ERB Testing for Grades 3-8
To The Families of Our Students in Grades 3 through 8,
St. Michael's will be administering the ERBs to Grades 3-8 on the mornings of October 3-7.
A number of questions regularly bubble up around the ERBs. We hope to share some answers below.
What are ERBs?
What we call the "ERBs" are actually the Comprehensive Testing Program produced by the Educational Records Bureau (hence ERBs). ERB is a non-profit organization that provides admission and achievement assessments used by independent schools across the county. The specific test our students take is a leveled assessment for high achieving students across a variety of subjects including reading, listening (3rd and 4th grades only), vocabulary, writing, and mathematics. If you'd like detailed information about the test you can find it here.
Why does St. Michael’s offer ERBs?
The School uses ERB results in several ways.
First, our faculty uses ERB results as a tool in curricular and instructional review. For instance, if a cohort of students performs particularly well on the writing mechanics portion of the test following an adjustment in how we teach grammar, the data would suggest the adjustment was successful. Similarly, if students score lower than expected in a particular area, we may revisit that area or approach it in a new way. Fall ERB testing underscores our commitment to using ERB data to drive instruction.
Second, results provide a benchmark for admission of new students in grades three and above. The Admissions Office administers portions of the ERB to students applying to these grades. Comparing those results to scores earned by current St. Michael's students provides useful information about applicants' readiness for the St. Michael's academic program.
Third, results shape classroom placement for accelerated math in the Middle School. ERB scores are one of several factors considered in that process.
Finally, the process of taking ERBs is a learning opportunity for students. While ERBs are not a "high stakes" test, such tests (e.g., high school admissions and SATs) are on the horizon for our students. We facilitate this by teaching and modeling good test-taking behavior, which builds students' confidence and resilience.
Online tests
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Online tests are dynamic, meaning the questions presented to a student are shaped by the student's performance on previous questions. This provides an assessment of a student’s level of mastery that is more precise than that offered by paper tests.
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Scheduling is more flexible, allowing individual grades to test when it is most convenient.
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Increasingly, standardized tests such as the SATs and achievement tests are almost exclusively administered online.
Why does St M do fall testing?
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Students will be taking the “level” of the grade they have completed (e.g. current 7th graders will take the Level 6 test). Grades 3-8 will all take the ERBs on computers.
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This is a “normed” test, which means that a St. Michael’s student’s score is compared against the performance results of a statistically selected group of test-takers. St. Michael’s students’ scores will be compared against those of students of comparable ages taking the same test at the same time of year.
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Fall administration of the tests will allow the results to be available for parent/teacher conferences.
What else should we know?
- ERB results are part of a student’s school file and thus are reported to schools to which they apply for admission. While this is true, public specialty centers and governor’s schools do not take ERB results into consideration in their admission processes. Independent schools in the Richmond area are familiar with ERBs, in most cases administering the test to their own lower and middle school students. These schools recognize the context of these tests, as well as what they can and cannot assess.
- As per our handbook, it may not be possible for students to make up missed achievement tests.
- A reminder that Middle School students need to charge their Chromebooks each night and bring them to School every day for testing.
If you have any questions about the ERBs, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Bob Gregg, Head of School
Jessica Stargell, Middle School Director
Merrill Geier, Lower School Director
cc: K-2 Families for informational purposes
