The National Achievement Survey (NAS), a nationwide survey meant to assess students' learning progress, will be held on December 4 this year under a new name – PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024.The PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 replaces the National Achievement Survey (NAS), conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) since 2001. PARAKH is an independent assessment centre set up by the NCERT and was proposed in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Aims to evaluate how well school students in India are learning. This year’s survey will assess around five million students from Classes 3, 6, and 9, an increase from the 3.7 million students assessed in the last survey in 2021.NAS 2021 focused on competency-based assessment. It was conducted in Language, Mathematics & Environmental Studies for class 3 & 5; Language, Mathematics, Science & Social Science for class 8 and Modern Indian Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Science and English for class 10.
Assessment Methodology: To keep the process fair, random sampling will be used to select which schools and students will participate. Each grade level will have its own set of questions designed to test different skills: Class 3: Students will answer 45 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) in language, maths, and environmental science, with 90 minutes to complete the test. Class 6: Students will answer 51 MCQs, testing similar subjects but with more challenging questions. Class 9: Students will face 60 MCQs, covering material from Classes 6 to 8, with 120 minutes to finish the test.
Competency-Based Assessment: NAS uses a competency-based assessment model. This means the survey not only looks at what students know but also how well they can apply their knowledge in real-world situations. The survey will also examine factors like the learning environment and socio-economic conditions that may influence students’ performance. The results will be broken down into district-level report cards to provide detailed insights.
Trends and Expectations: Previous surveys have shown a drop in student scores as they move from Class 3 to Class 10, highlighting the need for more focus on learning as students progress. NAS 2024 is expected to show how well students have recovered from the learning losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The results will be available in February 2025.