Assessment Cell Introduction

◐ Rajasthan State Council of Educational Research and Training (RSCERT), Udaipur is an autonomous state institution and the academic nodal center for Rajasthan. The shift in the purpose of assessments from evaluation and monitoring to an instrument used by teachers for improving classroom instructions places the onus on RSCERT to take initiative in the right direction and build the capacity of teachers on assessments.

◐ The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Strengthening Teaching-Learning & Result for States Program (STARS) by the World Bank have recommended that state agencies establish institutions for transformation in assessments by 2022-23. The establishment of a state assessment cell/center could act as a game-changer in offering quality standardized assessments and also aid in providing regular data for improving quality.

◐ Many assessment-related activities such as NAS and National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMS) are under the division-leading. Therefore, it was proposed to establish an Assessment Cell at RSCERT, Udaipur to dedicatedly execute all tasks concerning school education falling under the umbrella of assessments. The Assessment Cell will redesign and restructure the current practices of assessments through extensive research to integrate them into the teaching-learning practices for improved educational outcomes. The cell functions from the RSCERT headquarters in Udaipur, maintaining the confidentiality of data obtained through its processes for policy formulation.

◐ The Assessment cell comprises highly motivated and skilled professionals who have specialized in the assessment domain leading systemic assessment reforms within the state. This cell would be responsible for designing and executing multiple assessment interventions. The Assessment cell would develop programs for contextualizing national assessment policies for the state, making Rajasthan a model state in the country with the best in-house assessment systems strengthening institutions and stakeholders to reach the highest quality standard education.