What is the purpose of the testing and research?
National research has not been done recently. Additionally, if you are testing through a state organization, up-to-date state-specific homeschool data will assist in defending homeschool freedoms that private homeschool families enjoy when they meet with their state legislators.

Why are you suggesting the IOWA form E?
In order for the information to be useful, an assessment that is nationally normed and compares students of every educational option (homeschool, private school, and public school) must be used. The IOWA form E is the most up-to-date normed standardized test that fits this.

Can we use the CAT? It’s cheaper.
Currently, our vendor is BJU Press Homeschool, who does not offer the CAT. The CAT was last normed in 1986. It is not being updated, and it is not viewed as reliable. The test is cheaper because no development or updating is happening with it.

When was the IOWA form E last normed?
The IOWA form E was last normed in 2017.

Can families purchase the IOWA form E with CoGat?
Yes, families can choose to purchase just the IOWA form E or the IOWA form E with CoGat.

Do we have to go through BJU Press Homeschool? Can we use another vendor?
BJU Press Homeschool currently has the infrastructure in place from the 2022 study to continue on with the 2023 study. Other vendors are welcome to participate, but they will need sufficient time to implement code changes and processes to get the testing results to NHERI blindly. This takes time and budget. We’re nearing the end of a budget year. Talking with other vendors for the 2023 study is possible, but it’s highly unlikely they’ll have the budgetary and staffing resources to implement this in time for Spring ordering.

Who can participate?
This study will focus on privately-funded homeschool students. Students who are enrolled in a virtual public school program are not eligible to be included in the research.

How will families receive the study?
Families will order their assessments using your organization’s specific link. Once the order has been completed, a random number will be generated and assigned to that student’s assessment. The family will receive one survey per child for whom a test was ordered. That child’s random number is associated with the survey results.

Who will receive the data?
Though your state organization, FPM, and NHERI will have access to the raw data, no one will have access to any student identifiable information or family information. The data will only be used for the purposes for which we’ve collected it; state-specific and national homeschool research.

Will my student’s identity be kept confidential?
Your student’s identity will be secure with BJU Testing. Students’ identifying information will not be attached to their scores when passed to your state organization, if testing through your state organization, and NHERI for analysis and interpretation. Demographic information such as age, grade, number of years homeschooled, etc. will be used to interpret the data, but any other identifying information will be removed prior to being provided to the researchers.

When does the survey have to be completed?
The survey must be completed before the student’s test is completed. This is done to remove any bias.

If a family orders 3 tests but only fills out the survey for one, will all 3 sets of test scores be recorded?
No, the ordering parent will receive a survey associated with each individual student that a test was purchased for. In this example, if the parent wants all 3 childrens’ scores to be included, a survey must be completed for each student.

Will late surveys be accepted?
No, surveys received after the test has been completed cannot be accepted.

Will test scores associated with a late survey be included in the study?
No, any test scores associated with a late survey will not be included.

Will states be given the personal contact information of participants who’ve not yet completed their family’s survey(s)?
No, no personal contact information will be shared with the states. All testing information is confidential.

What happens if a family changes their mind and doesn’t want to participate in the study? Can they back out of the study?
A family can certainly back out of the study before submitting the survey. Once the survey has been submitted, it is not possible to trace it.

What happens if a family changes their mind after ordering their assessment(s) and doesn’t want to participate in the study? Do they need to notify anyone?
Families may decide to not participate for a number of reasons. There’s no need to notify anyone of the choice to not participate. They simply won’t fill out the survey.