Assessment Requirements in Iowa

What’s required

• No annual standardized test or Iowa Code 299A.4 evaluation applies to licensed-practitioner CPI (Iowa Code 299A.2); the supervising licensed teacher provides formal and informal assessments of progress to the student and parent (Iowa Admin. Code 281-31.3(1)(c)).

Iowa requires homeschooled students to complete a teacher evaluation.

What happens if your child doesn’t meet the minimum

Iowa hasn’t defined a specific remediation process for students who score below the minimum. If your child’s scores fall short, we recommend reaching out to your local school district to understand what steps, if any, they expect. In most cases, this is a conversation, not a confrontation.

Alternatives to standardized testing

This pathway does not use standardized testing. See your full state guide for details on how assessment works.

Multiple pathways, different requirements

Iowa offers 4 pathways to homeschool, and they don’t all have the same assessment requirements. Here’s a quick comparison:

• CPI Option 1: Licensed Teacher Supervision: assessment required (teacher evaluation)
• CPI Option 2: Standardized Testing: no assessment required
• Accredited Nonpublic School Enrollment: no assessment required
• Option 4: Independent Private Instruction (IPI): no assessment required

Our wizard will help you pick the pathway that’s the best fit for your family’s situation.

Get your personalized plan

Every family’s situation is a little different. Our free wizard builds a step-by-step compliance plan tailored to your family, including exactly which assessments you need and when they’re due.