Kindergarten Testing
Q. Am I required to test my kindergarten child if I notified my superintendent last fall that we would begin homeschooling?
A. Testing a kindergarten student does not depend on whether you notified or did not notify your superintendent. It depends on the age of your child last September 30 when the school year began.
Children who are NOT age six as of September 30 of the school year are NOT required to be tested. Age, not grade level or notification, is the determining factor.
The law is very specific regarding the age exemption. § 22.1-254.1 (C) states the following:
“The [testing] requirements of subsection (C) shall not apply to children who are under the age of six as of September 30 of the school year.”
Therefore, at the beginning of the school year, if your kindergarten student was five years old on September 30, he will NOT need to be tested for this school year. However, if your kindergarten student was six years old on September 30, he will need to be tested. As you can see, some kindergarten students will need to be tested and others will not.
If you notified your superintendent you were homeschooling your kindergartner by sending him a letter or a Notice of Intent form, don’t be alarmed if you receive a testing reminder early in the spring. This is a form letter that is sent to every homeschooler in the superintendent’s district.
According to the above statute, you do not have to comply with this request. If a superintendent or his designee contacts you requesting a test the law does not require, please contact HEAV, and we will be glad to work with you in resolving this matter.
Testing a Kindergartener Reminder
Don’t be alarmed if you receive testing reminder from your local superintendent. You have likely received a form letter that your county sends to all homeschoolers who have filed a Notice of Intent.
He has just failed to mention the section of code that exempts children who are NOT six on September 30 at the beginning of the school year.
If a superintendent or his designee contacts you requesting a test the law does not require, tell him your child was not six on September 30. If he does not understand the law, contact HEAV and we’ll be happy to talk with your superintendent about the law.
