ERB tests??

[Anonymous]

Re. Questions about when they're given. Schools have the option of giving them before March to cover content from the year before or after March to cover content from the current year.

Don't dismiss them, some schools use the info. But as for prep, anything you do to supplement your kid's learning at school should prepare for ERBs. There shouldn't be a big difference between performance in class and on the ERBs unless there is a learning difference or test taking issue going on.

[Anonymous]

To me, the whole premise that first graders should be spending their summers on test prep of any kind (and that if they aren't, they're no doubt devoting all their time to TV and video games!) is really screwed up.

And if one role of the tests is to flag learning difficulties or to provide an appropriate placement, why on earth would you want to prep your kid to improve his or her scores?

Obviously (I'd hope), there are a wealth of ways kids learn and breaks from school aren't breaks from learning but opportunities for different kinds of learning. That's why it seems to me so wrong-headed to take the least inspiring/meaningful aspect of school (standardized testing) and up the dose of that over the summer.

And, geez, what a view of the world this represents: the rat race starts at age 5 or 6 and you better spend every chance you get running it or you'll be trampled. And it's just a rat race -- your goal isn't mastery or to do or create something insanely great. It's to fill in more bubbles correctly than the other kids. Sad and scary.
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If your kids have a learning disorder the intervention is indeed mental therapy --- called prepping (why delay by watching TV). Why wait, the sooner the better the outcome! Physiology 101.

[Anonymous]

A rat race is only in the eye of the beholder. Do not assume everyone is a rat.

[Anonymous]

To me, the whole premise that first graders should be spending their summers on test prep of any kind (and that if they aren't, they're no doubt devoting all their time to TV and video games!) is really screwed up.

And if one role of the tests is to flag learning difficulties or to provide an appropriate placement, why on earth would you want to prep your kid to improve his or her scores?

Obviously (I'd hope), there are a wealth of ways kids learn and breaks from school aren't breaks from learning but opportunities for different kinds of learning. That's why it seems to me so wrong-headed to take the least inspiring/meaningful aspect of school (standardized testing) and up the dose of that over the summer.

And, geez, what a view of the world this represents: the rat race starts at age 5 or 6 and you better spend every chance you get running it or you'll be trampled. And it's just a rat race -- your goal isn't mastery or to do or create something insanely great. It's to fill in more bubbles correctly than the other kids. Sad and scary.
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Why wait for a test at the age of 5, 6, 7 or 8 to tell you your child has learning difficulties. Some parents pick this up alot sooner. No need for a test to tell me what I observe 24/7 with my children for years. Some parents intervene much sooner (when the gains may be the greatest during the plastic maturation phase of physical, mental and intellectual development) much to the appreciation of their children down the road. Do not delude yourselves. This intervention will include lots of prepping and repetition to overcome significant deficits, catch up to peers, then soar ahead. You do not have to be a rat to understand this. The choice of intervention is yours and no one prevents you for waiting for the test -- whichever one you like to choose for the aha moment.

[Anonymous]

I think test prep is essential if you want to keep up with all the other red-shirted kids and the test-prepped kids.

There were too many red-shirted kids (some are 5 y/o) in DC's 3 y/o pre-school class. DC is very bright so we enrolled her in Junior Kumon plus E. nopi plus multiple enrichments and reading supplements, to keep up with those red shirted kids in her pre-school class. DC just turned 4 and is now performing at 1 st grade level for math, reading, writing, and knows Spanish, French, and Chinese, and academically ahead or everyone else in her class and got accepted to a couple of Big 3 schools for pre-K this year.

Good for you. More power to the 4 year-old. Others here are either happy for you because the believe your practice is harmful to your child (gives their kid a leg up) or simply envious (they did not do this for their own kids, feel guilt, and are jealous).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I think test prep is essential if you want to keep up with all the other red-shirted kids and the test-prepped kids.

There were too many red-shirted kids (some are 5 y/o) in DC's 3 y/o pre-school class. DC is very bright so we enrolled her in Junior Kumon plus E. nopi plus multiple enrichments and reading supplements, to keep up with those red shirted kids in her pre-school class. DC just turned 4 and is now performing at 1 st grade level for math, reading, writing, and knows Spanish, French, and Chinese, and academically ahead or everyone else in her class and got accepted to a couple of Big 3 schools for pre-K this year.

I think/hope the previous post is a joke!

[Anonymous]

DD in 4th. School used ERB scores to qualify for the JHU/CTY evaluation. She and quite a few of her classmates qualified, and a bunch of them (DD included) are participating in CTY camp this summer.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote]I did not say prep your child by putting them in kumon or paying for some ERB prep class. I just said that since the "practice" ERB is taken in 2nd grade, it is best not to be in "la la land" . [b]I would suggest, reading instead of TV and video games and one of the on line math websites, but have it your way[/b]. Perhaps you are at a k-12 school and the only place your child's ERB's will show up is in their file and as a tool for class placement , math and reading group placement. If a child is having learning difficulties, the ERB scores become part of their SST. However, many people on this forum have children in a K-3 or k-6 school, so they should be aware. Take the advice or not. For us the process is over. [/quote]

How is your recommended prep different from kumon or some ERB prep class .... [b]"prep with reading or online math"? [/b]What is the difference and does it matter how you do it, if you just do it (upscale fancy tutor or low scale on the cheap)? Are you trying to assign value judgement on how kids prep?[/quote]

I guess what she meant is don't take it lightly and notifying us that there is such a thing as ERB where the school will look at and weight on in their admission process. Whether it is be Kumon, ER prep class or reading in place of TV, online math game, is a personal choice (budget & believe), just like private school and public school. Of course Kumon mauth & ERB prep class will be more costly and also more intense.

[Anonymous]

same with Head Royce. only sixth graders get practice tests, the rest of middle school doesnt

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Private schools dabbling in the same cess pool of standardized testing along with their public school brethen. I'm shocked. What's happened since my days of private school education in the 60s? Sounds like the schools are all the same.

The diff is that in public the entire years' curriculum is geared towards learning ONLY what is on the test whereas in private they choose the curriculum they all intellectually support as teachers and then hold their breath that the ERB scores reflect that the kids are meeting parental expectations. And therein lies the change: parents today expect their kids to be perfect at everything , nothing less than 99th% will do, and what stanine, please? Parents today are obsessed with perfection and so the private schools test prep. Sad, yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re. Questions about when they're given. Schools have the option of giving them before March to cover content from the year before or after March to cover content from the current year.

Don't dismiss them, some schools use the info. But as for prep, anything you do to supplement your kid's learning at school should prepare for ERBs. There shouldn't be a big difference between performance in class and on the ERBs unless there is a learning difference or test taking issue going on.

Actually, there can be a difference between the yearly written "raves" you get on DC in his/her reports and the objective results of the ERB exam. The ERB exam will show how well the curriculum at DC;s 30k a year private is educating them as compared to other schools. The questions on the ERB ,as well as the number that need to be scored correct to qualify for a particular stanine ( be it 9th, 9th, 7th , 5th, 3rd, etc..) are chosen by a consortium of public school teachers in very affluent suburban communities around the country.Communities where average family income is above 200k a year. For example, most of the questions on the 3rd grade ERB come from teachers culled from Main line Phila. and the Conn. suburbs . This is public information. If DC scored in the 99th percentile on the WISC, but scores in the 5th stanine in math at his local private, the curriculum is not helping him to develop to his potential.

[Anonymous]

Does any body know how the top DC private school students compare to the independent Schools norm? In other words, if there was a "Top DC Private School" Norm in the ERB, what would (say) a 90% Independent percentile would be?
Also, do private schools report ERB rank within the school (i.e. rank or percentile among students that took the test from the same school)?
Thanks

[Anonymous]

Good question. And also, if child scores mostly 8s on the independent school norm, is that good in this area? I haven't been able to ask the question anywhere.

[Anonymous]

I always thought the ERBs were a test of the school, not the student. My DC tanked them and still got into a big 3 school. There really are more important things to worry about.

[Anonymous]

I always thought the ERBs were a test of the school, not the student. My DC tanked them and still got into a big 3 school. There really are more important things to worry about.

I have always known ERBs test the student and not the school. If you really want to test the school the teachers must take the same exams as the students. The results would be interesting!