CTB/McGraw-Hill Helps Schools Transition To Common Core State Standards Through Expansion Of TerraNova Common Core

MONTEREY, Calif., June 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- CTB/McGraw-Hill, one of the country's leading educational assessment partners, today announced the launch of TerraNova™ Common Core, Form 2. With the release of Form 2, TerraNova Common Core, the only national achievement test for Grades 3–8 that is also a field-tested, valid and authentic measure of the Common Core State Standards, CTB now offers two parallel forms that enable educators to effectively measure student progress toward the new standards.

Featuring test items newly created to measure the higher-order thinking skills and increased depth of knowledge promoted by the Common Core State Standards, TerraNova Common Core, Form 2 maintains the same high quality, validity, and innovation of TerraNova Common Core, Form 1. With constructed-response and performance task items, Form 2 helps educators assess student knowledge and skills in two new subject areas – science and social studies – as well as in reading, English language arts, and mathematics, which are included in Form 1.

TerraNova Common Core, Form 2 runs parallel to Form 1, allowing school districts to flexibly administer assessments in a variety of content areas throughout the school year and easily compare student results across forms. Because all forms are built on the same vertical scale for each content area, districts using TerraNova Common Core will have the ability to track student growth as students advance from one grade level to the next.

TerraNova Common Core meets the guidelines of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, the two state-led consortia funded by the U.S. Department of Education to develop assessment tools to help states gauge student progress toward meeting the Common Core State Standards. Adopted at the state level beginning in 2010, the Common Core State Standards align K-12 instruction across the country with the goal of better preparing students for success in college and their careers.

"The Common Core State Standards offer the incredible promise of making sure that all of our students are ready for success in college and the workforce, but to fulfill this promise we must provide educators with the solutions and support necessary to implement the new standards successfully," said Ellen Haley, president of CTB/McGraw-Hill. "TerraNova Common Core already provides educators with the best, most authentic assessment solution available to help them gauge student progress toward meeting these new standards. Now, with the addition of TerraNova Common Core, Form 2, educators will have even greater flexibility in measuring student performance and growth as they work to promote students' college and career readiness."

Built on 2011 assessment norms, TerraNova Common Core 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.

In addition to providing accurate and reliable results of student progress against the Common Core State Standards, TerraNova Common Core provides schools with customized research and professional development services to help them align curriculum content to the new standards. CTB also offers data analysis support, on-site coaching and assistance and professional development workshops to help build schools' familiarity with new standards.

CTB will feature TerraNova, Common Core Forms 1 and 2 at the 2012 International Society of Technology in Education conference in San Diego, Calif. beginning on June 25. For more information, please visit: CTB.com/TerraNovaCommonCore.

About CTB/McGraw-Hill
CTB/McGraw-Hill has an 85-year record of innovation and excellence in assessment, and serves more than 18 million students in all 50 states and in 49 countries. One of the first American publishers to introduce objective, standardized achievement tests to schools, today CTB/McGraw-Hill is a leader in testing with recognized products for online interim and formative, adult, and language proficiency assessment. Dedicated to advancing the use of student performance data to inform instructional decision making, CTB/McGraw-Hill's innovation continues today with technologies that include Web-based assessment and reporting, student response device software, and artificial intelligence for automated scoring of student essays. CTB/McGraw-Hill 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. For more information, visit CTB.com/AboutUs.

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SOURCE CTB/McGraw-Hill