DRC/CTB
| File:Ctb-mcgraw-hill-logo.gif | |
| Company type | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Founded | Los Angeles, California (1926) |
| Founder | Ethel Clark |
| Headquarters | 20 Ryan Ranch Road Monterey, California, United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Number of employees | 650 |
| Parent | McGraw-Hill |
| Website | CTB.com |
CTB/McGraw-Hill (CTB) is a publisher of educational assessment solutions for the early learner, K–12, and adult basic education markets.[1] Using technological advancements to deliver assessment solutions, CTB/McGraw-Hill is dedicated to providing educators with innovative and research-based tools that support data-driven instruction and improve student achievement.
History
CTB/McGraw-Hill was established in 1926 to “help the teacher help the child." In this day and age, though, our mission grows even broader: To help states, districts, teachers, and, of course, students move through an evolution of educational challenges and innovations, including online assessments. Our award-winning programs encompass this shift, offering diagnostic, summative, interim and formative, performance-based, and observational assessments. With high-quality and scientifically advanced reporting, scoring, and data management tools, CTB/McGraw-Hill is proud to be a global leader in educational technology for learners of all ages.
1926-1965
In 1926, Ethel Clark founded the Research Service Company (later, the California Test Bureau, now abbreviated CTB). At the time, Ethel's husband, Dr. Willis Clark, was the Assistant Director of Research for the public schools of Los Angeles, CA. He was involved in the school's Los Angeles Diagnostic Tests in the Fundamentals of Arithmetic. The test was so impressive, many school districts were interested in purchasing it. Ethel saw a business opportunity, and bought the publishing rights to the LA test. She mailed 25 one-cent postcards to 25 school districts announcing the availability of the tests used in Los Angeles. One year later, CTB heard from their first customer; the Kansas City, Missouri school district, ordering 20,000 copies of the test.
In 1938, IBM® announced the Type 805 Test Scoring Machine, which scored test answer sheets 10 times faster than hand scoring with higher accuracy. Ethel and Willis Clark’s daughter June Duran Stock remembers its introduction at CTB: “The machine was as big as a desk, and the procedure was to take an answer sheet and drop it in the slot, one at a time. The graphite [from pencil marks] produced a little electrical charge, which was indicated on a volt meter on the desk. You had to drop every one of those tests in the slot, but it was an improvement over hand scoring.”
In 1957, CTB became the first publisher to stage a “dual standardization” of an achievement test and an intelligence test, and the first publisher to release an Anticipated Achievement score. Thousands of students throughout the country took both the California Achievement Tests and The California Test of Mental Maturity. The 1957 edition of CAT applied the standardization study to provide better measurement and diagnosis in reading, mathematics, and language.
On August 31, 1965, McGraw-Hill purchased CTB. Ethel announced the acquisition in a radio interview, "With the kind of financial, technical, and promotional assistance McGraw-Hill can furnish, we [CTB] think we can go far."
1966-2000
In 1973, CTB became the first K-12 publisher to use Differential Item Functioning (DIF) techniques. DIF is used to detect bias in test items by using student data to measure how different groups perform on test items. By employing these methods to detect bias, CTB became a leader in reducing test bias, both in the test development process using rigorous review processes, and after the test was piloted using empirical analysis. DIF techniques are still in use today in the development of CTB assessments.
In 1981, CTB implemented Item Response Theory (IRT) on a large-scale test, the Test of Cognitive Skills (TCS). IRT can provide additional information by using a full analysis of the student's pattern of responses to the items on the test. IRT allows scoring to go beyond merely counting the number of correct answers. IRT takes into account item characteristics such as difficulty, discrimination, and guessing.
In 1987, CTB introduced the Language Assessment Scales (LAS®) assessment suite. LAS assessments measure oral proficiency in Spanish and English. The assessments identify limited, or non-English speaking students who would benefit from a bilingual program. The Language Assessment Scales are still used in the LAS Links® product line.
In 1996, CTB updated the California Achievement Tests and the California Test of Basic Skills to create TerraNova. Literally groundbreaking (‘terra nova’ in Latin means ‘new ground’), TerraNova provides students with engaging content and educators and parents with valuable reports. A sixth grader said after taking TerraNova “This test is definitely cool and in a way hard. But you [CTB] make it so that kids aren’t bored with it, and that is awesome.”
2000–Present
With No Child Left Behind enacted, in 2003 CTB was prepared to offer customized testing solutions for sate-specific needs that met federal requirements. CTB was also able to provide enhanced NCLB-compliant student achievement reporting systems.
In 2003, CTB also introduced Writing Roadmap™. Writing Roadmap is a web-delivered, cost-effective program that instantly scores classroom-writing assessments. With Writing Roadmap, teachers can spend more time teaching, and less time scoring. The scoring reports provide analytic information to improve writing skills.
In 2006, CTB announced the award-winning Acuity® solution. Acuity is a Common Core State Standards K–12 comprehensive assessment solution that supports district and school instructional improvement goals, while enabling teachers to use valid and reliable assessment data to inform their instruction and intervention plans. By using the latest Common Core assessment content, teachers can measure deeper levels of student understanding to close learning gaps with engaging, embedded instructional resources. The Acuity online solution builds academic confidence, successfully preparing students for 21st century careers.
In 2012, CTB introduced TerraNova Common Core, which offers a full range of item formats in one test, including multiple choice, constructed-response, extended-constructed response, and integrated performance tasks. The benefit of this unique “one test” approach is that educators can compare student results across grades and ability levels. TerraNova Common Core uses Three Parameter Logistic and the Two Parameter Partial Credit Item Response Theory scoring models. CTB is the only test publisher to offer both these scoring models, which enable schools to give partial credit on test items and provide a critical window into students’ progress toward mastery of a subject area or specific skill.
Corporate Affairs
Based in Monterey, CA, CTB serves more than 18 million students in all 50 states and 49 countries.[2] CTB's current president is Ellen Haley.[3] In 2002, CTB reportedly had a 40 percent share of the test design market, ranking second of the four major companies in the industry.[4] In 2011 CTB acquired Bookette, a privately held software company. In June 2011, CTB celebrated its 85th anniversary.[5]
Awards and Achievements
-March, 2013-New York State Education Department (SED) awarded contract to CTB/McGraw-Hill to develop a new New York State High School Equivalency Diploma Assessment to replace the Education (GED) test. Press release here.
-2012 eSchool News Readers' Choice Award
-Tech & Learning Magazine's 2011 Awards of Excellence
-2011 CODiE Finalist for Acuity® InFormative Assessment™ Solution and Yearly ProgressPro™
-District Administration's Top 100 Products of 2010
Products and Services
Current
- Acuity: CTB introduced Acuity® in 2006.[6] Acuity is a formative assessment that can be delivered through pencil and paper, online, or through student response devices or clickers.[7] In 2010, Acuity won its second consecutive CODiE Award.[8]
- TerraNova™, Third Edition: TerraNova™, Third Edition promotes student achievement and learning with a full range of research-based standardized achievement tests, reports, and services. TerraNova, Third Edition delivers all the features that make TerraNova an industry leader, plus key enhancements that help your educators improve achievement and learning. TerraNova, Third Edition is the only test to feature 2011 norms from an empirical study. Item alignments to state standards mean you can review student results in the context of common school and district criteria. The 2011 norms offer current and accurate achievement comparisons between groups of students.
- Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE): Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE) is an adult basic education assessment.[9] TABE was introduced in 1967.[10] In 2007, TABE–Complete Language Assessment System–English™(TABE CLAS–E™) was introduced.[11]
- LAS Links: LAS Links is a language proficiency assessment introduced in 1987.[12]
- Writing Roadmap: Writing Roadmap is a writing assessment solution with online essay scoring abilities.[12]
- Yearly ProgressPro™: Yearly Progress Pro™ is an award winning research-based assessment, instructional, and intervention tool that provides automatic intervention to ensure instruction is aligned to state and national standards. The National Center on Response to Intervention (RtI) assigned its highest rank to Yearly ProgressPro for classification accuracy, reliability, validity, and sensitivity to student improvement.
- First Performances: First Performances is an assessment for early learners. It includes tests in concepts of letter and number.
Out of print
- California Achievement Tests: The California Achievement Tests (CAT) are among the most widely used tests of basic academic skills for children from kindergarten through grade 12. The most recent edition of the CAT (the sixth) is also called TerraNova, Third Edition (or alternately, TerraNova CAT ). The California Achievement Tests were introduced in 1934 as the Progressive Achievement Test.[13] The test was renamed as the California Achievement Test in 1950 and was designed to individually diagnose student performance.[14]
- Progressive Achievement Test: Introduced in 1933, the Progressive Achievement Test was the predecessor to the California Achievement Tests®, and now TerraNova™. It was authored by Drs. Ernest T. Tiegs and Willis W. Clark. The Progressive Achievement Test was considered to be one of the most reliable assessments of its time.[15]
- The California Test of Mental Maturity: Introduced in 1936, the California Test of Mental Maturity provided insight into mental traits of individual students. Authored by Drs. Elizabeth T. Sullivan, Willis W. Clark, and Ernest T. Tiegs, scores from the California Test of Mental Maturity are still valid as a qualifier for Mensa International® membership (qualifying test score is 132.)[16] Also, the Triple Nine Society accepts CTMM test results, qualifying score of 149[17]
See also
External links
- CTB/McGraw-Hill's Official Website
- CTB/McGraw-Hill's Blog on Wordpress
- CTB/McGraw-Hill on Facebook
- CTB/McGraw-Hill on Twitter
References
- ^ Herszenhorn, David M. (5 May 2006). "As Test-Taking Grows, Test-Makers Grow Rarer". New York Times. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- ^ "ISTE 2011 Exhibitor Profiles". Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ "CTB/McGraw-Hill LLC". CTB/McGraw-Hill LLC. Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
- ^ "The Testing Industry's Big Four". PBS. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
- ^ "CTB/McGraw Hill still a testing leader after 85 years". Monterey County Herald. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ^ "CTB History". Retrieved 6 Jun 2011.
- ^ "Acuity". Retrieved 6 Jun 2011.
- ^ "CTB/MCGRAW-HILL'S ACUITY WINS SECOND CONSECUTIVE CODiE AWARD". Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ "Adult Education Testing and Assessment Products".
- ^ "CTB History". Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ "TABE CLAS-E". CTB. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ a b "Our Heritage Timeline".
- ^ Swafford, Karla Lairsey. "The Use of Standardized Test Scores: A Historical Perspective" (PDF). http://ugakr.libs.uga.edu/bitstream/handle/10724/17120/swafford_karla_200712_edd.pdf?sequence=1. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
{{cite web}}: External link in|work= - ^ http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/1999/06/16/40ctb.h18.html
- ^ "Our Heritage Timeline". Our Heritage. CTB.com. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
- ^ http://www.us.mensa.org/join/testscores/qualifyingscores/
- ^ http://www.triplenine.org/main/admission.asp