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ERB Insights Blog

Education is changing daily and ERB strives to keep our members up to date on what is happening that may impact your school and your students today, tomorrow, and in the future.

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The latest news and updates for our ERB Member Schools.

Featured News

How to Interpret the New Milestones Norms

New Updates to Milestones Norms for Fall 2022 Milestones is an interim assessment of reading and mathematics that complements the CTP.  When it was first launched in the fall of 2020, ERB used CTP data to construct Milestones norms. This was appropriate given that Milestones and CTP share the same score […] read more

All About the Data – Understanding CTP Norms

CTP Norms Fall 2022 As the 2022-2023 school year gets underway, we want to update you on the latest with CTP norms and explain how we developed the current CTP norms in relation to pre and post-pandemic data. CTP norms for the fall 2021 test administrations were frozen due to […] read more

Ahead of the Curve: How PEG™ has Led Automated Scoring for Years

What is PEG™? PEG, or Project Essay Grade, is the automated scoring system at the core of ERB Writing Practice.  It was invented in the 1960s by Ellis Batten Page, a former high school English teacher, who spent “many long weekends sifting through stacks of papers wishing for some help.” […] read more

Check-In Survey Now Available

February 7, 2022
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Measure Student Social and Emotional Well-being We are thrilled to announce that Check-In Survey is now available to ERB member schools that purchased CTP Online or Milestones. The survey does not need to be administered at the same time as these assessments. Schools can now start administering the survey.  What the Check-In Survey Covers The quick survey includes academic, emotional, and fairness & belonging scales: ERB’s Check-In Survey enables schools to quickly take the pulse of student attitudes about their emotional well-being, academic engagement, and fairness & belonging in their school community. Academic Engagement In the academic engagement section of […] read more

ISEE Testing Options During COVID

January 13, 2022
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ERB is here to help navigate these uncertain times. We know that the recent Covid surge is causing disruptions. ERB is here to help navigate these uncertain times. If you have test events scheduled in the next few weeks/months, we want to work with you to consider options for moving forward.  Option One  ERB can take over!  ERB Administered ISEE At Home is a great option.  Responding to feedback from our member schools, ERB is adding 3 special dates—across all 3 time zones—for ERB proctored ISEE At Home. Saturday, January 15, 2022 Saturday, January 22, 2022 Saturday, January 29, 2022 […] read more

Testing Options During COVID

January 13, 2022
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With the recent surge in COVID cases, we know you may be considering changes to your testing plans as a result of the varying conditions in your community. We want you to know that our Member Services Directors, and ERB, are here to help and can support you and your community in the following ways: Safe and Convenient At-Home Testing – At-home testing options for CTP, Milestones, and SEL Insights. Quicker Interim Testing – Use our Milestones Assessment in lieu of CTP’s full battery. Complimentary SEL Education Tools – Enjoy one month of free access to our SEL Insights Curriculum. Contact your Member […] read more

Comprehensives Testing Update

January 13, 2022
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Browser Update for Comprehensives Testing For online Comprehensives testing, an updated version of the Windows Secure Browser is available.  The current version is 11.1.2.7.  If you are running a previous version, no action is needed.  Your secure browser will automatically update to the current version the next time it is launched.  If you would prefer to manually update to the current version, download it at http://ctponline.erblearn.org.  For questions or assistance, please contact CTP Operations at (866) 683-2335 or (646) 503-2699.  Tagged in: […] read more

ERB Launching Free Check-In Survey

December 16, 2021
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ERB Launching Free Check-In Survey to Help Schools Quickly Gauge Student Well-Being Inspired by Character Lab’s Student Thriving Index, the quick survey includes academic, emotional and inclusion scales. ERB announced today that it has partnered with Character Lab to deploy elements of its Student Thriving Index in a 13-item Check-In Survey that will be available free to ERB member schools using our CTP or Milestones assessments. ERB’s survey design was informed by input from students and teachers at a cross-section of the organization’s member schools. “School leaders across the country have expressed the need for a quick way to understand […] read more

erb + test innovators

Students, parents, schools, and access organizations will benefit from ERB’s new offering, which focuses on test familiarization, anxiety reduction, confidence building, and learning resources.

families

The latest news and updates for our families.

How to Interpret the New Milestones Norms

September 14, 2022
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New Updates to Milestones Norms for Fall 2022 Milestones is an interim assessment of reading and mathematics that complements the CTP.  When it was first launched in the fall of 2020, ERB used CTP data to construct Milestones norms. This was appropriate given that Milestones and CTP share the same score scale and use very similar test specifications.   After two years of administration, ERB determined that it collected sufficient data to construct norms based on actual Milestones test-takers. These norms better reflect students’ performance on Milestones and are more useful to members interpreting results. ERB will keep adding years to the Milestones norm […] read more

All About the Data – Understanding CTP Norms

September 13, 2022
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CTP Norms Fall 2022 As the 2022-2023 school year gets underway, we want to update you on the latest with CTP norms and explain how we developed the current CTP norms in relation to pre and post-pandemic data. CTP norms for the fall 2021 test administrations were frozen due to anomalies in the fall 2020 data (e.g., low volume, non-representative samples, and COVID disruptions). Norms were unfrozen in the fall of 2022 given: the desire for members to understand performance in relation to the pandemic context, and a rebound in test taking that occurred as members adapted to schooling during […] read more

Ahead of the Curve: How PEG™ has Led Automated Scoring for Years

August 29, 2022
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What is PEG™? PEG, or Project Essay Grade, is the automated scoring system at the core of ERB Writing Practice.  It was invented in the 1960s by Ellis Batten Page, a former high school English teacher, who spent “many long weekends sifting through stacks of papers wishing for some help.” His guiding principles? 1) the more we write, the better writer we become, and 2) computers can grade as reliably as their human counterparts (Page, 2003).  The state of computers at the time of Page’s invention did not leave much room for automation, so PEG lay dormant until the mid-1980s.  […] read more

What is the PEG automated scoring algorithm?

August 12, 2022
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An award-winning automated scoring algorithm. Project Essay Grade® (PEG®) software is an automated essay scoring solution based on more than 40 years of research by Dr. Ellis Batten Page, whose pioneering work in the field of computational linguistics has distinguished him as the leader of computer-based essay scoring. Using advanced, proven statistical techniques, PEG analyzes written prose, calculates measures that reflect the intrinsic characteristics of writing (fluency, diction, grammar, construction, etc.), and models the decisions of professional readers to produce scores that deliver unparalleled accuracy and reliability. PEG’s scoring results have been validated in more independent studies than all other […] read more

ERB Launches Writing Practice

August 12, 2022
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ERB Launches Writing Practice with new design, functionality, and enhanced features to help students improve their writing skills with instant, actionable feedback. A robust library of prompts and lessons saves educators time while providing students unlimited opportunities to practice writing. ERB announced today the availability of ERB Writing Practice, an online program designed to help students improve their writing skills through practice, feedback, and guided support backed by the industry’s most accurate automated scoring algorithm. ERB Writing Practice helps educators and families save valuable time while giving students immediate and individualized feedback and opportunities for growth. Why ERB Writing Practice? […] read more

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