CHENNAI: For the first time in Tamil Nadu, an online assessment through direct interaction will be conducted for Class 5 students in around 150 government elementary schools across the state between July 29 and August 1 to understand their learning ability in subjects like English and Tamil.
“The assessment is being done to understand if the syllabus, pedagogy and teachers’ engagement under the Ennum Ezhuthum scheme have reached the students. Based on the results, we will decide on conducting a midline survey,” an official said.
Under the initiative, led by the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT), officials will interact directly with the students via Google Meet to assess their learning ability, an official circular said. Students will attend the assessment using the tablets previously distributed to headmasters and teachers in government elementary schools.
Four schools from each district have been selected for the process. About 600 students will take part in the exercise. “Officials have informed us that the Google Meet link and the list of selected students will be provided a day before the test,” a headmaster said.
The Ennum Ezhuthum scheme, launched in June 2022, aims to ensure that elementary students achieve basic literacy and numeracy. Under it, students are divided into three categories — Arumbu, Malar and Mottu — depending on their learning abilities rather than the classes they belong to.
The scheme was expanded to Classes 4 and 5 during the academic year 2023-24. In September 2023, SCERT conducted an evaluation of students of Classes 1 to 3 across the state. While that was carried out by a third party, the upcoming assessment for Class 5 students will be conducted by personnel from the department, said official sources.