How significant are test conditions?

Parents have a substantial effect on student achievement. Therefore tests on parents’ skills need to be developed, which poses several issues. We assess the possibility to test parents’ skills, background and supportive factors in different settings. In 2008, 130 parents randomly assigned to a standardized and a non-standardized test condition completed an achievement test in Biology and a questionnaire. The setting did not have consequences on the performance in Biology. The performance only relates to parents’ self-concept and aspects of supportive behavior. The results suggest that parents can be tested validly under standardized or non-standardized conditions.