Budget session: Economic survey 2025-26 | PISA-like Class 10 assessment proposed

Schools rely on internal and board examinations that assess content recall rather than generate diagnostic evidence necessary to identify learning gaps, and a complementary initiative to this could be the introduction of a “PISA-like assessment” at the end of grade 10, the Economic Survey states.

PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) tests 15-year-olds across countries in reading, maths and science, to assess the school systems in these countries. It doesn’t measure rote learning, but assesses application of knowledge and skills. India has participated only once in the PISA test – in 2009, when it ranked 72nd out of 73 countries. It is conducted every three years by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Findings of assessments in India like the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) and the National Achievement Survey (NAS) “suggest a deeper structural issue: school-based assessments are primarily designed for certification and promotion, and are not able to generate diagnostic evidence necessary to identify learning gaps and inform corrective action,” the Economic Survey stated.

“In the Indian context, it would be worthwhile to use assessment data to unpack the reasons behind the scores, understand errors, and underlying confusions, thereby converting the survey into a robust feedback tool for the stakeholders. Further, a complementary initiative could be the introduction of a PISA-like assessment at the end of Grade 10. A standardised competency-based assessment that compares states, school types, and socioeconomic cohorts on a common scale could provide policymakers with insights for targeted policy interventions,” it stated.