CTB/McGraw-Hill

CTB/McGraw-Hill was a prominent American publisher specializing in standardized educational assessments and instructional materials. For much of the 20th century, it was a dominant force in the K–12 testing market, developing widely used exams like the TerraNova. Operating as a key subsidiary of McGraw Hill after 1965, the company played a central role in the expansion of large-scale, high-stakes testing across the United States. Its assets and operations were ultimately acquired by Data Recognition Corporation in 2015.

History

The company originated around 1926 as the California Test Bureau, founded by E. A. Betts and others in Hollywood, California. It initially focused on creating psychometric instruments for schools, including early versions of the Stanford Achievement Test Series. In 1965, the firm was purchased by the McGraw-Hill Book Company, becoming a cornerstone of its educational division. Under the ownership of McGraw Hill, the company, now headquartered in Monterey, California, expanded its portfolio to meet growing state and federal mandates for accountability in education, such as those later embodied in the No Child Left Behind Act. Following a period of significant operational challenges, the parent corporation sold the assessment business to Data Recognition Corporation in 2015.

Products and services

The company was best known for its comprehensive suite of standardized tests used for student assessment and academic achievement evaluation. Its flagship product, the TerraNova, succeeded the California Achievement Tests and became one of the most administered norm-referenced tests in North America. Other major offerings included the LAS Links assessment for English-language learners and the Tests of Adult Basic Education. Beyond testing, it provided scalable assessment platforms, curriculum-aligned instructional materials, and extensive professional development services for educators. These tools were utilized by state departments of education, including the Texas Education Agency, and large districts like the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Acquisitions and mergers

As part of McGraw Hill, the entity engaged in strategic acquisitions to broaden its market reach and technological capabilities. A significant purchase was Touchstone Applied Science Associates (TASA) in 1998, a developer of custom criterion-referenced tests. This move strengthened its ability to provide assessments tailored to specific state standards, such as those in New York and Florida. The company's own corporate life concluded not with a merger, but with the sale of its assets. In 2015, McGraw Hill Education divested the assessment unit to Data Recognition Corporation, a competitor known for its work with the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.

Impact on education

The company's assessments fundamentally shaped educational policy and practice across the United States for decades. Its tests provided the primary metrics for state accountability systems and were instrumental in implementing federal legislation like the No Child Left Behind Act. The data generated by its products influenced decisions on school funding, teacher evaluation, and student promotion in jurisdictions from the Chicago Public Schools to the Georgia Department of Education. By standardizing measurement of academic standards, its work fueled the national movement toward data-driven instruction and comparative analysis of school performance, impacting the careers of administrators like Michelle Rhee.

Controversies and criticism

The company faced significant scrutiny and operational failures, particularly in the 21st century. It was heavily criticized for scoring errors on high-stakes tests, most notably a 2000 incident in New York City that erroneously prevented thousands of students from entering selective schools like Stuyvesant High School. Major logistical breakdowns occurred in 2013 when technical glitches disrupted online testing for hundreds of thousands of students in Indiana and Oklahoma. These failures led to lawsuits, multi-million dollar penalties, and the voiding of contracts with states like Kansas. Critics, including education scholars like Diane Ravitch, also argued that the company's products and the high-stakes testing culture it exemplified contributed to curriculum narrowing and increased teaching to the test.

Category:Educational assessment organizations Category:McGraw Hill Category:Companies based in Monterey County, California Category:Defunct companies based in California