Year-End ‘Evidence of Progress’ Services
Homeschool families in Virginia must submit “Evidence of Progress” for their homeschooled children by August 1 each year. The two most common ways parents meet this requirement are by submitting a score from a nationally normed, standardized achievement test or a letter from an evaluator. In order to provide turnkey solutions to homeschool families, Compass now offers two options for the annual evidence of progress.
Option 1: Standard Achievement Test
Starting in the spring of 2025, Compass will administer the Basic Achievement Skills Inventory (BASI) Survey which consists of a 25-minute verbal subtest and a 25-minute math subtest. The BASI-Survey provides a “quick overview of achievement” which “assesses academic skills quickly and reliably.” It is a progressive test suitable for groups that are diverse in age or ability, allowing Compass to test all ages together.
Including seating, instructions, and a 10-minute break between sessions, families should allow for a 75-minute experience. At the end of the test, students will receive a token to celebrate the completion of testing.
Compass will offer 4 test sessions accommodating 25 students per session and add more sessions as needed. Sign up for testing online on the Activity Fees webpage.
What ages/grades is the BASI for?
BASI is designed for student ages 8-Adult (2nd-12th grade).
What is the test format?
It is a written test where students will read questions from a paper test booklet and fill in their responses on a bubble-in scannable answer key.
All students will work from the same version of the test booklet and go as far as they can in 25 minutes. Parents should prepare students by reminding them that they are not expected to understanr or answer all questions or finish the section.
What is on the verbal subtest?
- Vocabulary (covering contextual clues, prefixes, roots, synonyms, analogies, word meaning)
- Language mechanics (such as subject/verb agreement, adverb agreement, capitalization, punctuation, subject/verb agreement)
- Reading comprehension (main ideas, predict outcomes, cause and effect, figurative language)
What is on the math subtest?
- Computation (arithmetic, order of operations, mixed numbers, fractions, decimals, algebraic expressions)
- Application (word problems, interpreting graphs/charts, geometry)
What type of report will we receive to submit for Evidence of Progress?
Families will receive two individualized reports by email approximately 3 weeks after administration. The report will include a narrative, percentile rank, mean, grade equivalent, age equivalent, scale, and correct/incorrect score by individual questions for each subtest. See a sample verbal report and sample math report.
Will the BASI Survey be accepted by our county?
Compass has been in contact with the author of the test to evaluate its appropriateness for our students and compliance with state requirements. Compass has also obtained specific, written confirmation from the offices of the superintendents of Fairfax County Public Schools, Loudoun County Public School, and Prince William County Schools accepting this test.
Sign up for BASI test dates HERE.
Option 2: Evaluator Meeting & Letter
Families who prefer an in-person evaluation of their homeschooled child may schedule a 30-minute year-end evaluation with Compass manager Virginia Fredrick. Virginia earned a master’s degree in elementary education from George Mason University. The evaluation will be held at Compass at a mutually convenient time.
Virginia brings her experience as an educator, homeschool parent, and Compass staff member to provide independent feedback on each child’s unique homeschool trajectory. Virginia understands the challenges of homeschooling children and teens of all learning profiles: on-level, accelerated, gifted, 2E, red-shirted/delayed entry, asynchronous, and neurodiverse. Her individualized evaluations reflect her knowledge of various homeschool approaches, learning styles, and educational platforms. She has worked with students who are lifelong homeschoolers as well as ones who have transitioned from or are returning to public, private, or parochial school settings.
What should we bring to our evaluator meeting?
Parents should bring work samples and materials to show the evaluator what they have done througout the homeschool year. Please see the linked list of recommended materials that you can bring to the evaluation.
Should my child attend the evaluation?
Absolutely! The evaluator will meet and interact with your homeschooled child in an age-appropriate way with questions like, “Tell me about your favorite book” or “What was your favoriate field trip this year?” The evaluator will not quiz children on math facts, vocabulary words, state capitals or dates! Most children have fun talking about themselves.
The evaluator prefers not to have other siblings in the room. Please make arrangements to have someone else sit with your other child(ren) during an evaluation so all of the evaluator’s attention can be on the the child being evaluated.
I have multiple children. Can they be evauated together?
Each child must be scheduled for his/her own time slot. Parents with multiple children can request back-to-back timeslots.
When will we receive our evaluation letter?
Evaluation letters are typically returned to the parent within two weeks of the evaluation meeting. The evaluation letter will be emailed as a pdf format so parents can forward it to their country offices.
Sign up for an evaluator meeting HERE. You will be contacted to schedule a mutually agreeable evaluation appointment at Compass.
*Note: for the full text of the applicable statute, see The Code of Virginia, section 22.1-254.1.
Following are the addresses and links to webpages for area school systems. These mail or email addresses can be used to submit your Evidence of Progress. Families from Maryland, DC, and West Virginia are encouraged to contact us to see how these evaluation options can support their homeschool requirements.
Fairfax County Public Schools
Gatehouse Administration Center
Attention:Home Instruction
8115 Gatehouse Road
Falls Church,VA 22042
Email: HomeInstruction@fcps.edu
Loudoun County Public Schools
Department of Student Services
21000 Education Court, Room 412
Ashburn, VA 20148
Email: lcpshomeinstruction@lcps.org
Prince William County Public Schools
College, Career, and Student Support
Home Instruction
PO Box 389
Manassas, VA 20108
Email: PWCSHomeInstruction@pwcs.edu