Message from Head of School Lisa Lalama 

Testing... 1, 2, 3. This week, all third- through sixth-grade students take part in Education Record Bureau (ERB) testing. The hallways are quiet. Children have extra recess time to run and play after taking the test. ERB week brings with it lots of questions, perhaps a few concerns and days that are quite different from a typical day at WMS.

ERBs measure children's verbal and mathematical skills. These two areas are assessed in various ways to determine a child's ability to reason, as well as his or her achievement in the areas of reading and math. While the test gives us some information, there are many important skills it does not measure - a student's initiative, motivation, ability to persevere, study skills, organizational skills, or the ability to collaborate, cooperate or communicate. These are the skills that Maria Montessori and current educators know yield success in school and beyond. Reviewing a child's test scores does not predict his or her future success as many areas this test measures are not measures of school and life success.

Why then do we administer these tests at WMS? One of the reasons is that test-taking skills are a necessity of school life in future educational settings. Our students will all move on to other schools where they will be expected to take a standardized assessment of some sort and, therefore, they need experience. They also need to know how to manage their time when taking such a test. Learning to manage a given amount of time to best increase your chances of completing a task/test is an important skill and a huge component of daily learning at WMS.

In addition, ERBs provide us with part of the picture of what we do well at WMS and where we might improve. If the data demonstrate that many students perform well in one area and not so well in another, that gives us helpful information about our methods of addressing various curricular areas. Finally, although the information is limited, it lets parents know how successful their children are at taking standardized tests and it gives you a snapshot of where your child was on this particular day taking this particular test. As you look at your child's test results over time, you will gain a more thorough understanding of what they have achieved in school.        

Just as a microphone being tested will not always perform as it did during the testing phase, neither will children. Some will not complete the test phase as well as hoped. Others will soar during the testing and perhaps falter as they strive to incorporate those other necessary skills of collaboration and communication. Your children are unique individuals. They deserve multiple pathways to success and multiple experiences in life. Testing is one small experience in the life of your child.