Schools

A diagnostic test is a form of assessment that occurs before learning or a new educational experience. The purpose of the diagnostic test is to determine the student’s current levels in maths and English. Through this diagnosis, it becomes evident which aspects of maths and English the student has already learnt and committed to memory, compared to their peers and various international curricula. Essentially, the diagnostic part of the test will reveal what a student has already learnt up to this point of their education journey.

The admissions portion of the test allows schools to know how ‘classroom ready’ the student is for a mainstream class conducted in English. Following the diagnostic part of the test, the student will also be interviewed to gain an understanding of their attitude towards the classroom, learning, self-development, educational environments and confidence level. The admissions portion of the test includes subject-based tests, for which students are asked to prepare. In this way, a student can demonstrate their ability to study and commit information to memory, which is also a part of global curricula and knowledge in science, geography and history. There is also a logic or reasoning section of the test that provides an analysis of the student’s capacity to understand concepts and think critically. All these factors create a holistic picture of the student and demonstrate their readiness for the classroom.

When combined, a diagnostic and admissions test serves two purposes: For new applicants to schools, it helps the school to understand whether the student meets their selection criteria or what assistance the student may need to achieve those criteria; for new students at a school, it helps the school, teachers and administration staff to identify specific strengths and weaknesses so that tailored support can be provided, enhancing learning opportunities for each individual student.

The IDAT is quickly becoming internationally recognised by schools as the must-have diagnostic and admissions test. IDAT is an official Global Sponsor of the International Baccalaureate conferences, and there are more than 4,000 IB schools around the world. The IDAT team have a worldwide reputation for educational excellence.

With results that are reliable and complete the diagnosis of the whole student, the IDAT is a way to simplify admissions for schools everywhere.

IDAT organises regular events to serve our partner schools. IDAT provides a platform for prestigious schools, quality education agents and future families to meet and connect. We encourage each party directly involved in this process, and we aim to create the most transparent communication system for our valued partners. IDAT has a mature marketing connection globally, especially in Asian countries, and assists education providers in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, America and United Kingdom.

IDAT provides a combination of services to support schools, including online and offline marketing promotion. We share the marketing resources with our strong agency network, while creating opportunities for introducing our partner schools through our platform.

Since IDAT was founded, it has maintained cooperative relationships with many schools around the world. Our excellent examination products and active marketing activities attract more schools, provide strong support for achieving improved academic results, and cultivate outstanding students of the future. We work conscientiously to increase brand awareness of the IDAT and schools which accept the IDAT. Through increased awareness, we promote your school and our assessments around the world as a value-add service for schools who choose to recognise the IDAT.

The range of events and activities arranged by IDAT include:

Schools, teachers, registrars and principals are very busy people. They have multiple levels of accountability to students, parents, boards, and their local community. The amount of paperwork, reporting and benchmarking means there never seems enough time in a term, week or day to get everything finished. There is always more to do as teaching, innovation and learning adapts and changes to the world around us.

Admissions and new students create an interesting dichotomy. While it is wonderful to have new students, it is difficult to know if they are right for a school or what they already know and are capable of. Testing, interviews, checking previous schools’ transcripts and navigating different cultures and systems, mean that it is often well into a term before a teacher can thoroughly assess what a student has already learnt as well as their strengths and weaknesses. In the case of selective admissions, it can also result in students’ failure to achieve, or a student who is not sufficiently prepared for being in the mainstream classroom without the support required for success.

The IDAT takes these worries away from the school. In one complete, complex and all-encompassing test and interview, the school gains a full picture of the whole-student: academics, character, language skills. The school can observe the interview without needing to coordinate busy schedules across multiple time zones. It is a complete and total global assessment that sets students up to achieve their own potential.

If you have a selective school (your school does not accept every student who applies but looks for certain characteristics or skills that make students more suitable for learning in your particular environment), then using IDAT as an admissions test will save your school time and energy by providing an independent, third-party test to assess students’ compatibility with your school. Schools can use the students’ test results to discover which applicants are better suited for achieving their full potential in their school. Fundamentally, it is about helping to find the right student for the right school. Using the IDAT to decide whether students have the required skills, knowledge base, aptitudes and attitude to succeed in the school they have applied to, ultimately helps schools to simplify their application process.

For all schools, the IDAT provides guidance to teachers, counsellors, student services, and other key staff on what kind of support students will require once they commence their studies in mainstream classes. The test results will uncover each student’s strengths, weaknesses, attitude, and learning style, enabling personalised support. By using the IDAT, the student can start on their first day with the appropriate level of support already in place. This ensures that classroom time is used more efficiently, minimising situations where student’s needs are not adequately met.

If your school would like to use this test for overseas applicants, simply direct students, agents and/or parents to IDAT.org where they can book a test for the student, nominating your school as the school to receive the test results upon test completion.

It is suggested that you make sure applicants, agents and other relevant stakeholders have a valid and well-monitored email address for applicants to use to have their results sent to.

Please contact IDAT to join the mailing list and be listed as a school that accepts the IDAT. Your school will also receive more information about the test, training for applicants and access to news and educational workshops conducted by IDAT.

Your school is welcome to add the IDAT details to your application, admissions web page (or other) and prospectus, as required.

One of the significant advantages of the IDAT test is that the test centres are located all over the world. It is more convenient for students to take the exam without geographical limitations. Since the IDAT was established, it has signed contracts with many educational organisations around the world to authorise them as test centres. The whole test is supervised by professionally trained proctors throughout the entire process to ensure the fairness of the test. IDAT is unique in that it can organise testing anywhere in the world, on demand. By using a vast network of IB schools, universities, and the British Council, IDAT can organise a secure proctored test in any city.

All school hosted tests must be conducted at the school. Your school will need to have high-speed, secure internet access and a quiet room where students can clearly hear through headphones. Each school will need laptops or desktop computers with headphones and an attached microphone and camera on the computer. The IDAT will remotely access all of this hardware during the test.

If your school intends to host multiple tests, it is recommended they contact us using the ‘CONTACT US’ link to discuss the IT requirements and security needs for your school.

The other requirement for schools is to provide a reliable staff member to act as proctor for the tests. There is some basic training information for the proctor which the IDAT team will provide.

If your school plans to use and deliver multiple tests on a regular basis, you may consider becoming a formal partner of IDAT to secure special pricing. Please contact us at info@idat.org to learn more about bulk purchasing tests, or click on the ‘CONTACT US’ button below.

Schools will also need to make sure that they can gather all the necessary information to register the student for the IDAT, which includes having guardians sign permission forms.

Any school that bulk buys and has a student take the test can be assured that they are the only institution authorised to receive that student’s test results. The student cannot use these results to apply to any other school.

• Children need particular protection when collecting and processing their personal data because they may be less aware of the risks involved.
• IDAT processes children’s personal data with emphasis on protecting them from the outset, and have design our systems and processes with this in mind.
• Compliance with the data protection principles and in particular fairness is central to all IDAT’s processing of children’s personal data.
• IDAT has a lawful basis for processing a child’s personal data. Consent is required by the parent and child. IDAT realized that n the UK only children aged 13 or over are able provide their own consent. However IDAT seeks parental consent and child consent.
• IDAT recognizes children merit specific protection when you use their personal data for marketing purposes or creating personality or user profiles.
• IDAT endeavors to write clear privacy notices for children so that they are able to understand what will happen to their personal data, and what rights they have.
• IDAT recognizes that children have the same rights as adults over their personal data. These include the rights to access their personal data; request rectification; object to processing and have their personal data erased.
• IDAT recognizes a parent or child’s individual right to erasure is particularly relevant if they gave their consent to processing when they were a child.
• IDAT uses Data Protection Impact Assessments to assess and mitigate risks to children. IDAT also considers children’s, guardians and parents’ point of view when designing processes.
• IDAT regularly reviews available age verification and parental responsibility verification mechanisms to ensure we are using appropriate current technology to reduce risk in the processing of children’s personal data.
• IDAT does not use student’s test result pages for purposes of marketing without explicit consent from children, parents and involved schools. When used for marketing, it is only ever shared with admissions and school professionals and not with the public. Student’s private information is always blocked or redacted before sharing.
• IDAT complies with the direct marketing requirements of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
• IDAT follow the approach in the Information Commissioner’s Office’s Data Sharing Code of Practice.
• IDAT explains to children why the test requires the personal data we have asked for, and what we will do with it, in a way which they can understand.
• As a matter of good practice, IDAT explains the risks inherent in the processing, and how we intend to safeguard against them, in a child friendly way, so that children (and their parents) understand the implications of sharing their personal data.