Standardized Testing: Which State Tests ESSA Requires

What It Means

Standardized testing means giving students a test under the same conditions and scoring it the same way, so results can be compared. The APA Dictionary of Psychology describes a standardized test as one whose validity and reliability have been established by careful research and which has clearly defined norms, so a score shows how a student did against a large group the test was built for. For U.S. public school families, it most often refers to the yearly statewide tests required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): reading or language arts and math in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school, plus science once in each of three grade spans. Schools may also give other standardized tests during the year, such as interim tests that track growth.

Try It: Pick a Grade to See Which State Tests Apply

Pick a grade to see which statewide tests ESSA requires across that grade span. Your state sets the test names and dates.

Grade

Reading and math

Every year in grades 3 to 8, this one included

Science

Once in grades 3 to 5

Across all grades, a state gives 17 tests a year, and no student takes more than 3 in one year.

How Parents Say It

"State testing is the last two weeks of April."
"Her scores came back on the state test."
"Do we get the results before summer?"

The Breakdown

What the rule says. ESSA requires every state to test all public school students each year in reading or language arts and math in grades 3 through 8, and once in high school. Science is tested at least once in each of three spans: grades 3 to 5, 6 to 9 and 10 to 12.

Subject	When	Source
Reading or language arts	Every year, grades 3 to 8, and once in high school	ESSA, per ED and CRS
Math	Every year, grades 3 to 8, and once in high school	ESSA, per ED and CRS
Science	Once in grades 3 to 5, once in 6 to 9, once in 10 to 12	ESSA, per ED and CRS
Advanced 8th grade math	An end-of-course test can replace the 8th grade math test	ESSA regulations, ED fact sheet

Who it applies to. Public schools in every state, for all students. That adds up to 17 tests a state gives each year, and no single student takes more than 3 in a year.

Documents to keep. Your child's score report each year, any letter about testing accommodations in an IEP or 504 plan, and the testing calendar from the school.

The official source. The Department of Education's fact sheet on the ESSA assessment regulations and the Congressional Research Service's ESSA reports, checked October 1, 2026. Your state education agency's site has your state's test names, dates and score reports.

Good to Know

ESSA sets which grades and subjects are tested; your state chooses the tests, the dates and how scores are reported, so check your state education agency's site. If your child has an IEP or a 504 plan, ask how testing accommodations will work on test days. Homeschooling families should ask their state education agency what, if anything, the state requires, since this check didn't cover homeschool rules.

FAQ

Which grades take state standardized tests?

Under ESSA, reading or language arts and math are tested every year in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school. Science is tested once in grades 3 to 5, once in 6 to 9 and once in 10 to 12.

How many state tests will my child take in a year?

No more than 3, under ESSA's testing rules as the Department of Education and the Congressional Research Service describe them. A state gives 17 tests a year across all grades.

Is the MAP test a state standardized test?

MAP Growth is an interim test from NWEA that schools can give several times a year to track growth. ESSA's yearly state tests are a separate requirement, and each state chooses the test that meets it, so ask your school which tests your child takes and what each is for.

Related Terms and Categories

MAP test
NWEA's MAP Growth, a computer-adaptive test schools give a few times a year to measure growth in reading, math and other subjects on a scale called RIT.
Lexile level
A number followed by L, from MetaMetrics, that measures either a student's reading ability or how hard a text is, on the same scale so the two can be matched.
Summative assessment
A test or project at the end of a unit, course or school year that measures what a student learned against the standards that were taught.
Report card
(1) The school's periodic report of a student's grades to parents; (2) the yearly public report on school and district results that ESSA requires states and districts to publish.
Parent-teacher conference
A short scheduled meeting between a parent and a child's teacher to talk about how the child is doing in school and how to help at home.

School and education for parents

Sources

American Psychological Association, APA Dictionary of Psychology, "standardized test"; U.S. Department of Education, "ESSA Assessment Final Regulations: Summary Fact Sheet"; Congressional Research Service, "Educational Assessment and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act" (R45049); Congressional Research Service, "The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as Amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): A Primer" (R45977)

Last updated October 1, 2026.

Standardized testing