When Should We Assess?

If you’ve ever sat through a school admissions meeting hearing phrases like “We’ll keep an eye on it” and “Let’s see how they settle”… you’re not alone.

Relocation does funny things to timelines. Families want certainty quickly and schools are trying to be responsible with limited information. Somewhere in the middle sits a child who’s doing their best, while everyone quietly wonders: is this just transition… or is there something more going on?  This blog is about getting that decision right. Not rushed. Not delayed. Just sensible.

A useful starting point: not all assessment is the same. In international contexts, it helps to separate assessment into two lanes: 

Lane 1: School-based assessment (screening and identification)

Lane 2: Diagnostic assessment (formal evaluation, usually privately arranged)

Both are valuable. They simply do different jobs.

Lane 1: What schools can (and should) do well

Most schools can gather strong evidence through a combination of:

• Teacher observation and work sampling

The “everyday data”: classwork, homework patterns, errors, stamina, processing time, participation.

• Attainment measures

Reading accuracy, fluency, comprehension, spelling, writing samples, maths performance - often through standardised attainment tests or internal benchmarking.

• Targeted screening tools

Short screeners can flag risk areas (for example, phonological skills, memory demands or writing speed), but they are not the same as a diagnosis. Good test use means using tools for the right purpose, interpreting cautiously and placing results in context.

• A graduated response:   Assess → plan → do → review.

Try sensible classroom adjustments and targeted support first, then review impact. This approach is embedded in UK SEND guidance and it transfers well as good practice internationally (even where UK law doesn’t apply).

In plain English, schools can usually identify “something isn’t quite clicking” and trial support internally before anyone talks about labels.

The international complication: language and transition can mimic learning needs. This is the bit that catches families out.  For students transitioning between their home language and a local or contextual language, a child can become fluent socially and still be working hard to access academic language - especially after a move. The research distinction between conversational fluency and academic language proficiency is well established and academic language (CALP) development often takes much longer (commonly cited as around 5–7 years) as opposed to the 1 to 2 years social language (BICS) development.  So if a child has recently moved country, changed curriculum, changed language environment and changed friendship groups… we should be careful about making fast conclusions from early struggle.

That doesn’t mean “wait forever”. It means interpret early data with maturity.  A useful rule of thumb I use with families: if the difficulty is consistent across contexts, persistent over time and not improving at a confident pace despite appropriate support, it’s time to look deeper.

Lane 2: What diagnostic assessment is (and why it’s usually private)

Diagnostic assessments are formal evaluations designed to answer specific questions with greater depth and certainty. These are typically carried out by appropriately qualified professionals (often educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists or medical professionals depending on the question).

In many international school settings, diagnostic assessments are arranged privately and funded by parents. Schools often support by:

• Sharing evidence and background
• Hosting the assessor in school (where appropriate)
• Implementing recommendations
• Signposting families to trusted agencies, while avoiding bias or “one provider only” approaches (schools should keep this ethical and transparent)

It’s also common for international schools to request external reports during admissions or when exam accommodations are being considered, particularly when documentation is older. (You’ll see versions of this in many learning support and admissions policies across international schools.)

So, when is the “right time” to assess?

Here are four realistic and common scenarios:

1. When the child has had time to settle, but the gap just isn’t closing

A settling period is normal. But if you’re several months in and progress is flat - even with support - assessment becomes a clarity tool.

2. When the pattern is long-standing

If similar concerns existed in the previous school, across countries, across teachers - that consistency matters.

3. When the stakes change

Transitions into exam years, increased writing demands, heavier reading loads, or curriculum shifts can reveal needs that were previously compensated for.

4. When wellbeing is being affected

If a child’s confidence is collapsing, anxiety is rising, or school avoidance is creeping in—waiting for “more data” can become a false economy.

What families can do without spiralling

Ask the school for a clear “evidence plan” (not a vague reassurance)

What will be assessed? By when? What support will be trialled? What will success look like?

• Request a review date

A proper review meeting creates momentum and prevents concerns drifting for another term.

• If you pursue private assessment, keep it purposeful

The best assessments answer specific questions and lead to practical recommendations—rather than producing a lengthy report that no one has time to implement.

A final note:

Assessment should never feel like a hunt for what’s “wrong”. The best assessment clarifies how a child learns, what gets in the way and what support makes school feel more achievable.

And yes - relocation can make even very capable learners wobble for a while. That’s not failure. That’s transition.

The goal is not to rush towards a label. The goal is to move from struggle to a plan.

Ian Edwards