by LANNA Primary
Sarah Reynolds, Deputy Head of School and Primary Principal
At LANNA International School in Thailand, a commitment to academic excellence is woven into the fabric of our institution. One of the key milestones in a student’s academic journey is the International School Assessments (ISAs). In this post, we will delve into the various ways LANNA uses the ISAs to support its students in Academic Excellence.
What are the ISAs?
The International School Assessments (ISAs) are a series of grade-level assessments designed for international schools and schools with an international focus. It is built upon the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) frameworks, in consultation with international schools, and draws upon ACER’s extensive assessment development experience. They can be taken during a student’s Primary Years at LANNA.
The ISA assessments are not specific to a single curriculum and participating schools follow a diverse range of curricula including IB, British National, USA, and more. The assessments are taken across the world, allowing a truly international comparison. Every year more than 90,000 students from hundreds of schools around the world participate in the ISAs.
Why do we use the ISA assessments?
LANNA boasts a curriculum designed to nurture well-rounded individuals with a global perspective. The school’s educators are dedicated to delivering a comprehensive educational experience and the ISAs are one benchmark we use for measuring academic progress. From core subjects to specialised areas, LANNA ensures that students are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary for success.
The ISAs help us:
To evaluate our international school against others; the curriculum we teach and the learning we achieve.
By participating in the ISAs, LANNA can evaluate its educational standards against other international schools. This benchmarking is essential in ensuring that the curriculum and teaching methods are aligned with global best practices, thereby providing students with a world-class education.
Provide an external assessment of individual students, when compared with others of a similar age from around the world.
The ISA offers a valuable tool for LANNA to assess the effectiveness of its curriculum. By comparing the learning achievements of its students with those from similar educational backgrounds, the school can identify strengths and areas for improvement in its curriculum, ensuring continuous development and relevance.
Individual student growth is paramount at LANNA. The ISA provides an external metric for comparing the performance of individual students with their global peers. This comparison is vital in understanding each student’s academic standing and in providing tailored support where necessary.
ISA test questions are culturally diverse and appropriate for students whose first language may not be English.
The ISA assessment questions are designed to be culturally diverse and appropriate for students whose first language may not be English. This inclusivity is crucial at LANNA, where the student body is diverse and multinational, ensuring that all students can engage with the assessments on an equal footing.
Class-level information that can inform teaching and programming in year groups.
The results from the ISAs can provide class-level information, which is invaluable for teachers at LANNA. This data helps in fine-tuning teaching strategies and programming within year groups, ensuring that the educational approach is responsive and targeted to the specific needs of each class.
Provide relevant school-wide comparisons between ‘like schools’.
LANNA utilises the ISA results to make relevant school-wide comparisons with ‘like-schools’. This comparison is instrumental in understanding the school’s position in the broader context of similar educational institutions and in driving strategic improvements across the school.
Provide relevant comparisons between regional and all worldwide participating schools.
In addition to comparisons with similar schools, ISAs allow LANNA to measure itself against regional and worldwide participating schools. These comparisons offer a broader perspective on the school’s educational standing and inspire a continuous pursuit of excellence.
The ISAs gives us information about growth over time.
As LANNA enters its fourth year of participating in the ISAs, tracking growth over time becomes possible. This data is critical in understanding trends, measuring the impact of educational strategies over time, and making informed decisions for future developments.
Here are a few tips for parents as they prepare their children for the ISAs:
- When it’s time to take the ISAs, please:
- Remember these assessments are a snapshot of your child’s learning journey.
- Ensure your child gets a good night’s sleep-9:30 deadline to be in bed.
- Ensure your child has a good breakfast.
- Ensure your child gets to school on time and is NOT rushing or is late.
- Do NOT stress your child out. Encourage and inform them there will be things they do not know on these assessments and THAT IS OK!
- Keep your child at home if they are sick. Make-up assessments can be taken within the two-week assessment period.
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