Independent School Entrance Examination
Encyclopedia
The Independent School Entrance Examination, or ISEE, is an entrance exam used by many independent school
s and magnet school
s in the United States. Developed and administered by the Educational Records Bureau
, the ISEE has three levels: the Lower level, for entrance in grades 5-6; Middle level, for entrance in grades 7-8; Upper level, for entrance in grades 9-12. All levels consist of five sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Achievement, and a 30-minute essay.
All questions found in the two math sections of the ISEE are linked to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
(NCTM) Standards. The ISEE uses the following NCTM strands as a basis for the Quantitative Reasoning section:
The Lower Level contains five reading passages, each followed by five questions. The Middle and Upper levels contain six reading passages, each followed by six questions. The passages include topics related to history, science, literature, and contemporary life.
The types of questions focus on six categories:
Main Idea, Supporting Ideas, Inference, Vocabulary, Organization/Logic and Tone/Style/Figurative Language.
As with the question in the Quantitative Reasoning section, this section will include questions from NCTM standards.
and sent to schools to which the student is applying.
After the error was corrected, 17% of the test takers received revised scores, the vast majority of which raised their raw scores and percentiles ranks. Up to 3 out of 110 questions on the lower level were incorrectly scored, and up to 2 questions out of 139 on the Upper level were incorrectly scored. As the corrected scores for the 2010-2011 admission year were sent after most independent schools had completed their admission process for the year, the effect is not known, but presumably did not change any admission decisions. ERB noted in the letter it sent out that each ISEE member school makes decisions about school entrance based on a broad array of factors besides the ISEE, such as transcripts, teacher recommendations, the personal interview, writing samples, and other. According to the ERB, all ISEE schools have been made aware of the scoring error and have received revised reports for the affected students.
As mentioned in the New York Times article,"Patricia T. Hayot, the head of the Chapin School and the president of the trustees of the Independent School Admission Association of Greater New York, a consortium of private schools, said the error would have been much more significant had it involved younger children, who have a much smaller portfolio to submit to round out the scores."
Commenting on the effect of the error on students' school applications as, reported by the New York Times, Dr. Clune stated “I’m apologetic and regret that it happened and apologize to the schools and their families”. Dr. Clune was also quoted as saying “We try to be perfect, and we weren’t.” and "It is a lesson we all learn at some point — that life isn’t fair." The employee responsible for the error at Measurement Incorporated was reported to have resigned. Dr. Clune stated to the New York Times that he was reviewing whether or not to continue employing Measurement Incorporated.
The future effect of this on Measurement Incorporated's business as a testing contractor is unknown.
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
s and magnet school
Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
s in the United States. Developed and administered by the Educational Records Bureau
Educational Records Bureau
Educational Records Bureau is the only not-for-profit educational services organization offering assessments for both admission and achievement for independent and selective public schools for Pre K-grade 12....
, the ISEE has three levels: the Lower level, for entrance in grades 5-6; Middle level, for entrance in grades 7-8; Upper level, for entrance in grades 9-12. All levels consist of five sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Achievement, and a 30-minute essay.
Verbal Reasoning
This section consists of two parts: synonyms and sentence completions. On the Upper and Middle Levels there are 40 questions to be answered in 20 minutes. On the Lower Level there are 34 questions to be answered in 20 minutes.Quantitative Reasoning
On the Lower Level, there are 38 questions to be answered in 35 minutes. On the Upper and Middle Levels, there are 37 questions to be answered in 35 minutes. The Lower Level consists of Word Problems, and the Middle and Upper levels consist of Word Problems and Quantitative Comparisons.All questions found in the two math sections of the ISEE are linked to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics was founded in 1920. It has grown to be the world's largest organization concerned with mathematics education, having close to 100,000 members across the USA and Canada, and internationally....
(NCTM) Standards. The ISEE uses the following NCTM strands as a basis for the Quantitative Reasoning section:
- Numbers and Operations
- Algebra
- Geometry
- Measurement
- Data Analysis and Probability
- Problem Solving
Reading Comprehension
On the Lower Level, there are 25 questions to be answered in 25 minutes. On the Middle and Upper levels, there are 36 questions to be answered in 35 minutes.The Lower Level contains five reading passages, each followed by five questions. The Middle and Upper levels contain six reading passages, each followed by six questions. The passages include topics related to history, science, literature, and contemporary life.
The types of questions focus on six categories:
Main Idea, Supporting Ideas, Inference, Vocabulary, Organization/Logic and Tone/Style/Figurative Language.
Mathematics Achievement
There are 30 questions to be answered in 30 minutes on the Lower level, and 47 questions to be answered in 40 minutes on the Middle and Upper levels.As with the question in the Quantitative Reasoning section, this section will include questions from NCTM standards.
Essay
On all three levels, candidates must plan and write an essay to provide a sample of his or her writing to schools to which the candidate is applying. A random topic is distributed, and students have 30 minutes to write an essay using a black or blue pen. The essay is not scored, but is photocopiedPhotocopier
A photocopier is a machine that makes paper copies of documents and other visual images quickly and cheaply. Most current photocopiers use a technology called xerography, a dry process using heat...
and sent to schools to which the student is applying.
Incorrect Scoring of 6,120 Students Lower Level Examinations Fall 2010 / Winter 2011 administration
On April 6, 2011, ERB (Educational Records Bureau) sent out a letter to approximately 6120 parents and guardians of students who had taken the lower level admission test which started "Dear Parent, ERB has confirmed and sincerely regrets that on some Independent School Entrance Exams (ISEE), our contractor incorrectly scored 1-3 questions out of 110. Your child's score report was affected and we have enclosed the revised report." The letter was signed by the President and CEO of ERB, David F. Clune, Ph.D. and the Executive Director for the ISEE at ERB, Elizabeth Mangas. The letter did not mention Measurement Incorporated or its President, Henry H. Scherich, Ph.D. Measurement Incorporated was the contractor who incorrectly scored the test. More students were affected by this error in scoring of the ISEE than in the October 2005 erroneous scoring of the College Admission test, the SAT, which affected 4400 test takers.After the error was corrected, 17% of the test takers received revised scores, the vast majority of which raised their raw scores and percentiles ranks. Up to 3 out of 110 questions on the lower level were incorrectly scored, and up to 2 questions out of 139 on the Upper level were incorrectly scored. As the corrected scores for the 2010-2011 admission year were sent after most independent schools had completed their admission process for the year, the effect is not known, but presumably did not change any admission decisions. ERB noted in the letter it sent out that each ISEE member school makes decisions about school entrance based on a broad array of factors besides the ISEE, such as transcripts, teacher recommendations, the personal interview, writing samples, and other. According to the ERB, all ISEE schools have been made aware of the scoring error and have received revised reports for the affected students.
As mentioned in the New York Times article,"Patricia T. Hayot, the head of the Chapin School and the president of the trustees of the Independent School Admission Association of Greater New York, a consortium of private schools, said the error would have been much more significant had it involved younger children, who have a much smaller portfolio to submit to round out the scores."
Commenting on the effect of the error on students' school applications as, reported by the New York Times, Dr. Clune stated “I’m apologetic and regret that it happened and apologize to the schools and their families”. Dr. Clune was also quoted as saying “We try to be perfect, and we weren’t.” and "It is a lesson we all learn at some point — that life isn’t fair." The employee responsible for the error at Measurement Incorporated was reported to have resigned. Dr. Clune stated to the New York Times that he was reviewing whether or not to continue employing Measurement Incorporated.
The future effect of this on Measurement Incorporated's business as a testing contractor is unknown.