Welcome to International Assessments for Schools

2. Welcome to International Assessments for Schools The International Assessments for Schoolsmore popularly known as IAS is a leading educational measurement and assessment service that helps students realise their optimum potential to grow and reach global competitive standards IAS is brought to you byMacmillan Publishers India Ltd.in partnership withEducational Assessment Australia (EAA)University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia

3. Partners Macmillan Publishers, synonymous with quality education in India since 1893, has partnered with Educational Assessment Australia (EAA) to bring to India, a well-researched, structured, accurate and reliable module for educational measurement and assessment. EAA an educational assessment organisation with ISO accreditation and a division of the University of New South Wales, Sydney, a leading teaching and research university in Australia. EAA is a prime provider of quality educational measurement and assessment services in Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific, Brunei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, other Asian countries, South Africa and the USA. EAA has been involved in educational measurement since 1967 and is the largest independent provider of school assessments in the region. EAA is known for its objective, well-researched, international test construction as well as analysis and reporting of test results.

4. Programme Mission • IAS aims to assess the academic skills of the students in key learning areas that are essential for success at school, as well as in the wider community. • Critical Thinking • Comprehension • Creativity • Reasoning • Problem Solving • IAS programme does a complete SWOT Analysis across the learning spectrum of students in order to bring them at par with international standards.

5. Programme Coverage IAS is conducted every year in over 5,950 schools in India and other Asian countries including lBangladesh lNepal lBhutan lSri LankalMaldiveslMauritiuslUAE lKuwait lQatar lOman lBahrain lSaudi Arabia lIran lIraq Participation by over 24,00,000 students from Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific, Brunei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and the USA make it one of the largest school assessments in the world. IAS is an excellent opportunity for all students to achieve international success and recognition

6. Unique Features • Tests a wide range of skills and outcomes • Increasing level of challenge as the paper progresses • Graded questions to cater to a wide range of student’s abilities • Students at all levels of competency stand to benefit • Standardised, accurate and reliable • Global assessment set against global paradigms of excellence • Diagnostic in outcome

7. No Special Preparation Needed The testing pattern assesses the ability of the students to employ the academic, lateral thinking, and creative skills acquired by the student through the regular curricular and co-curricular sources including textbooks, lab notes, projects, library reading etc. Hence, no special preparation through any specific study material is required.

8. Benefits • Comprehensive analysis of student performance benefits students, parents, schools and teachers. • Benefits to Students • The diagnostic report enables students to • Identify their academic strengths and weaknesses • Compare their achievement with other students • Monitor their own progress year on year • Gain valuable experience in taking external tests

9. Benefits Benefits to Parents Student diagnostic report enables parents to • Understand and analyse their child's academic strengths & weaknesses • Design and plan meaningful educational activities for their child Benefits to Schools and Teachers The detailed statistical report enables schools and teachers to • Monitor and compare students’ performance within the school and with others in the region • Discover students’ latent potential and inherent talents • Identify growth areas and follow up with revision • Modify classroom activities and develop appropriate teaching/learning programmes The larger the number of student entries there are from a school,the more comprehensive the analysis

10. Rewards Certificates Every student who enters IAS receives a Certificate. The certificate is awarded on the following basis for each Assessment: • High Distinction – The top 1% of entrants in each class across the region • Distinction – The next 10% of entrants in each class across the region • Credit – The next 25% of entrants in each class across the region • Participation – All other participating students Medals • UNSW Gold medals are awarded to the toppers among all participants, in each subject, at each class level across the region • EAA-Macmillan medals are awarded to the toppers of each country, in each subject, at each class level

11. Testing Pattern • Multiple-choice and free-response questions • Each question is worth one mark • Total score is the number of correct answers • No negative marking • Increasing level of challenge as the paper progresses To view sample questions, diagnostic reports, e-brochure and for more information please visit our website www.iais.emacmillan.com

12. Subjects for IAS • English • Mathematics • Science • Computer Skills

13. Skills Assessed & Format English Assessment Skills Assessed • Reading for Meaning in Literary texts • Reading for Meaning in Factual Texts • Textual Devices • Syntax • Vocabulary Format and Duration of the Papers

14. Skills Assessed & Format Mathematics Assessment Skills Assessed • Number & Arithmetic • Algebra & Patterns • Measures & Units • Space & Geometry • Chance & Data Format and Duration of the Papers

15. Skills Assessed & Format Science Assessment Skills Assessed • Observing/Measuring • Interpreting Data • Predicting/Concluding from Data • Investigating • Reasoning/Problem-solving • Knowledge Format and Duration of the Papers

16. Skills Assessed & Format Computer Skills Assessment Skills Assessed • General Skills • Word Processing • Graphics/Multimedia • Internet/Email • Databases/Spreadsheets Format and Duration of the Papers

17. Eligibility • All students from classes 3 to 12 are eligible to appear for English, Science and Mathematics • Computer Skills is available to students of classes 3 to 10 only IAS is highly recommended for all students regardless of the board of examination that their school is a part of. Registration • Registration is now open for 2011 IAIS • Registration closes on 15th October, 2011 • Macmillan will provide School and Student Registration forms to schools • Schools are requested to compile the student data in an excel format (to be provided by Macmillan) for proper accounting • Macmillan will arrange to collect the consolidated payments from schools

18. Registration Fee • PKR_____ for 1 subject • PKR_____ for 2 subjects • PKR______ for 3 subjects PKR______ for 4 subjects • Friday, 21st November 2011- Science & Mathematics • Saturday, 22nd November 2011-English & Computer Skills Assessment Dates

19. Venue for the Assessments The assessments shall be held in the premises of the participating schools only on the specified dates and under the direct supervision of the school authorities. Schools must ensure that standard invigilation procedures are followed during the examinations. Timings for the Assessments The participating schools are free to decide on the time of commencement of the assessments as well as the duration of the breaks to be given in between the assessments.

20. Results and Reports Results and Reports will be made availableby March 2012 Schools and students can access the results onlineby logging on to http://www.results.eaa.unsw.edu.au Schools and students are given unique IDs and passwords to access their IAS reports online-anytime, anywhere. Among the many benefits, schools and students can also use the facility to track their performance over a period of time-a unique feature of IAS For report interpretation, schools may download the “Getting the Best Out of the Diagnostic Reports” document from the website www.iais.emacmillan.com This document interprets the results using simple language in highlighted boxes on each page.

21. FAQs Isn't it going to add to the child's stress levels? It is a pity that all of us view any diagnostic test as stressful. Taking part in diagnostic tests is far from stressful. In fact, it provides a much needed impetus to get on with life. It is not at all competing, but parental expectation about winning that creates stress. Educating adults not to pass on this stress to children is more in order.

22. How can you test National, State and International Board students on the same parameters? The essential outcome of learning processes in any system is the same. Since we are not testing content, it does not matter which syllabus the student is following.

23. Will students have a specific book or study materials to learn from? Not really, because the skills being tested will be referenced against the child's usual learning. The questions are drawn from the child's regular curricular and co-curricular learning including textbooks, lab notes, projects, and other sources. The skills are acquired by the standard school education that any child is put through regardless of the board of examination that the school is a part of. Specialised preparation through specific study materials is not necessary.

24. Do students really need an external assessment? Let us look at the typical school paper: • They test 'content' as opposed to 'skills' • They can be time consuming • The numbers of questions that can be included are limited, thus narrowing the range of topics examined • They can be pitfalls for students with inadequate writing skills • They can result in cramming So, used in isolation, school papers cannot reveal the 'whole candidate'. They should ideally be complemented with an alternative, external test, comprising of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs).

25. What are the advantages of Multiple Choice Questions? MCQs have many advantages: • They are quick to score • They are accurate and objective • They are specific yet versatile and can be used for testing a wide variety of outcomes • Expert agreement on the correct answer • Allows examination of why students went for incorrect responses • They can be machine scored • They call upon the child to become aware of the thinking processes or skills needed to solve problems • They generate critical statistical data which can be used for generating diagnostic analysis

26. There are other testing services available today. What makes IAS different? Let us answer that by looking at the unique features of IAS Testing. • Engaging, interesting, stimulating • All questions are supported by visual inputs • Optimum mix of multiple-choice and free-response questions • No negative marking • Equal mark allotted to all the questions • Increasing level of challenge • Students at all levels of competence can participate meaningfully • Standardised, accurate and reliable • Tests a wide range of skills and outcomes • It is a global examination set against global paradigms of excellence • It is diagnostic in outcome

27. Is it fair to test students on international parameters? Why not? After all, research has revealed that what is being taught across the world is largely similar. It is only the method that is different. Then, why not expose them to global parameters and paradigms of excellence?

28. Are these tests suitable for students? • The tests are definitely appropriate to the relevant age and curriculum levels of students. • Macmillan has pre-tested the competitions with different ability schools to assess the feasibility and suitability under actual test conditions. • A panel of teaching professionals have reviewed and certified the tests.

29. Isn't the pricing too steep? This is a value-added service involving huge logistics across two continents and involving large manpower and sophisticated technology. Secondly, it is an annual cost. Viewed against the other costs, which go into enhancing a child's future and potential, wouldn't you agree that the pricing is reasonable?

30. Is it necessary for the students to take all the tests? Well, it is not a condition of entry and a student can opt for the subjects of his choice. But yes, we do definitely recommend that a student takes all the subjects so as to get a complete analysis on his or her areas of strengths and weaknesses. Starting early and taking the tests annually will give a student comprehensive and progressive measure of his or her achievement. Needless to say, the subject-wise reports and certificates will certainly enhance their academic portfolio.