CTB/McGraw-Hill Awarded Archdiocese of Omaha Assessment Contract

MONTEREY, Calif., Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- CTB/McGraw-Hill, a leading provider of PreK - 12 and adult education assessment solutions, has been awarded the Archdiocese of Omaha Benchmark Assessment Program contract. The announcement was made following a year of research by a committee comprising administrators from the rural and metro schools and members of the Archdiocese of Omaha Catholic Schools Office. Beginning in October 2010, TerraNova™, Third Edition (TerraNova 3) will be the standard assessment for 62 schools throughout Nebraska serving approximately 14,000 K-8 students.

"TerraNova 3 will be valuable in enabling our teachers to evaluate student performance and target instruction to meet student requirements," said Monsignor James Gilg, Superintendent of schools in the Archdiocese of Omaha. "TerraNova's corresponding Premier Reports, in particular, will give our teachers the data they need to track student performance and adjust instruction to best meet the needs of student and class."

"CTB's TerraNova 3 assessment will ensure that teachers have reliable tools to understand and evaluate student mastery," said Ellen Haley, president of CTB/McGraw-Hill. "Our mission – for over 80 years – is to help the teacher help the student. We are committed to providing informative assessments and reporting solutions to Catholic schools across the country, and are pleased that the Archdiocese of Omaha has joined other Catholic schools using TerraNova 3 to improve student achievement."

TerraNova 3 helps educators measure K-12 students' skills, identify strengths and weaknesses, and guide instruction. Utilizing 2007 norms from an empirical study, TerraNova 3 gives teachers valid and useful comparisons of student performance benchmarked with peers across the nation. Test results can also be used as a diagnostic tool, enabling teachers to identify and remediate areas of weakness by individual student or entire class, and develop targeted instructional practices.

The Archdiocese of Omaha will have the option to utilize Premier Reports, an enhanced reporting opportunity for TerraNova 3 assessment results. Premier Reports provide a comprehensive view of student proficiency for both educators and parents, in a format that makes data easy to understand. With Premier Reports, assessment and reporting are tightly integrated, translating test results into actionable information for parents and teachers. Premier Reports include a variety of reporting options that allow Archdiocesan staff to analyze data at the student, class, and school level, and use diagnostic information to inform remediation and instructional practices.

Premier Reports offer a clear picture of student achievement, and deliver targeted instructional activities to help students progress. Premier Reports present TerraNova 3 results in four categories: Home Reports, Class Reports, School Summary Reports, and District Summary Reports, with different reports generated for families and educators. The Home Report also includes a Translation Guide, in 10 languages, for non-English speaking families.

TerraNova 3 is available in several versions designed to suit specific school and diocese requirements. These versions include Multiple Assessments, which combines multiple-choice and constructed-response items, Complete Battery, with multiple-choice items only, and Survey, a streamlined version for use with limited testing times. For more information about TerraNova 3, visit CTB.com/TerraNova3.

About TerraNova, Third Edition

TerraNova, Third Edition measures K-12 skills, identifies strengths and weaknesses, and guides instruction. By integrating assessment and reporting options, it translates data into information that educators can use to improve instruction. Test results can be used as a diagnostic tool, enabling teachers to identify and remediate areas of weakness by individual student or entire class, and develop targeted instructional practices. Using visual displays and familiar language, TerraNova, Third Edition clarifies complex information, making it easier to interpret data and focus instruction. Content covered is reading, language, mathematics, science, and social studies, and reports can be delivered in standard or custom formats. For more information, visit CTB.com/TerraNova3.

About the Archdiocese of Omaha

The Archdiocese of Omaha operates 75 Catholic schools, serving approximately 20,000 students. The archdiocese's vibrancy is rooted in diverse ethnic and cultural heritages extending from farms and ranches to towns and city centers. The Archdiocese of Omaha originally covered all of Nebraska and Wyoming. Today, its territory includes 23 northeast Nebraska counties and an area of 14,051 square miles. For more information please visit www.archomaha.org/aboutus.

About CTB/McGraw-Hill

As a leading publisher of standardized and standards-based achievement tests for pre-school, elementary, middle, high school, and adult education, CTB/McGraw-Hill LLC offers a broad range of assessments, software and services. CTB/McGraw-Hill LLC is part of McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP). McGraw-Hill Education is a leading global provider of instructional, assessment and reference solutions that empower professionals and students of all ages. Additional information is available at CTB.com.

SOURCE CTB/McGraw-Hill