Our Proven Approach to CTP Prep
Typically, the best place to start when preparing for an exam is to take a full-length mock test. While ERB does not publish practice CTPs available to the public, we have other resources to diagnose your student’s weak areas. Instead, we use standardized tests such as ERB’s published practice ISEEs or TEA’s STAAR tests.
The CTP may cover a lot of ground, but the good news is it should (mostly) be familiar territory for your student. Whether your student is weak across the board or just needs help with a few topics, our tutors can review and teach every tested concept on the CTP. Including:
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing Mechanics (spelling, capitalization, punctuation)
- Vocabulary
- Number Sense
- Geometry
- Measurement
- Probability
- Statistics
- Algebra
In tandem with teaching and reviewing the tested concepts on the CTP, our tutors will regularly assign practice problems to be completed between the sessions. While ERB does not publish practice materials for the CTP, they do publish information about the structure of the test and its questions. We use this and grade-level appropriate materials to help reinforce everything your student is learning in the tutorials, including using:
- Lower Level ISEE for 4th and 5th graders
- Middle Level ISEE for 6th and 7th graders
- Upper Level ISEE for 8th and 9th graders
- STAAR practice tests
CTP Preparation Services
Students generally meet with a tutor for 1 to 1.5 hours a week depending on the student’s needs and schedule.
We will start by identifying your student’s strengths and weaknesses through a mock test, then the tutor will work with your student to address shortcomings and reinforce skills in the tested subjects in math, reading, and writing.
To maximize skill retention, the tutor will assign homework questions for the student to complete in-between sessions.
Our tutors & instructors are brilliant and charismatic:
- Equally skilled in math, writing, and English
- Self-accomplished and inspiring
- Gifted at working with younger students
Regularly completing practice and homework assignments is an integral part of preparing for the CTP and any other test. Students are generally expected to complete 1 to 2-hours of practice each week.
The Study Lounge is the perfect environment to complete this practice. Our tutors will ensure that students complete their work and get further concept help so that they’re better prepared to maximize their time with a tutor.
Since it is a mix of independent work and private tutoring, the Study Lounge is better suited for older or more independent students, such as 6th grade or higher.
The Study Lounge is reservable in two-hour blocks; click here to learn more.
CTP Overview
There are 10 levels of the CTP according to grade level and academic calendar. Here are some examples:
- Level 4 for 4th graders in Spring and 5th graders in Fall
- Level 5 for 5th graders in Spring and 6th graders in Fall
- Level 6 for 6th graders in Spring and 7th graders in Fall
- Level 7 for 7th graders in Spring and 8th graders in Fall
4th and 7th graders in the Spring can use the CTP as a springboard for their ISEE preparations as 5th and 8th graders.
Students are testing in reading and writing on:
- Reading Comprehension – vocabulary in context, explicit information, inference, and analysis
- Writing Mechanics – spelling, capitalization, punctuation, usage, sentence construction
- Writing Concepts and Skills – organization, supporting details, style and craft, and purpose, audience, and focus
- Verbal Reasoning – analogical reasoning, categorical reasoning, and logical reasoning
- Vocabulary – word meanings, precision, and application
Mathematics Achievement:
- Number Sense and Operations with Whole Numbers
- Number Sense and Operations with Fractions and Decimals
- Number Systems and Number Theory
- Numbers and Number Relationships
- Geometry and Spatial Sense
- Measurement
- Probability
- Statistics
- Pre-Algebra
- Data Analysis
- Patterns and Functions
- Conceptual Understanding
- Procedural Knowledge
- Problem Solving
Quantitative Reasoning
- Comparison
- Extensions and Generalizations
- Analysis
Algebra 1
- Expressions, Statements, and Matrices
- Equations and Inequalities
- Tables, Graphs, and Algebraic Geometry
- Situations Involving Variable Quantities
Upper/Middle Level ISEE overview video by General Academic President Shelby Joe. Read much more about the ISEE at Piqosity.
Lower Level ISEE overview video by General Academic President Shelby Joe. Read much more about the ISEE at Piqosity.
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