout. The sooner you begin testing them, the more prepared your child will be–both in terms of testing format, and in knowledge of what to focus on in preparation for the official CLT through years of detailed analytics.
5. State Testing Requirements
Many states require proof of standardized testing from homeschool families. CLT satisfies the requirement in most of those states, helping you check one more item off that endless list! For a more detailed explanation of state testing and how CLT can help, please consult our state testing page.
For more information on the benefits of testing with CLT, or to register your child for our ongoing CLT3-8 test dates this June, please visit our page for homeschoolers and start your CLT journey today. We look forward to partnering with your family to help you achieve the education you chose the day you started homeschooling.
Faith Walessa hails from Ontario, Canada. She loves fanciful poetry, theater, reading by flashlight, and mint chocolate chip ice cream.
Thank you for reading the CLT Journal. Go here to see more of Miss Walessa’s insights on making the most of your education; you might also enjoy our series on elementary logic, The Brain: A User’s Manual, or our ongoing series on Western history, Texts in Context. And be sure not to miss the official CLT podcast, Anchored.
Published on 10th June, 2025.