The school education department will conduct a State Level Achievement Survey (SLAS) in the last week of January to identify learning gaps and plan academic interventions.
The OMR-based test will be conducted for 15.78 lakh students studying in Classes III, V, and VIII in Tamil and English medium government and government-aided schools across the state.
According to the department, students in Class III will be tested in Tamil, English, Mathematics, and Environmental Studies, while those in Classes V and VIII will answer questions in Tamil, English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Science.
A similar assessment was last conducted in November 2023. These assessments are carried out periodically to identify the need for interventions for students between the ages of 6 and 14.
While the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) conducts the National Achievement Surveys, the results provide perspectives on the state and the country.
However, they do not offer sufficient information on the situation in specific schools or districts.
The department said the survey would be conducted by field investigators selected from final-year students studying in UG and PG classes in arts and science colleges and third- or fourth-year students of engineering colleges.
A total of 71,019 field investigators will be needed to conduct the survey. The survey will take place over three days, with one day dedicated to each grade. To assist in identifying field investigators, the department has written to the Commissioner of the Directorate of Technical Education and the Commissioner of Collegiate Education.
They have been asked to issue orders to their subordinate officers to support CEOs in this process.
The State Council for Educational Research and Training will also conduct training for master trainers in the first week of January. These trainers will then train the students before January 11 to conduct the test. The survey results will also be used to modify the training being provided to the teachers and bring changes to the syllabus.
