Grades 3-8 CTP/ERB Test Results

Dear Harding Families, 

The results of your child’s CTP/ERB testing, given earlier this month, will be uploaded to CompassNet and viewable Wednesday, November 20th. To access the results, login to CompassNet, click on desired child >  progress tab > files section > click on the ERB heading to reveal : ERB Results and Parent Guide for ERB Results.  Then click on the 2024 ERB results to download your student’s individual testing narrative report.

Standardized test scores are one of the tools used by schools to assess curriculum as well as group and individual student achievement. The CTP 5 is defined by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) as “a rigorously designed series of assessments developed to help educators collect critical data in a reporting system designed to shape this data into information that answers questions of administrators, teachers, students, and parents about achievement.” Harding Academy uses this testing program, as it is designed for “high-achieving schools and schools wishing to set high standards.” Therefore, in terms of independent scores and stanines, our students’ scores are being compared to some of the highest achieving students in the nation.

Parent reports for third grade scores are interpreted by performance in each of the content areas.  The child’s performance is classified as: exceeds expectations, meeting expectations, or developing.  Only Independent (independent school norms) scores are reported in third grade. Reports for fourth through eighth grade reflect statistics that describe your child’s performance in each of the content/subtest areas. These tests are designed so that students’ scores will fall along the normal bell curve. Approximately 23% of students will receive an independent stanine of 1, 2, or 3; approximately 54% of students will receive an independent stanine of 4, 5, or 6; and approximately 23% will fall into the stanines of 7, 8, or 9. Theoretically, Harding’s population should fall similarly into these categories. This means that approximately 4 or 5 students in each homeroom will fall into the independent stanine of 1, 2, or 3. About 10 will receive stanines of 4, 5, or 6 and the remaining (approximate) 4 students will fall into the 7, 8, or 9 stanines.  Both national (combination of students in all education settings) and Independent (independent school norms) scores are reported in grades four through eight. Also reported are the IXEL scores. INDEX is a national group of top tier Independent Schools that have agreed to share data in order to more completely understand their context and the context of independent schools in general. The IXEL score on your child’s narrative report represents their normed score against students in INDEX schools. 

It is important to remember that these test scores are but one snapshot of your child’s performance in school. It takes many additional tools and sometimes years of information to determine a pattern in a child’s educational growth. Fortunately, at Harding we have several professionals tracking the academic progress of each individual, the grade level group, and the success of the academic program itself. You are welcome to contact me if you have any additional questions about test data in relation to your student. Please note that data collection to support student achievement is an ongoing process. Students will  be completing a Milestones subtest assessment in math and reading comprehension in late April. This brief assessment will allow us to gauge growth from the November subtests and provide insight as we look ahead to the spring. 

Sincerely,

Eric Fecht, Ed.D.

Director of Teaching and Learning