ERB Scores Aren’t Our North Star—But They Do Reflect the Journey
What This Year’s Results Reveal About WHPS Learning
At Woodland Hills Private School, we care deeply about shaping human beings—their empathy, their confidence, and the way they treat others when no one’s watching. That’s our North Star. 🌟
Families often seek us out because they’re looking for something different: a place where learning doesn’t stop at the end of a worksheet or an arbitrary benchmark. A place where children are lifted by personalized goals, deep thinking, and instruction designed to transfer—not just to the next test, but to life.
Standardized tests don’t drive us. But when the results come in—and they’re this strong—it’s worth a closer look.
📊 Key Highlights from the 2025 ERB Results
✅ About one-third of WHPS students in Grades 3–5 scored in the top 4% nationally (9th stanine) in at least one domain—Reading Comprehension, Writing, Mathematics, or Quantitative Reasoning.
✅ Several students earned 9th stanine scores across all four domains, placing them among the most advanced learners in the country—and many more earned 9th stanine scores in multiple areas.
✅ Having even one score in the 9th stanine qualifies students for the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY)—a selective program for students performing in the top 5–10% nationally.
✅ Reading Comprehension and Verbal Reasoning were standout strengths, reflecting the impact of our individualized, workshop-based language arts program.
✅ Quantitative Reasoning showed major growth, particularly in 4th and 5th grade, where students demonstrate impressive depth and complexity of thinking—an exciting outcome tied to the foundation built through Singapore Math.
✅ This year’s 3rd–5th graders represent our first full TK–5th cohort to complete Singapore Math, and the results reflect the strength of that long-term investment.
✅ In the few areas that were relatively lower for some students, WHPS students still consistently outperformed national averages—even compared to other academically rigorous independent schools.
Learn More About ERB
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The ERB (Educational Records Bureau) is a norm-referenced assessment used by many of the most academically rigorous independent schools in the country. Unlike state tests, which only measure whether a student meets a grade-level benchmark, the ERB compares student performance to a national sample of private school peers.
Because the ERB isn’t tied to a specific curriculum, students often encounter questions they haven’t been explicitly taught. That’s by design. It measures reasoning, comprehension, and the ability to apply knowledge in new contexts.
In short, the ERB is not about memorization—it’s about thinking.
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We teach students about testing the same way we teach almost anything else: by looking at examples, breaking them down, and asking, “What can we learn from this?” Instead of drilling test strategies in isolation, we help students deconstruct the test itself—treating it as a genre with its own structure, patterns, and logic to uncover.
By studying how the test is built, students learn to approach it with curiosity and strategy. They gain tools to:
Preview answer choices effectively
Make educated guesses by eliminating unlikely options
Manage time wisely across sections
Recognize how certain questions are designed to test reasoning, not just recall
Stay flexible and calm when faced with unfamiliar content
This kind of metacognitive awareness—thinking about how they’re thinking—is one of the most transferable skills we can teach. It’s not about shortcuts. It’s about understanding how something works so they can navigate it with purpose.
Looking Ahead
These results will also become an integral part of next year’s WASC accreditation renewal, which asks schools to examine how their curriculum aligns with research, how teachers are trained and supported, and—most importantly—how they measure and monitor student growth over time.
The ERB provides meaningful external validation for the academic work we do at WHPS. While we don’t “teach to the test,” we’ve found that when schools focus on quality teaching, thoughtful curriculum, and real learning—not scrambling to “cover” everything—students are more than ready. And their results tell that story.
We’ll continue using a variety of assessments—not just to report progress, but to guide instruction in real time and ensure every child is challenged, supported, and growing.
Because at WHPS, we’re not just preparing students for the next test.
We’re preparing them for the next chapter. 📚
Warmly,
Seth Pozzi
Head of School