International Schools' Assessment

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FAQ - Test Administration

Do the two testing mornings have to be consecutive?

No, any two mornings within the testing window can be used. The test must be administered to all students at the same time regardless of grade level for test security reasons.

Can we administer the test to some of our Grade 7 students at a different time to the other grades in the school?

The test must be administered to all students at the same time regardless of grade level for test security reasons. This must be strictly observed since some of the test items appear in more than one grade's test booklet. For example there will be questions that appear in both the grade 3 and grade 5 booklets in order to provide links between the grades. It is for this reason that the test should be administered to all students at the same time.

Is it possible for us to give the test over three days rather than two?

Unless there is some exceptional circumstance approved by ACER, all schools should test over two days. Consistent administration of the test is important for validity and comparability. The two days do not have to be consecutive - for example the school could arrange to have the first testing morning one week, and the second morning the following week (within the two-week testing window). In addition, the test should be administered in the following sequence:

Morning One

Mathematical Literacy

Writing Task A

Morning Two

Reading

Writing Task B

We feel we need to accommodate a student due to religious observance and allow him to sit at a different date. Will he be scored with the rest of the students?

For this student, you will need to complete the Non-Standard conditions section appearing under the heading 'Details provided by the Teacher' noting that the student sat the ISA on a different date to your other students. The student will be scored as for the rest of your students and the results for this student will be included in the aggregate scores for all your students unless you specifically request that they should not be. It will be noted on the student's individual report that the test was administered under non-standard conditions.

Can our school schedule make up days for students who are ill on the day of the tests?

Yes, students who are absent for any part of the test can be granted make up time if the school is able to replicate the testing conditions at another time. We ask that every attempt is made so that students who do sit outside the main testing times do not discuss the assessment with those students who have completed the sections concerned. Concerns include students having the opportunity to learn about the writing prompts and composing their response, students being given the test at the back of the class with the opportunity to talk to others or use support materials, or students not being given the chance to complete practice questions, but simply handed the test to work through on their own.

As long as the students have not had contact with other students and the school is able to find a staff member to administer and supervise the test in standard conditions, then results from make-up tests can be included. If the school cannot support these conditions, then students should not do make-up tests. We also request that where a student does sit outside the main testing group that this be noted in the Non-Standard Conditions section of the test booklet appearing under 'Details provided by the Teacher'.

Should students with disabilities be included?

In the case of a student with a disability that may affect their performance in the assessment under standard conditions (e.g. vision impairment, ADHD, hand dysfunction, etc.), the school has a number of options.

1. Exempt the student from the testing program.

2. Include the student in the testing program under standard conditions.

3. Include the student in the testing program under standard conditions but exclude their results from the school aggregate.  Check the exclusion box on the front cover of the testing booklet to explain why it is appropriate to exclude this student from aggregate school results. For example, a student may be excluded because the  level of support the student was given was too extensive for this student’s data to be comparable with that of other students.  Students who are excluded will receive an individual report and appear on the class report, but their data will not contribute to the class mean scores or the school mean scores.

4. Include the student in the testing program and arrange special support for the student. The special support could be in the form of, for example, extended time, a scribe, or administration of the tests in a separate area. The school may suggest a particular type of special support or seek advice from ACER. The responsibility for judging that there is a need for special support rests with the school. ACER will support appropriate special support where practical and where the special support is incidental to the construct intended to be measured. Please describe non-standard conditions in the Details provided by the teacher (if necessary) section on the front cover of the student booklets. Students for whom special support is made will be included in aggregated school results unless there is a specific request to the contrary.

Should ESL students be included?

There is no obligation to include any student in the ISA program and this is up to the discretion of the school. Where the school considers that participation in the test would be detrimental to a student, ACER recommends against that student's participation. We advise schools not to administer the tests to students who are at the very beginning stages of learning English, or to those who would be likely to be intimidated by doing such a test. However, students outside these two categories, even with low-ish levels of English, may benefit from taking the test as a baseline measure, so they (and their parents) can see their own progress over time in an objective way.

Students exempted entirely from participation need not be registered.

In the case of a student with very limited English, the school may choose any of the following courses:

1. Exempt the student from the testing program.
2. Include the student in the testing program under normal conditions.
3. Include the student in the testing program under normal conditions, but inform ACER of the student's status and request that the student be excluded from aggregated reporting of results (class- and school- level)
4. Administer only one or two of the tests to students with limited English (for example, the Mathematical Literacy assessment only). In such a case, the teacher should mark the student as 'absent' for the other assessment(s). Please note, however, that the school will be invoiced for each student who completes any part of the assessment at the full participant fee rate.

Information collected about language background is taken into account in reporting comparative performances of like schools and sub-group performance, but not at the individual student level.

If a student normally has test questions and test items read to her as part of modifications set in place, can this same modification be used while administering the ISA?

Teachers may read the Mathematical Literacy test questions to students who are unable to do so themselves. Translations of words may be given to non-English-speaking-background students who do not have bilingual dictionaries or other translation devices.

Teachers may read the Writing Task A and Writing Task B prompt to students at any time during the session.

With regards to the reading assessment, because this is a test of reading, it is inappropriate to read aloud material from the student booklet (apart from practice questions and instructions). Please do not give hints, either about how to approach a question or about what the answer might be. However, if students are uncertain how to show their answers, the teacher may explain this at any time during the test.

May we use the accommodation of translation dictionaries for writing tasks?

Bilingual dictionaries or other translation devices may be used during the Mathematical Literacy test only. They may not be used during the Reading or the Writing assessments.

May we use the accommodation of extended time?

Extended time may be given to students if needed. If a student does receive extended time this must be noted in the Special conditions section on the cover of the student booklet.

Is it allowable for special education students who have laptops as an accommodation in their education plans, to use laptops for the writing portion of the ISA?

Yes, we do allow laptops for special education students. This should be noted on the 'Special Conditions' section of the student booklet where appropriate

Where laptops are used there is a difficulty concerning spelling. If the spell check can be disabled on the computer this would be ideal. Otherwise, we will not give a rating for spelling, so the report will be incomplete.

What information will be required on each student and how long will it take a class to get this accomplished?

We recommend 5 minutes for students to complete the Students details section of the test booklet. The teacher or the student MUST complete the section Details provided by the Student BEFORE the commencement of the first testing session.

The student or teacher will need to enter the student's details as follows:

* Given Name
* Family name
* Date of Birth
* Gender

Upon receipt of the student booklets at ACER, we will email a spreadsheet of student participants to the school for checking, and ask the school for completion of additional information such as class name, 1st language, ESOL classes this year?, for each student.

Can we make copies of the testing material?

No, the tests are secure and schools give an undertaking not to copy them except under very special circumstances and with ACER's permission. All school personnel who have access to the material sign a confidentiality agreement to this effect. The only way that we can link between the tests and report on growth over time is to repeat some units in different year levels and at different periods of time, so it is extremely important to keep the test content secure. We have sample materials that can be used for practice and we encourage teachers to use the sample materials as models and devise their own questions, based on materials that the class is studying, if the teachers feel students need more practise attempting some kinds of questions.

Why don't you use answer sheets?

We don't use answer sheets because the tests are a mix of open-ended and multiple choice questions so it is just as efficient to score the booklets and it is more reliable for younger students who have difficulty with Optical Mark Readers (OMRs).