West Virginia homeschoolers are required by law to provide an academic assessment of their child(ren) to their school board office by June 30th of each year. All children that are of mandatory school age (age six by September 1st of that school year to age 16) must be assessed. You have the following options:
Standardized testing
Compile a portfolio of your child's work
Provide an alternative evaluation, approved in advance
West Virginia law provides for a third option, known as "alternative academic assessment." It must be mutually agreed upon by you and the county school board. The law states that "criteria for acceptable progress shall be mutually agreed upon by the same parties." It must be approved in advance. If you have an idea for an alternative, put it in a letter to the school board early in the year (when you send in your "letter of intent" form) and let them know what you are planning. A form for "alternative assessment" is available from the West Virginia Home Educators Association and also at the Monongalia County School Board Office.
Some possible alternative assessments might be:
Grades from a correspondence or video curriculum
College entrance test scores like ACT, SAT, PSAT
Results of a developmentally appropriate skills test or professional assessment
Evaluation through a program for special needs
Results of a nonstandard administration of an achievement test
Daily log of intruction
....or anything mutually agreed upon
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