The National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) has notified India’s first national assessment regulator, PARAKH, which will work on setting norms, standards and guidelines for student assessment and evaluation for all recognised school boards in the country.
The regulator aims to set up assessment guidelines for all boards to help remove disparities in scores of students enrolled with different state boards.
“The Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development (PARAKH) as a centre, hereby, established within the education survey division of the NCERT, with immediate effect,” the council said in a notification issued last month.
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PARAKH has been launched as part of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 that envisaged a standard-setting body to advise school boards regarding new assessment patterns and latest research, and promote collaborations between them.
An education ministry document, seen by HT, said, “To begin with, the Educational Survey Division of NCERT, New Delhi, will function as PARAKH and from this, strategic expansion may take place in a phased manner.”
{{/usCountry}}An education ministry document, seen by HT, said, “To begin with, the Educational Survey Division of NCERT, New Delhi, will function as PARAKH and from this, strategic expansion may take place in a phased manner.”
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PARAKH will work on three major assessment areas: large-scale assessments, school-based assessment, and examination reforms, said a senior NCERT official, asking not to be named. “To begin with, PARAKH will work on bringing an equivalence in the recognised school boards in India in terms of the academic standards among learners. It will set up assessment guidelines for all the boards to help remove disparities in scores of students enrolled with different state boards,” the official said.
PARAKH will closely work with the state directorates of education, state education boards and international organisations working in the area of assessment and evaluation, the official added.
Educationist Meeta Sengupta said PARAKH was much needed to calibrate assessments across state and national boards. “The hope is that assessment sciences get an upgrade to create questions that go beyond rote and test for competencies, creativity and ability to apply knowledge,” she said. “There is a need to have a more accessible, affordable and credible assessment system in the county.”
NCERT in September last year invited expression of interest (EoI) from international agencies to help it in setting up PARAKH. “Several agencies have submitted their proposal. However, NCERT is yet to take the final call on it,” the official cited above said.
PARAKH will also be responsible for conducting large-scale assessments, including the National Achievement Survey (NAS). “The next NAS in 2024 will be conducted by PARAKH. It will also guide the State Achievement Survey (SAS), and monitor achievement of learning outcomes in the country,” the official added.
The Centre will also manage India’s participation in international assessments such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), stated the expression of interest issued by NCERT last September.