General Information
The Early Childhood Admissions Assessment (ECAA) administered by the Education Records Bureau (ERB) is an assessment for students applying to preK through Grade 4. It is used as an admissions factor at certain private elementary schools across the country. Students may take the test only once during a given admissions season.
Content
Verbal skills
Comprehension, similarities, vocabulary, information (Grades preK to 4)
Non-Verbal skills
Block design, matrix reasoning, picture concepts, bug search (Grades preK to 1 Only)
Block design, matrix reasoning, coding, figure weights, visual puzzles, and picture span (Grades 2 to 4 only)
Reading Comprehension (for entrance to Grades 3 and 4 only)
Based on both fiction and non-fiction passages: vocabulary in context, explicit information, inferences, and analysis
Format
Assessments are administered by an ERB employee one-on-one. The assessment takes approximately 1 hour for grades preK to 1 and 1.5 hours for grades 2 to 4. There is an additional 40-minute reading comprehension section for students applying to grades 3 and 4.
Scoring
The one-on-one assessment is scored on a developmental scale and standardized using a national population. The reading comprehension section is scored and then assigned a percentile ranking as well as a stanine.
Stanines are simply percentile ranges:
| PERCENTILE RANK | STANINE |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | 1 |
| 4-10 | 2 |
| 11-22 | 3 |
| 23-39 | 4 |
| 40-59 | 5 |
| 60-76 | 6 |
| 77-88 | 7 |
| 89-95 | 8 |
| 96-99 | 9 |
Cost
- Grades preK through 1: $595
- Grades 2-4: $645
- Rescheduling/Cancellation Fees: $25, $50 or $150 depending on notice time.
More Information
Please read the following important information before you register:
- Test reports are available approximately 3 to 4 weeks from the date of the test.
- You may register your child only once per admissions season, which is from April 1 though January 15.
- You can alter your appointment through the online service up until 14 business days before your scheduled appointment.
- If you need to change your appointment with less than 14 business days notice, you must notify the ERB office at 1-800-989-3721.
- Parents are responsible for making certain ERB knows which schools are to receive reports. You must select at least one school in order to register.
- Please consider your list of schools carefully. A school may only be removed from your list, prior to the date of test (provided registration has been completed online).
- Adding to your list of schools to which reports are to be sent may be done at any time within the current testing season (April 1 – January 15).
- If your child is a late applicant, an applicant for immediate admissions, or for some reason is required to take the test within two consecutive testing years, it is advised that he or she wait at least 6 months from the original date of test before taking the test again.
Registration Site/Additional Information
Visit the official ERB ECAA website to learn more and register
