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the bolles school

ERB Testing

Parents play a crucial role in helping children prepare for tests like the ERBs! Your partnership is critical in helping students enter any test with a calm presence and confidence in their abilities.  

  1. Make sure your child gets good rest. Standardized tests like the ERBs require us to think clearly and focus—two things we can’t do without adequate sleep. Please make sure you have a clear bedtime and stick to it.
  2. Eat a good breakfast. Like sleep, nutritious food helps us remain alert and fuels our brains. Be sure to fill up on good proteins and high-fiber foods (think oatmeal or eggs), so your child doesn’t get hungry during tests.
  3. Keep it in perspective. Children look to adults in their lives to determine how they should react to different stressors. If we hype up the ERBs by asking about them daily or hyper-focusing on scores, we send the message that these tests carry more weight than they do. While small amounts of stress can help us attend to an important task, too much only leads to panic—and panic will always result in lower scores.
  4. Don’t automatically compare ERB scores to how your child will perform on the SAT or ACT down the road. Yes, ERBs are a standardized test, but not all standardized tests are alike, and because they aren’t high-stakes, we don’t spend valuable class time teaching to the test.  

Dos and Don’ts 

  1. DON'T panic! 
  2. DON'T overestimate impact. 
  3. DO encourage a healthy perspective. 
  4. DO encourage your child(ren) to learn from the experience. 
  5. DO enjoy this time in your child’s life. 

There will be high-stakes tests down the road, but your child will be prepared when the time comes. The ERBs help us do the work that every teacher, staff member, and administrator at Bolles is committed to—assessing our students’ growth and learning and ensuring your child(ren) receive the education they need to reach their unique potential.