Frequently Asked Questions

Triangle Education Assessments is the nation’s one-stop-shop for homeschool tests and carries the most commonly administered nationally standardized achievement tests. All of their achievement tests meet NC homeschool law. You may forward this information to others but must do so in its entirety.

What are my state’s laws and why should my child be tested?

In North Carolina, it is the law to test your student annually. Other state laws can be found at www.hslda.org. Standardized tests can affirm both your child’s learning progress and your teaching ability. An objective evaluation can provide confirmation of your success and encourage both teacher and student. Standardized tests might also point out weaknesses that you may not have noticed, especially in light of national standards. 

What are my testing options with Triangle Education Assessments? 

Achievement Tests 

• The Iowa Tests Form A (IBTS and ITED) for grades K-12 in complete battery format
• The Iowa Assessments Form E (paper version Gr K-12 and online on your computer Gr K/midyear - Gr 12)
• The TerraNova/CAT6 (Complete Plus Gr K-12 and Survey Plus Gr 2-12 versions)
• The Stanford-10 (paper version Gr K-12 and online format on your computer Gr 3/spring - Gr 12) 
• The Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement for pre-K- Gr 12
• Brigance for special needs students with a developmental age of 7 or below 

Cognitive Tests 

• The CogAT online for grades K/midyear - 12 for learning styles and giftedness program eligibility 
• The OLSAT (paper version for grades K-12 and online format on our computer for grades 4-12) for learning styles and giftedness program eligibility 

We also offer: 

• Consultation on scores, curriculum, and homeschooling as well as guest speaking

The Iowa, Stanford-10 (paper and online), and TerraNova. The Iowa, Stanford10, and TerraNova come in paper versions that can be sent to your location to be administered.  he Stanford 10 requires a bachelor degree. The others do not. The Stanford-10 and Iowa E Online is delivered online remotely at your location on your computer. The Woodcock-Johnson is oral and paper/pencil format, and is administered by one of our trained administrators in their home offices in southern Wake county. The Brigance is used more as a life-skills checklist for those developmentally 7 years old or younger.

Who can give the achievement tests as per the test publishers?

 Refer to your state laws regarding guidelines for test administration.  Publisher's regulations are below. 

• Woodcock-Johnson can only be given by a specially trained administrator.
• Iowa (paper and online) can only be purchased by homeschoolers or private schools. Test administrators/parents should have at least a high school diploma.
• TerraNova can be ordered by home schools, small private schools, or public schools and can be given by parents without degrees.
• Stanford-10 (paper and online) can only be purchased by homeschoolers or private schools. The paper test requires the administrator to have at least a Bachelor’s degree and some training. The online test does not require a Bachelor’s degree. 

For more information on choosing the best achievement test for your student, please refer to the infographic “How to Choose an Achievement Test”.   

Children that are not reading as well as peers, working above or below typical grades, or who have attention difficulties, might fare better with the Woodcock-Johnson test since it goes as low and as high as needed, is mostly read to the student, and allows time for breaks as needed.  Children with slower processing speeds or who feel stressed when timed might fare better with the Stanford or Woodcock-Johnson tests since they are mostly untimed.

How do I choose the grade level of the test?

Most of the time it is prudent to choose the test level based on the grade of the child’s curriculum. If the child is working above or below grade level in a majority of subjects, then  you might choose a test based on the average of the various grade levels of their curriculum to get the most accurate and helpful results.  In order to make the most practical use of the scores, you should not test above your child’s reading level.  In NC, parents choose the grade level of the test for their children. 

Why should I choose the Woodcock Johnson Achievement Test?

Woodcock-Johnson: One significant difference between the WJ test and multiple choice tests is that WJ administrators give students questions up to any grade level that they can accomplish correctly within certain ranges and it goes as low as the student needs to go.  We give parents a consultation after the test session.  The Woodcock-Johnson is ideal for students who:

• Have previous test scores that are extremely high or low for grade level or that do not reflect true performance. 
• Are reading very well or very poorly for his or her age. 
• Appear to be struggling in certain areas and a more thorough evaluation for possible learning disabilities is desired. 
• Have parents who feel the need for outside input regarding their child’s achievement level and/or curriculum choices. 
• Are easily distracted and would not do well in a classroom or on a multiple choice test.
• Need test results quickly.  (We generate the report immediately after testing.) 
• Need additional instructional strategies or recommendations.
• Will need additional testing for learning glitches.

• Iowa: Grades 3-8 may be administered together  and grades 9-12 may be administered together 
• Iowa E (online): Grades 3-8 may be administered together and grades 9-12 may be administered together 
• TerraNova: Grades 4-5 may be administered together, grades 6-8 may be administered together, and grades 9-12 may be administered together
• Stanford-10 (paper): Grades 5-8 may be administered together for most of the test and grades 9-12 may be administered together 
• Stanford-10 (online): All grades (Spring 3-12) may be administered together 

For more information on understanding the report terminology and statistics, please read the article “Understanding Standardized Testing Statistics”.

How do I order a test? 

Because our various achievement and cognitive tests are formatted differently, the ordering process differs slightly. Listed below are the steps for ordering whichever test you may choose. 

• To order Iowa, Stanford, or OLSAT paper tests: 
1. Choose a testing day. (Note: Please place orders 2 weeks in advance of the test date desired. For larger group orders, orders must be placed 6 weeks in advance.) 
2. Purchase the assessment you have decided to use, either through our online store.  If you need help, please call our office at 919-387-7004. 
3. Request handscoring if you need the results rushed.  You will have the results in 2 weeks or less.
4. Complete both the School Verification form and the Test Administrator form found on our website and will autogenerated during your ordering process. (THE PUBLISHER REQUIRES THESE FORMS PRIOR TO YOUR ORDER BEING SHIPPED.) 
5. Once you receive the test(s), two weeks are allowed for testing before it is required that the materials are mailed back to us. 
6. Upon our receipt of the testing materials, scoring requires 4 to 6 weeks for most tests. Score reports are usually sent to you in a PDF format via email unless otherwise requested. 

• To order the Iowa Remote, Stanford-10 Remote and/or OLSAT Remote: 
1. Purchase the assessment(s) through our online store.  If you have questions or need help, please call our office at 919-387-7004. 
2. Complete the School Verification form found on our website. (Note: the Test Administrator form is not required for these assessments as Triangle Education Assessments is considered the test administrator.) 
3. Complete the registration form for the assessment(s) you have purchased. (The form is on our website, or click here for the Iowa E Online form, click here for the Stanford-10 Remote form, or here for the OLSAT Remote form.) 
4. Call or email us to schedule testing dates. (Note: the test sessions for the Stanford-10 and Iowa E Online are completed over the course of two days,  Monday-Thursday, from 9:15 am to 1:00 pm EST or (Stanford) 12:30 pm to 4:15 pm EST or (Iowa E) 1 pm to 4 pm EST. (Please call us to set up different hours if needed. It is strongly advised that the test days be two consecutive days.) 
5. Upon completion of the assessment(s), a score report will be generated and sent to you via email within 72 business hours. 

• Duke Talent Identification Program (TIP) – www.tip.duke.edu 
• Davidson Institute – www.ditd.org 
• National Honor Society 

 College Credit:

• CLEP: www.collegeboard.org, 33 exams
• DSST: www.getcollegecredit.org , 38 exams 
• Nocti: www.nocti.org   

 College Admissions or Scholarships:

• ACT: www.act.org  - meets NC homeschool requirements for annual standardized testing when essay portion is included
• PSAT, NMSQT: www.nationalmerit.org, testing October of junior year counts for scholarships. 
• Scholastic Aptitude Test: www.collegeboard.org

• The CogAT and OSLAT tests are available through TEA for homeschool and private school use.  These tests are often used to assess giftedness and/or how a child learns but are not true IQ tests. True IQ tests have to be administered by a licensed professional.

 This information may be copied and distributed free of charge to individuals and homeschool groups so long as it is copied in its entirety, including credits.