Is the test on a Southern Hemisphere or Northern Hemisphere school cycle?
The timing of the ISA was originally set in relation to the northern hemisphere academic year which most international schools follow. Almost all students taking the October ISA, therefore, have only had a few weeks in the designated grade when they take the assessments. The reason for conducting the testing early in the school year is so that the information reported can be used by schools, and particularly classroom teachers, to inform their instructional programs within the same academic year. It is thus strongly formative in its intentions. Note that there is a three-month turnaround between test administration and issuing of results. That said, in response to feedback from schools, since ISA 2005-2006 we have offered schools the option of administering the ISA in either October or February. For students continuing into the following year, their results from the February assessment could be used to inform their new teacher about their stage of development at the beginning of the ne
