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NextGen Admission

NextGen Admission is an equity-driven initiative providing measures, data insights, and resources for admission professionals and administrators. NextGen informs mission-aligned enrollment and retention decisions amid a changing admission landscape, with a focus on equitable ISEE test development, administration, and use of scores.

Our Vision

Our equity-driven approach to admission for the next generation consists of initiatives that fall under four major themes.

Eliminating Bias

We promote fairness in the admission process, in the context of a renewed commitment to DEI considerations in admission testing.

Driving Equity

We offer educators resources that support equitable and impartial decision-making. Our fee waiver program offers equitable access to all aspects of the process.

Ensuring Validity

We provide educators with data-driven tools that can be trusted to project future student success leading to decisions that are mission-aligned.

Leveraging Impactful Data

ERB tools and resources should allow for analysis and measurement that promotes fairness in the admission process.

Our Mission and the Changing Landscape of Independent School Admission

The role of admission assessment is critical in the independent school admission process. But, it has to be used carefully and thoughtfully, and within a comprehensive process that includes both objective and subjective measures, writes Molly Moore Green, ERB's Senior Director of Admission Programs, on the ERB Insights blog.

Elements of NextGen Admission

The NextGen Admission initiative is comprised of a number of projects and efforts to support equity, validity, and fairness in ISEE test development, administration, and use of scores.

Rethinking ISEE from an equity lens

Equity is a continuous journey, and we engage in regular and rigorous review of every aspect of test development, administration, and score use through an equity lens. This includes publishing a number of best practices that will assist admission teams in their evaluation of applicants using ISEE scores, their test administration procedures, and their overall understanding of anti-bias and fairness as they relate to the ISEE.

Using admission test results to understand student potential

We are developing new analytical tools for using the four ISEE scores to focus more sharply on understanding student potential for learning in your school. This includes projecting and supporting future student success based on ISEE scores and using those scores not only to make an admission decision but also for appropriate placement. Indicators of a student’s ability to learn that is greater than what their current achievement score might indicate will be a focus of these tools. ERB plans a selective launch of these tools in January 2024 with full adoption planned for fall 2024.

Leveling the playing field with test practice

A detailed analysis of the first two years of our partnership with Test Innovators provides evidence for the value of test practice in surfacing student potential. Specifically, we are leveling the playing field for students who have fewer resources and less prior exposure to independent school expectations. The analysis conclusively showed that test practice can bring students with a lower socioeconomic background to the ISEE norm, which is a clear indication of the ability for these students to be successful in many of our member schools.

Updating our ISEE fee waiver program

ERB is fully committed to providing access to families that cannot afford the cost of ISEE registration through our fee waiver program, which has been updated to provide clarity for schools on which families should qualify. We have also revised the distribution process of fee waivers to schools to ensure they have the ability to support the families most in need. Distribution is now based on overall ISEE usage by a school.

Providing ongoing support for access organizations

Effectively communicating the value of admission testing to educators

Help schools meet their student retention goals

Improving availability of school data through SIS integration

Survey Results

To gain insight into ERB member schools’ priorities in the years to come, ERB administered a NextGen Admission survey in summer 2023 which was completed by 350+ admission professionals. We are pleased to share the results of this survey along with the action plan we have developed in response to the findings.

VALUE DEIJ PRINCIPLES

78% of respondents say it's important for admission assessments to be grounded in the principles of diversity, equity, and fairness.

EVALUATE SOFT SKILLS

81% of respondents indicated they evaluate applicants’ “soft skills” to understand their communicative and collaborative abilities.

CONSIDER MORE THAN SCORES

47% of respondents say it's important to have tools to identify students whose ability to learn is greater than what scores indicate.

download report

Key Documents

As part of NextGen Admission, ERB has committed to developing resources that document how equity, fairness, and validity drive ISEE test development, as well as to provide recommendations for equitable test administration and use of ISEE scores.

Fairness and Equity in ISEE Test Development

Equity and fairness are at the heart of the ISEE test development process, ensuring that each student has an equal opportunity to showcase their achievements, reasoning ability, and academic fit for specific schools via their ISEE score.

download

Best Practices for Equitable ISEE Test Administration

Fostering a welcoming and supportive environment before, during, and after an ISEE administration is crucial to creating an equitable testing experience at your school, in turn enabling students to perform at their best.

download

Equitable Use of ISEE Scores

ISEE's content is grounded in skills identified as important by independent school teachers and aligned with national learning standards, and research has demonstrated that ISEE tests predict student success in a wide variety of independent schools

download

ISEE Insights

ISEE Insights is a new tool to help interpret and quantify the benefits and risks of different score profiles. For decades, ERB has provided scores, percentiles, and stanines. Our new ISEE Insights metrics go beyond norm-referenced interpretations to predict future independent school success and analyze discrepancies in applicants’ reasoning and achievement profiles. Both kinds of interpretative information can help admission teams decide whether to take a chance on admitting a student or not.

learn more

Want more information about NextGen Admission?

admissions@erblearn.org

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An ERB membership unlocks access to our portfolio of assessments and measurement tools to better understand the whole child and enables you to become part of a community of like-minded educators.

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NextGen Admission

Our Vision

Our equity-driven approach to admission for the next generation consists of initiatives that fall under four major themes.

Eliminating Bias

We promote fairness in the admission process, in the context of a renewed commitment to DEI considerations in admission testing.

Driving Equity

We offer educators resources that support equitable and impartial decision-making. Our fee waiver program offers equitable access to all aspects of the process.

Ensuring Validity

We provide educators with data-driven tools that can be trusted to project future student success leading to decisions that are mission-aligned.

Leveraging Impactful Data

ERB tools and resources should allow for analysis and measurement that promotes fairness in the admission process.

Our Mission and the Changing Landscape of Independent School Admission

Elements of NextGen Admission

Access organizations provide an indispensable service to independent schools for helping surface and cultivate applicants from diverse backgrounds. ERB is proud to work with each individual access organization to provide the support they desire in alignment with their own programs.

We develop language and evidence you can apply to describe why the use of ISEE is an important and objective measure that provides a roadmap for students' success in your school. This mitigates the pressures schools face around standardized test score use.

We are providing a potential tool to support your retention goals given that it costs less to retain a student than to attract a new student. The Check-In Survey of student belonging, engagement, and well-being can be used to track the success of integrating new students into the school community.

We are committed to integrating with Student Information Systems (SIS), providing you with ease of access to data.

Survey Results

Key Documents

Fairness and Equity in ISEE Test Development

Equity and fairness are at the heart of the ISEE test development process, ensuring that each student has an equal opportunity to showcase their achievements, reasoning ability, and academic fit for specific schools via their ISEE score.

Best Practices for Equitable ISEE Test Administration

Fostering a welcoming and supportive environment before, during, and after an ISEE administration is crucial to creating an equitable testing experience at your school, in turn enabling students to perform at their best.

Equitable Use of ISEE Scores

ISEE's content is grounded in skills identified as important by independent school teachers and aligned with national learning standards, and research has demonstrated that ISEE tests predict student success in a wide variety of independent schools

ISEE Insights

Want more information about NextGen Admission?

admissions@erblearn.org

Are you an ERB Member?

Not an ERB member? Join our global community today!

Become a member

An ERB membership unlocks access to our portfolio of assessments and measurement tools to better understand the whole child and enables you to become part of a community of like-minded educators.

ERB and EMA are excited to announce their intent to merge.