THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS’ ASSESSMENT (ISA)

One of the most important questions for parents is always, How is my child doing? A related question is Compared to what? This is a particularly critical question for families away from home, where it is hard to know how systems, and standards, compare. The International Schools’ Assessment (ISA) enables us to answer these questions.

WHAT IS ISA?
International Schools’ Assessment (ISA) is an annual assessment program that has been specially developed to measure skills in mathematical literacy, reading and writing of students in international schools. ISA is based on the internationally endorsed reading and mathematical literacy frameworks of
the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It is designed and developed in Australia by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).

The ISA reports provide descriptive information about what students know and can do. The results are equated from year to year so they can be used to track changes over time at individual and school level.

WHO USES ISA?
A growing number of international schools now use ISA, including many of the acknowledged world leaders in international education.

HOW DO THE ASSESSMENTS WORK?
Students complete a reading literacy test, a mathematical literacy test and two writing tests, each of which takes between 45 minutes and one hour to administer. The tests include both multiple-choice and open-ended tasks.

WHICH CLASSES TAKE THE ISA IN NOBLESSE?
Beginning in February 2013, students in grades 3 through 9 will participate in the International Schools’ Assessment (ISA), a program developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and designed specifically for international schools.

WHAT INFORMATION WILL I RECEIVE AS A PARENT?
Each parent of a child who took the ISA tests receives an individual report giving you a detailed record of your child’s performance in relation to scales that describe increasingly advanced skills in mathematical literacy, reading literacy and writing.

HOW WILL NOBLESSE USE THESE RESULTS?
By analyzing student performance on different sections of the various tests, Noblesse is able to determine areas in which we may be teaching well and also areas that we need to strengthen in our curriculum.