Jharkhand started Spot Testing | 05 Jun 2023

Why in News?

According to information received from the media on 2 June 2023, the Jharkhand government has started spot testing, under which three children are randomly selected from each school during the school inspection by the Block Resource Person (BRP) / Cluster Resource Person (CRP).

Key Points:

• Under spot testing, all the children are then surveyed to see how much they are able to learn the things that are being taught to them. In this survey, all the students are tested in Hindi, Mathematics and English subjects, where basic literacy & numeracy of the children are checked.
• Through spot testing, learning outcome data has been collected for 2 lakh children per month in Jharkhand in the months prior to the pandemic. This is about 5% of all children in the state.
• BRP and CRP were given practical training on evaluation where the data was verified & cross-checked with a series of logical checks and field validation to ensure a high level of accuracy. Changes in data over time are accurate in the range of 0.5-1%.
• NITI Aayog in its report has said that considering the scale, granularity, accuracy & frequency, it is safe to say that Jharkhand has one of the best and most comprehensive learning data systems in the world.
• The state has also established a Learning Tracking Format (LTF), where each teacher inputs competency-level data for each student in the state. Data from spot testing will be used to cross-validate the LTF data and ensure accuracy.
• This survey data is being used for various types of decision-making:
  • District and block-wise monthly performance analysis.
  • Impact assessment of specific initiatives.
  • Use of learning data in district and block reviews to determine specific action plans.
  • Identification of specific competency gaps to determine teacher training needs.
  • Identification of necessary changes in textbooks and curriculum, accountability & reward system.