The purpose of Matsferill – The Icelandic Student Assessment Profile (ISAP) is to improve student learning outcomes in Iceland through regular and purposeful assessment.

Matsferill provides students, parents and teachers with clear information about a student’s status and progress.

This information supports teaching and learning. It helps ensure that students receive appropriate support or greater challenges, depending on their needs.

Schools, municipalities and education authorities also gain an overview at a broader level. This enables school leaders and policymakers to identify challenges and plan improvements.

In this way, Matsferill supports continuous improvement in the education system.

The reading comprehension and mathematics assessments are administered in March.

The testing period lasts one month. Schools decide when students sit the assessments during that time.

The maximum testing time is 80 minutes. Most students complete the assessment within 40–60 minutes. No special preparation is required.

The assessments are taken on a computer. In mathematics, students receive scratch paper for calculations and working out answers.

Here you can view sample assessments in reading comprehension and mathematics.

Reading fluency assessments are administered three times each year — in September, January and May.

Each testing period lasts one month. Schools decide when students take the assessment within that period.

During the assessment, students read a text aloud for two minutes. The assessment measures reading accuracy and speed.

All students who follow the standard curriculum for their year group are expected to take the assessments.

A school principal may apply for an exemption for a student who, for specific reasons, would not benefit from taking the assessment.

Any such decision is made in consultation with the student’s parents or guardians.

Yes. Students can receive certain support measures during the assessments. These may include read-aloud support in mathematics, taking the assessment in a quiet setting, or sitting the assessment in a smaller group.

Read-aloud support is not available for reading comprehension assessments, as the purpose of the assessment is to measure how well students use their own reading skills to understand written text.

There is no need to apply separately for support measures. However, students should only use the accommodations they are familiar with and normally require during assessments.

The assessments do not require any special preparation.

However, it is important to encourage students to do their best. This ensures the most accurate information about their skills and progress.

Results from the status and progress assessments are presented in a clear and accessible way.

Students receive their result as a percentage of correct answers. This shows how many questions they answered correctly and provides a clear indication of their performance in the assessment.

The student’s position within the national peer group is also presented in both text and visual form. The description explains:

• key characteristics of the student’s skills

• the student’s learning needs in the relevant subject

The aim is to ensure appropriate support for each student.

Students at the lower end of the national distribution require clear intervention and targeted follow-up. Students at the higher end require greater academic challenge.

A progress chart provides an overview of development over time. It indicates whether the student is improving, maintaining the same level, or may need additional support.

A standardised score allows results from different assessments to be placed on the same scale. This makes it possible to compare results and provides clear, comparable information about a student’s academic status.Standardised scores are shown on a scale from 1 to 19, where 10 represents the national average. The score shows how a student performs compared with peers nationwide.

• A score above 10 indicates performance above the national average.

• A score below 10 indicates performance below the national average.

The number shows how far the student is from the national average.Each score is accompanied by a written description of the student’s status and general guidance on next learning priorities. This supports interpretation of the results and decisions about next steps.Students with a score of 7 or below require targeted intervention. Teachers are advised to follow up with appropriate support measures.

Results from the March 2026 status and progress assessments in reading comprehension and mathematics will be published on island.is in May.

Results from the May 2026 reading fluency assessments will be published on island.is before the end of the school year.

Parents and guardians can access their child’s results by signing in to My Pages on island.is.

Parents and guardians can access their child’s results on island.is by signing in to My Pages.

Teachers also share results with students and their families as part of regular communication between school and home.

Assessment results are used to ensure that students receive appropriate support and meaningful challenges in their learning.

The percentage of correct answers provides an overview of performance in a specific assessment. To better understand a student’s status, results are also viewed in relation to national peer performance. This comparison indicates where the student stands within the wider group.

The information is used to:

• identify students who need targeted support and clear intervention

• ensure follow-up where needed

• provide additional and more demanding challenges for students who are performing at a higher level

The goal is to ensure that the right support is provided to the right students, and that teaching reflects each student’s status and progress.