Friday
June 6
Spirit/Pizza Day
Field Day

Thursday
June 12
5th Grade
Graduation/Spirit Awards
6:30pm

Friday
June 13
Early Dismissal
PS/PK/K: 11:45am
Grades 1-5: Noon

Picnic at Lincoln
Park for Grades
PS/PK and K.

June 5, 2008

From Jo Ann - ERB Results
Lost and Found
Movie Chair Needed for September 2008

From Jo Ann - ERB Results

The results are here for this year’s administration of Education Record Bureau’s CTP IV standardized test! You will be receiving your child’s test results next week. ERB is a non-profit educational service organization meeting the student assessment needs of over 1450 independent school and suburban public school members since 1927. Membership includes independent schools from 41 states and 32 countries and suburban public school districts from every region of the country. In addition to the CPT IV, they have developed other tests including the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE.)

Westside School uses the test results to monitor student progress, to provide individual/group intervention, to monitor curriculum effectiveness and then plan for materials, methods, and staff development.

We also give the test so our children learn how to take a standardized test. For an elementary child, parents and teachers should understand the test is just a snapshot of the child’s progress on a given day.

Unlike a classroom assessment, this test is a norm-referenced test. Results are given as a comparison to a select group called the norm group. Comparison between scores results in a bell curve where half will do better and half will do worse. This is unlike a criterion–referenced test, which is designed to rate a student’s performance as compared with a standard, where all can do well or poorly.

Remember that we expect our population to be in the top half when compared to a national norm. The independent norm represents a select group of peers who have taken the test in the last three years at independent schools. The bell curve then pushes our students into an “average” group separating out those children on either end. CTP IV includes two abilities tests – Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Analysis. The achievement subtests should mirror these scores. Every class has different levels of ability, which our teachers have already identified. This test should not present any surprises, but confirms the identification of our children’s daily performance.

The first grade and second grade scores are not given as a norm. The child’s performance is classified as exceeding expectations, meeting expectations, or developing. In third to fifth grades, data is represented as a percentile rank and a stanine (1-9). Here is a summary of how our students placed. There are two charts to show a summary of our national norms and a summary of our independent norms for Spring, 2008.

To place above average the score was in 7– 9 stanines, average represents 4-5 stanines, and below average represents 1–3 stanines. This is not a high stakes test. It should not be the sole judge of the school or the teacher. It is a diagnostic instrument. Remember, you are looking to match achievement tests with the child’s and the class’s abilities.

National Norms

Independent Norms

Don’t hesitate to call your teacher or me if you have any questions.

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Last Call for Lost and Found

Please come and look through the many lost and found items we have left in the hall outside the office. ALL lost and found items remaining after next week will be given away. People have found things they didn’t even realize they were missing. We would hate to give away someone’s favorite jacket, sweatshirt, etc.

Also, if your child has medicine stored in the office, please pick it up before the end of the year.

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Movie Night Chair Needed for September 2008

The WPO is looking for its first movie night chair on Friday, September 19th. If you’re interested, please contact Amy Huber at amyhuber@comcast.net.

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