Students Can Now Take the ISEE More Than Once

Below is the email that Elizabeth Mangas, ERB’s Vice President of Admission Testing, recently sent to independent school admission directors across the country. The email introduced the drastic change in their testing policy for the ISEE.

Starting in August 2016, test takers of all levels will be able to take the ISEE up to three times during a single admission cycle (see the original email below). In previous years, ERB permitted students to take the ISEE once per academic year.

Dear Colleague,

ERB’s ISEE team values our relationships with member schools above all else. The ISEE’s mission is to provide valid scores and outstanding service to help your admission team find your students and build your community.
 
To enhance ISEE’s usefulness to schools and families alike, we are introducing a new option in August 2016: multiple testing. All students will have the option to test once in each of three four-month-long testing windows; in other words, students may test up to three times in a 12-month admission cycle.

In making this change, we are responding to input from ERB member schools, parents, and students. This input has highlighted three important pieces of information:

• First, there is increased anxiety among young students about taking a single admission test.
• Secondly, reducing the sources of score variability potentially introduced in a single testing environment (due, for example, to things such as a test taker’s health) improves the measurement of the skills tested
• Finally, families want to see more than one ISEE score report to help them determine which schools may be a good academic fit for their child.

The new option for multiple testing addresses all of these factors.  Additionally, ERB will make enough fee waivers available to ensure that every student has the same opportunity to use the multiple testing option.  We will be sharing more information in the coming weeks. Should you be interested in additional details before then, we have compiled a list of anticipated questions and answers.

In a few weeks, you will receive an email from ISEE with the Test Site Application for 2016-2017.  As always, ERB member schools may offer the ISEE on their choice of date(s).  When your school is an ISEE test site, you offer applicant families an excellent opportunity to visit your school and meet your staff. ERB partners with you on this commitment through our proctor reimbursement program.  We are most grateful to our membership for making this service available and welcome members to consider or continue being an ISEE test site.   Whether providing the ISEE in a paper or online modality, ERB offers personalized service and support every step of the way to both your school and your applicants.

Please keep an eye out for an email with the 2016-2017 ISEE Test Site Application.  In the meantime, please be in touch with questions or comments about our new multiple testing option.

We look forward to hearing from you and continuing our relationship in the coming academic year.
 
Sincerely,
 
Elizabeth Mangas

So it begins. From now on, students will be allowed to take the ISEE more than once. How will this change student’s ISEE scores and the admissions process? Time will only tell…