ISEE

The Independent School Entrance Exam® (ISEE®) Lower Level is a standardized exam created by the ERB (Educational Records Bureau) that is required by many private, independent, magnet, and boarding schools for entrance into 5th and 6th grade. The ISEE® tests students’ verbal and quantitative abilities, and schools often require a minimum ISEE® score to consider a student for entry. Thus, students who do not meet this minimum score will not be considered. Students may only take the ISEE® once in an admissions season.

The New York City Department of Education (DOE) is updating its policy on how students who fail state tests can achieve promotion to the next grade level. The DOE will now only require elementary and middle school students who score in the bottom 10 percent of their state exams to go to summer school and pass in order to be promoted to the next grade. This is a departure from the strict policy Mayor Michael Bloomberg enacted in 2004 which stated that all students who fail must attend summer school and pass in order to be promoted. Mayor Bloomberg called anything else "social promotion."

The ISEE® (Independent School Entrance Exam®) is a test created by the ERB (Educational Records Bureau.) The ISEE® Lower Level test is used for entrance into the 5th and 6th grade of many independent and magnet schools.

The ISEE® Lower Level consists of Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Achievement and Essay sections.

Verbal Reasoning
The Verbal Reasoning section has synonym and sentence completion portions that are divided into 34 questions that are to be answered in 20 minutes.

Babble.com had a great article today on parent-child reading clubs as a way to encourage your child to love reading. What better way than surrounding your child with a number of adult role models who are passionate about reading. You can read the tips on how to get started here.

What are the differences in content between the ISEE and the SSAT?
The verbal section of the ISEE has sentence completions, while the verbal SSAT has analogies. One of the ISEE math sections (middle and upper level ISEE only) will have quantitative comparison questions. There is no guessing penalty on the ISEE test, while the SSAT has a guessing very similar to the SAT test (1/4 point deduction for incorrect answers).

Two views on a commonly debated issue.

It's a Must.
Some schools take these tests very seriously. I recommend knowing what a private school’s admission range is for the test it requires. It is very likely that admission directors will only consider those students who are within the range of scores. You should consider whether or not your child meets this requirement before applying.

It's a Myth.