Should Your Child Appear For The ICAS Assessment?

ICAS assessment has become extensively popular in recent times. Many parents want their children to appear for this competitive examination. After all, it provides a comprehensive insight into the child’s skills and knowledge. You might wonder, ‘How does ICAS assessment differ from regular tests?’. The difference is that rather than testing only the child’s knowledge in a particular field or subject, it also evaluates their problem-solving skills, their strengths and their weaknesses. What is ICAS assessment? ICAS stands for International Competitions and Assessments for Schools. It covers several areas like maths, science, English, digital technologies, spelling and writing. This assessment takes place every year and is attended by students from 20 different countries, including India, USA, Hong Kong, Malaysia, etc. The ICAS evaluation consists of several tests on skills which are already included in the curriculum which the students have learnt in school. Indeed, standards and trends of education are ever-changing. Accordingly, the evaluation is also updated every year. This allows an accurate and up-to-date assessment of the students. ICAS evaluation also helps to identify professional development needs and to analyse the student’s capabilities. Developed by University of South Wales, ICAS also involves high standards of review. The assessments are reviewed by highly skilled academicians to maintain relevance and standards. How to get your child ready for the evaluation?rnEvidently, preparing for an examination of this scale isn’t an easy task. It is usually the first such evaluation for a child, and the preparation stage might prove to be quite difficult. However, a number of renowned publishers have come up with the necessary study materials. These books have been designed scientifically, in a learner-centric manner which ensures quality and stress-free learning. For example, Macmillan Education has published books covering all the areas evaluated in the ICAS assessment, mentioned above. These books are easily accessible as the publisher has launched them on digital platforms. Digital publishing makes the study materials affordable, portable and allows the students to learn in a personalised manner. In fact, digital publishing now caters to the needs of a large section of the ICAS candidates. How does the ranking system work?rnDepending on the percentile that a student achieves in the ICAS evaluation, they are given a rank, which acts a category displaying how competent the student is. The first 1% of the candidates are attributed with high distinction, while the next 10% receives distinction. Credit is attributed to the next 25%, followed by a merit certificate which is given to the 10% below the credit category. All other participants receive a participation certificate. How is the report published? The results of the assessment can be accessed using a code, which is provided by the school. The parents are also able to view the overall performance of the school. The report is published online and is quite easy to assess. Based on how a child fared in the evaluation, his/her parents can get an overview of their capabilities, strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, they would also know how their child performed with reference to global standards, compared to students from other nations. Evidently, ICAS education assessment is an evaluation which a child should definitely give a try. It is recommended to opt for digital learning materials from a reputed publisher in order to prepare for this examination.