Guidelines for Large-scale Learner AssessmentsPractices for Design, Implementation and Use of Assessments by States

Overall, these guidelines recommend that implementing a large scale-assessment is a journey states must embark upon. As a nation, we hope to build a culture of evidence, ensuring that every child is learning. This has been reinforced by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), as they have emphasised measures to track learning-outcomes in state planning. This culture will be built on a foundation of a strong, national survey – such as the National Achievement Survey (NAS) conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) – one that is administered frequently with a nimble distribution and management strategy. This survey can share results with state and district authorities in a timely and relevant manner and benchmark the performance of states to encourage peer-learning and collaboration.

This foundation of a national survey must be supported by state-level census assessments, that are conducted every one or two years. This will lead to transformational change – rather than incremental change – as these assessments are linked directly to state curricula and context and provide data that can be shared with every district, block, school and community, whilst also influencing state policy and planning. This will be an arduous, intensive task, but it is imperative that states take the first steps to design and administer purpose-led instruments, analyse and and report the data and build the capacity of their officers to learn and continuously improve.