Please click on the link “ITBS SCORES.”  There you will see a display of the 2010 graduating class that charts their growth since 5^th grade.  The grey line represents the achievement growth for the average student, and the black line represents the achievement growth for the 8^th grade graduating class.  As you can see, the Saint Finbar students’ achievement growth is well above average.

Below you will find a detailed description of the ITBS Batteries.

Purposes of the ITBS Batteries, Levels 9-14

The main purpose of using a standardized achievement battery is to provide information that can be used to improve instruction. The information from the battery is unique in that it is not available from other sources. It is valuable to the extent that it contributes to better instructional decisions than educators could make without having that information available. Though standardized achievement scores cannot and should not replace teacher observations and classroom assessment information, they can provide unique supplementary information that bears on decisions about selecting learning objectives and procedures, designing or choosing instructional materials, and creating an effective learning environment.

The development of academic skills is a continuous process. But the rate of skills development differs widely among children of the same age or grade. Some students learn rapidly. Others, who may be as conscientious and highly motivated, learn more slowly. Most children are more proficient in some skills than in others. Some students progress more rapidly with certain methods, materials, and teaching styles than with others. It is the challenge of identifying and providing the optimal conditions for learning, which vary from child to child, that helps make teaching such an exciting profession. Tests that can provide dependable information about each student's most developed and least developed skills will help the teacher to meet this challenge.