International Schools' Assessment - February 2011
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.
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.
ISM students in P5, M1 and M3 previously took ISA tests in February 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Students in P4 and P6 also previously took tests in February 2010 and 2011 only.
The mean results for the individual classes are summarised here. Note that no graphs are shown for P4 or P6 as a minimum of three years data is needed before trends can be established.
What is ISA?
International Schools' Assessment (ISA) is an annual assessment programme 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.
What is ISA NOT?
ISA is not a competitive or comparative test, such as the IB Diploma or an ABRSM exam. It is not a test that students "pass". It will not be used for purposes other than providing data to us, you, and your child, about his/her learning. While we give opportunities for practice, students do not "prepare" for the tests, since they are consistent with what students learn on a regular basis.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 ISM?
In February 2011, ISM students in the P4, P5, P6, M1 and M3 classes participated in the International Schools' Assessment (ISA), a programme developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and designed specifically for international schools. These classes will also participate in February 2012.ISM students in P5, M1 and M3 previously took ISA tests in February 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Students in P4 and P6 also previously took tests in February 2010 and 2011 only.
What information will I receive as a parent?
Easch 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 ISM use these results?
By analysing student performance on different sections of the various tests, ISM is able to determine areas in which we may be teaching well and also areas that we need to strengthen in our curriculum.What were the results of ISM's tests in 2011?
The data and graphs below show ISM's performance in different classes over time up until 2011. Our present M1 class took the ISA tests in P5 in 2009 and in P6 in 2010 as well as in M1 in 2011. The graph below shows their performance over these three years (when compared with world averages) to have improved in Mathematics, Reading and Writing Task A (Narrative), whilst it has declined in 2011 in Writing Task B (Exposition and Argument).The mean results for the individual classes are summarised here. Note that no graphs are shown for P4 or P6 as a minimum of three years data is needed before trends can be established.
| Writing (A & B) | P4 | P5 | P6 | M1 | M3 |
| ISM Mean score | 356 & 371 | 423 & 415 | 445 & 435 | 480 & 460 | 554 & 558 |
| All other schools | 377 & 401 | 409 & 431 | 457 & 472 | 477 & 490 | 538 & 552 |
| Reading | P4 | P5 | P6 | M1 | M3 |
| ISM Mean score | 257 | 310 | 338 | 386 | 505 |
| All other schools | 262 | 313 | 375 | 408 | 493 |
| Mathematics | P4 | P5 | P6 | M1 | M3 |
| ISM Mean score | 266 | 350 | 375 | 419 | 492 |
| All other schools | 322 | 367 | 421 | 452 | 515 |
Where can I get more information?
If you have questions about your own child's individual results which will be sent to you by email, please contact the appropriate one of the following:- Maree Raeburn - Head of Primary, Arusha Campus
- Carl Love - Head of Secondary, Arusha Campus
- Cindy van den Heuvel - Head of Primary, Moshi Campus
- Totty Aris - Head of Secondary, Moshi Campus
You can find more information about the ISA programme by going to http://www.acer.edu.au/tests/school/isa/intro.html.
You can also view ISM's ISA results from 2010 and from 2009 here.
