FAQs | BJU Press Testing & Evaluation
Here are some frequently asked questions from our customers. If you can’t find the answer to your particular question here, please call us at 1.800.845.5731.
How do I tell whether my order has been shipped?
How do I become a tester?
I’ve misplaced my results. Can I get copies of the scores?
How often should I use the CogAT® or OLSAT®?
What grade level test should I order?
Do you have a placement test?
Should I use the scores of my student's achievement test to determine what curriculum level to use?
Should students guess if they don’t know the answer to a question or if they are running out of time?
Can my student use a calculator?
May a conventional private school order tests from you?
Should I use Stanford or The Iowa Tests?
May I administer more than one achievement test to a student?
What proof of homeschooling is required to place my order?
May testers administer achievement tests to their own children?
What grades (test levels) may be tested simultaneously?
Does it matter what time of year I test?
When should I order my test?
What can delay the processing of my order?
What does it mean when tests are "embargoed?"
What is the difference between a tester and a proctor?
How do I locate a test administrator?
What do administrators charge for testing?
What information do I fill out on Stanford and ITBS/ITED answer documents?
What defines a homeschooled child?
How can I access or update my account information?
How do I tell whether my order has been shipped?
Log on to your account and type in your order number, or click on “View All Orders” and select the appropriate order. If the status says “Shipped,” your order has been shipped, and you may click on that link to see the tracking number and find shipping details.
How do I become a tester?
A qualified person may become a tester by completing the Administrator's Application Forms for the Stanford and/or The Iowa Tests®. The tester brochures with applications can be downloaded from our website under “Forms and Brochures.”
I’ve misplaced my results. Can I get copies of the scores?
Results can be resent to the purchaser of the order. Please call our Customer Service department at 1.800.845.5731 for specific pricing details, or e-mail Testing at testing@bjupress.com. Payment can be made by check or over the phone with credit card information.
How often should I use the CogAT® or OLSAT®?
It is recommended that the CogAT or OLSAT be administered every 2 to 3 years. A mental abilities test may not be as necessary in the upper high school grades.
What grade level test should I order?
Generally, the test level should correspond to the current grade level of the student’s core subjects—reading, language, and math. If you do not know the student’s grade level in the core subjects, please see the following question about grade placement.
Do you have a placement test?
BJU Press sells the Grade-Level Determiner, a product that helps determine math and reading grade levels. A resource that may be helpful is the “Scope and Sequence,” also published by BJU Press. This resource lists the concepts that are taught at each grade level in the BJU Press curriculum, and this information can guide you in your grade-placement decisions.
Should I use the scores of my student's achievement test to determine what curriculum level to use?
While achievement tests are not designed to be used as placement tests, achievement test scores can be applied as indicators of possible areas of academic weakness. Couple the test results with your own (or a previous teacher's) observations to determine how your student handled the curriculum level. Though they are helpful tools, test results should never be used as the sole determiner for any educational decision.
Should students guess if they don’t know the answer to a question or if they are running out of time?
Guessing is appropriate ONLY if the student has sufficient knowledge to eliminate at least one or two of the answer choices. Random guessing lessens the clarity of the scores. Because the results reports show both how many questions were attempted and what percentage were correct, random guessing makes it difficult to distinguish between weak areas (many wrong answers) and areas not yet covered (questions left unanswered). This concept also applies to randomly bubbling at the last minute because a student has run out of time to thoughtfully consider the remaining questions.
Can my student use a calculator?
On the Stanford test, calculators are optional for Math Problem Solving, but they are NOT allowed for Math Procedures. On The Iowa Tests, calculators may be used for math subtests ONLY when permitted by the Directions for Administration.
May a conventional private school order tests from you?
The publishers have authorized us to provide tests to small private schools as long as every tester meets the tester qualifications and is pre-approved by us and as long as the school's total K5-12 student enrollment is no more than 100 for The Iowa Tests or no more than 300 for Stanford tests. (If your school exceeds the maximum enrollment, please contact us for possible exceptions.)
Should I use Stanford or The Iowa Tests?
Both are top-rated, nationally standardized tests. Both are designed to accomplish the same purposes. Both evaluate thinking skills. Both provide thorough results reports, and neither is more "difficult" than the other. Although the tests are similar in many respects, there are some differences that may affect your decision. Whichever test you choose, there are advantages to using the same test from year to year.
- Stanford tests evaluate listening skills through grade 8, The Iowa Tests through grade 3.
- ITBS permits a wider grade range of students to be tested at the same time.
- Both tests require administrators to meet certain qualifying requirements (Stanford / The Iowa Tests).
- Stanford is administered untimed; ITBS/ITED is timed.
May I administer more than one achievement test to a student?
It is unethical to use multiple levels of the same test or a test from each test publisher or to re-administer the same test level to the same student within a short period of time (less than three months). Whether intentional or not, the first administration essentially becomes a "practice test" for the subsequent administration, a practice which is unethical and forbidden by the test publishers. If you have an unusual situation that you think warrants special consideration, or if you need further assistance in selecting the most appropriate test level, please feel free to contact us.
What proof of homeschooling is required to place my order?
You must complete and sign the statement on the order form verifying that all students being tested are homeschooled. If ordering online, this statement will become available after you submit your online order. This signature is legally binding and is subject to verification.
May testers administer achievement tests to their own children?
A qualified test administrator may administer The Iowa Tests to his/her own children with no additional stipulations, unless state law prohibits it.
A qualified Stanford test administrator may test a relative or those residing in his home if at least two children in the same grade grouping:
- Are not related to the tester AND
- Do not live in the same home as the tester AND
- Are tested simultaneously. (See next question to determine what levels can be tested simultaneously.)
Since children at various levels may not be grouped before fourth grade, administrators must be alert to grade levels of non-related children. If any of your testers are testing any relatives, please do not send in your Stanford testing order until you have secured the necessary nonrelatives.
Certain states have stipulations that prohibit a parent from administering the test. It is the parent's responsibility to ensure state requirements are being met regarding parental administration of the test.
What grades (test levels) may be tested simultaneously?
ITBS/ITED Grouping Options for spring testing*
- K5–grade 2 (Levels 5–8) must each be administered separately by grade.
- Grades 3–8 (Levels 9–14) may be administered together.
- Grades 9–12 (Levels 15–18) may be administered together.
Stanford Grouping Options for spring testing*
- K5–grade 3 (SESAT2-Pri3) must each be administered separately by grade and may not be grouped.
- Grades 4–6 (Int1–Int3) may be administered together with minor modifications.†
- Grades 7–8 (Adv1–Adv2) may be administered together with minor modifications.†
- Grades 9–12 (TASK1–TASK3) may be administered together.
*For fall testing, please refer to the test level rather than the grade level.
†Please note that the Listening subtest must be administered to each grade level separately.
Does it matter what time of year I test?
No. Testing is available year-round, although some states stipulate deadlines for testing or score reporting. Students' scores are compared to standardized scores for that time of year (based on when tests arrive in our office for scoring). This means that a student testing in the beginning (Fall) of 4th grade would be compared to other students who were also beginning 4th graders. The "Norms Period/Norms Week" on the results report will indicate the time of year used for calculating scores.
When should I order my test?
If your test date is scheduled between early March and late June, you must place your order at least 6 weeks prior to your test date to allow adequate processing and shipping time. Rush processing is available if needed (see order form for applicable fees). During the remaining months, orders generally ship within 7 business days. The tester will have 50 days from receipt of the materials to administer the test and return all test materials. Results will generally be mailed back to you 6-8 weeks following our receipt of the completed tests and the required paperwork. (Delays at the national scoring center may occasionally occur and are outside of our control.) Please consider these time allowances if you must meet deadlines. Hand scoring, at an additional cost, can provide basic score information within approximately 2 weeks. (See flier included with the tests.)
What can delay the processing of my order?
We have found that the following customer practices cause delays in receiving orders and/or results.
- State sales/use tax is not computed and included in the order.
- The necessary signatures or test date are missing from the order.
- One or more testers have not been pre-approved and registered with us.
- The tester's address is inaccurate.
- Testing booklets and other materials are not returned following testing or are returned in unacceptable condition.
- One or more testers fail to return the signed and completed verification statements included with each shipment.
What does it mean when tests are "embargoed?"
From time to time a test publisher will make an agreement with a state department of education or a local school district granting those schools exclusive rights to the use of a particular form of the test for a limited period of time. During the term of that agreement, BJU Press Testing & Evaluation is prohibited from shipping that particular form of the test to the area covered by the agreement. In most cases, there is an alternate form of the test that we can provide. However, occasionally there may be a situation where the embargo is so broad that no other form of the test is available. In those situations, our customers may use the other publisher's test (Stanford in place of ITBS/ITED, or ITBS/ITED in place of Stanford). List of current embargoed areas.
What is the difference between a tester and a proctor?
For purposes of the tests being ordered through our services, every individual who reads the directions, times the test, answers test-content-related questions, or is in any way solely responsible for the student(s) at any point during test administration must meet the publisher's qualifications as a tester. Every tester must sign the Verification Section to be returned with the completed tests. Other unapproved adults may assist during breaks, distributing pencils and scrap paper, and so on, but no unapproved person may test any student.
How do I locate a test administrator?
Any competent person who meets the qualifications (Stanford / The Iowa Tests) may administer the test. Possible sources may be current or retired teachers or acquaintances from your church. A qualified person who would like to be approved for testing should complete and submit the appropriate application form (Stanford / The Iowa Tests). Approval status takes about ten days. If you do not know anyone who is qualified to administer tests, you may call or e-mail us to request that a list of registered testers in your area be mailed to you. When requesting a list of testers, please provide your complete mailing address and specify which test you prefer to use since tester qualifications are slightly different for each of the tests.
What do administrators charge for testing?
BJU Press Testing & Evaluation does not set a fee schedule for administrators to follow as they work with families. Participants are urged to keep in mind, however, that testing consumes a considerable amount of time, and administrators do incur expenses connected with providing the service, such as training requirements, postage (including return of all materials to BJU Press Testing), telephone costs, and facility rental for larger groups. A few administrators may be in a position to "donate" these services while others need to recover costs. Any fees should be discussed and settled between the parties prior to testing.
What information do I fill out on Stanford and ITBS/ITED answer documents?
See links to sample answer documents for the Stanford and ITBS/ITED achievement tests. Within each test series, the actual format of the documents will vary depending on the test level. The blue Checklist sent with the tests will also provide small images of these sample pages.
What defines a homeschooled child?
A student is considered to be homeschooled if the majority of the child's academic education is privately funded and provided at home rather than in a classroom setting. Students whose education is home-based but provided by a publicly funded school would not be considered to be homeschooled for purposes of these tests.
How can I access or update my account information?
- Click the "My Account" link (found in the top right corner of the web page on www.bjupress.com).
- Log in. Forgotten your password? Call Customer Service at 1.800.845.5731 or e-mail bjupinfo@bjupress.com
- After you log in, you'll be taken to your "My Account" page.
- Click the "Member Profile" link.
- Check all of the information in your profile (address, phone number, shipping address, and e-mail), and save any changes that you make.
