This is one of the most common questions new Maryland families ask, usually after reading something written for another state. Maryland home instruction does not require standardized testing — not annually, not at any grade, not as part of a portfolio review.
What the regulation says
Under COMAR 13A.10.01, the school system's oversight is a portfolio review and a discussion of your instructional program. Testing is voluntary. A home-instructed student may participate in a local school system's testing program if the family wants to, but no one can make that a condition of your program being approved.
Then why do families test anyway?
- A second opinion. A yearly snapshot can confirm what you already suspect about reading or math, or flag something worth a closer look.
- Practice with the format. Students heading toward the PSAT, SAT, or ACT benefit from having sat a timed bubble test before the one that counts.
- Umbrella requirements. Some supervising entities ask for testing as part of enrollment. That is their policy, not the state's — check before enrolling.
- Re-entry planning. Families who expect to return to public school sometimes like having outside data in hand.
Make Maryland paperwork the easy part
Pennsole keeps your portfolio, review dates, subject coverage, and notices in one calm place — and the Home Instruction Notification generator is free.
More Maryland guides: requirements · free notification generator · umbrella school directory · where to submit · free portfolio checklist
General guidance, not legal advice. Always confirm details with your local school system or umbrella.
If you do want to test
Ask your local school system's home instruction office whether home-instructed students may sit the system's testing administration, and on what dates. Nationally normed tests are also available privately through independent test administrators. Either way, a score report is your record — you decide whether it goes in the portfolio.
What to do instead of worrying about tests
Put the energy into evidence across the eight subjects through the year. That is what a Maryland review actually looks at. The free portfolio checklist lists what to keep in each subject, and the requirements page covers what Maryland does and does not ask of you.