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.
Related Reading
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.
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.
78% of respondents say it's important for admission assessments to be grounded in the principles of diversity, equity, and fairness.
81% of respondents indicated they evaluate applicants’ “soft skills” to understand their communicative and collaborative abilities.
47% of respondents say it's important to have tools to identify students whose ability to learn is greater than what scores indicate.
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.
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
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.
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