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About EAA

Educational Assessment Australia (EAA) is a leading national and international educational assessment organisation specialising in large-scale assessment programs in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, India, South Africa and the Pacific region.

EAA undertakes research and teaching in educational assessment and measurement and provides a diverse range of assessment services and customised measurement instruments to clients in the government and private sectors.

EAA is a self-funded, not-for-profit division of UNSW Global Pty. Ltd. which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

Educational Assessment Australia operates a Quality Management System which complies with the requirements of ISO9001:2008 as recognized by SAI Global. This means we are committed to excellence in meeting the expectations of teachers, parents and students.

EAA's main product is the annual International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS), formerly known as the Australasian Schools Competitions.

Over 1.7 million students from across Australia, NZ and the Pacific region participate in ICAS each year, with an additional 700,000 entries internationally from countries including Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, South Africa, Indonesia and India.

ICAS is the most comprehensive assessment program available to schools:

• ICAS covers Science, Mathematics, English, Spelling, Writing and Computer Skills
• ICAS caters for students of all abilities
• ICAS questions use meaningful examples and authentic contexts
• ICAS test books are presented in a visually appealing way to capture student attention and interest
• ICAS test questions are related back to the curriculum documents that teachers use to develop their teaching and learning programs, so all parents and teachers can be confident that the tests are meaningful and relevant.

A University of New South Wales medal is awarded in each subject when a top score in each year level in each locale is judged to be sufficiently meritorious. Other high performing students receive certificates of high distinction, distinction and credit. All students who participate receive a UNSW Certificate acknowledging their achievement.

ICAS tests are more than just competitions;

• ICAS tests are valuable tools providing a comprehensive diagnostic assessment of each student's strengths and weaknesses, including their comparative performance within their school, state, territory or country.
• ICAS is also the only national and international assessment program which enables the tracking of individual student performance and progress from year to year. It is the depth of this information that can help teachers and schools tailor their teaching and learning programs to best meet the needs of their students. Such information also enables parents to know with confidence the level of their child's performance in comparison to their peers in the state, territory or country.
• ICAS reports provide more than just information on how individual students perform; schools receive an in-depth report on each year group indicating strengths and weaknesses, comparisons to state grade averages and tracking of year level progress from one year to the next.

Participation in ICAS provides students with valuable practice at sitting formal examinations, preparing them for compulsory state-based assessments, assisting them to become more comfortable in answering questions and managing their time effectively under exam conditions.

A new initiative from EAA is our interactive website for parents and students called 'myICAS'. This website enables parents and students to:

• login view their results
• look carefully at questions they answered
• (and, in the near future), undertake individualised assessments in areas that require additional support.

A selection of tips and suggestions make myICAS an invaluable tool for parents looking to make the most out of their child's participation in ICAS.