Q&A: Using the ISA to improve student confidence and performance at NPS International School

What is your role and background?

I am the Senior Principal at NPS International School, overseeing the administration of all curricula-related matters at the secondary school – Grades 6 to 12, including the administration of ISA and other examinations like CAT 4, IGCSE and IBDP Board examinations. I also lead staff continuing professional development and teacher appointments, and I liaise with external agencies on matters such as compliance.

Could you share a bit about the context of NPS International School?

NPS International School was founded in 2008 and is the only school outside of India from the National Public School, Bengaluru group. We have two campuses: Grades KG to 6 at Hillside (Primary Campus) and Grades 7 to 12 at Scotts Campus (Secondary Campus).
Most of our 1,500 students are children of Indian expatriates and around 15 per cent are from mainland China. We follow our own curriculum in kindergarten and the Cambridge Curriculum for Grades 1 to 10. The school also offers the Indian CBSE for Grades 9 to 12 and the IB Diploma.

Why does your school choose to use an international assessment like the ISA?

We use the ISA for the practical insights we gain from the benchmarking data and for tracking student progress. We also use the data for curriculum planning and review by identifying gaps in student learning and adjusting our teaching methodology to address the gaps. The reports are also used to inform tailoring our professional development programs.

Who is involved in analysing, interpreting and communicating ISA results across your school?

I lead the analysis process in collaboration with the Deputy Principal (Academic). Together, we interpret the data and identify key trends and areas for improvement.
We compile subject-specific analysis reports and share them with the respective Heads of Department. They are then tasked with developing targeted strategies to address the identified gaps.

This collaborative approach ensures that data-driven decisions translate into actionable teaching practices across departments.

Can you give an example of how ISA reports are used to analyse gaps and support progress in teaching and learning?

We use subject-level ISA reports – particularly the question-wise breakdown – to pinpoint conceptual gaps where students have underperformed. These insights guide our curriculum review and, when necessary, the implementation of targeted remedial classes. The data also informs teachers’ planning and resource allocation.
For instance, the ISA report highlighted the following key areas that needed attention: Expository and Argumentative Writing in English; Space and Motion in Science; and, Spatial Geometry, along with Error Analysis and Estimation, in Mathematics. In response, we revised the curriculum to include explicit teaching units on these topics for the following academic year. Teachers incorporated differentiated strategies and formative assessments to monitor progress.

As a result, we observed improved student confidence and performance in these areas during internal assessments and classroom engagement. Furthermore, these interventions contributed to a significant improvement in our students' performance in IGCSE and IBDP Board examinations.

How do you use data, both ISA results and more generally, to evaluate the success of development programs at your school?

We compare the trend year on year – by subject, by student and by grade level. Successes are celebrated and gaps are worked on. We are happy with the extensive ISA Interactive Diagnostic report, which helps to plan out curriculum and delivery in the middle school.

Learn more about the International Schools' Assessment and how it can work for your school.