Tamil Nadu: State-level achievement survey to be held for classes 3, 5 & 8 in January

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu School Education Department will conduct the State Level Achievement Survey (SLAS) in January for students of classes 3, 5 and 8 in government and government-aided schools across the State to assess their learning outcomes and competencies.

The survey will cover 38,042 government and government-aided schools in TN. For Class 8, the survey will cover 16,539 schools.

The state project director of Samagra Shiksha, director of School Education and director of Elementary Education have issued instructions to Chief Educational Officers (CEOs) and principals of District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) to prepare students and identify teachers who will serve as assessment invigilators. The survey, held once every two years, evaluates students’ understanding and application of concepts rather than rote learning.

The previous SLAS was conducted in the 2024-25 academic year, and the results were used to implement the THIRAN Iyakkam initiative across the state.

As part of preparations for the survey, teachers have been instructed to provide regular practice in competency-based questions. Unused question papers from the 2024-25 survey, available at district centres, must be distributed to schools for practice. Schools must also regularly use the monthly ‘Future Ready’ questions shared by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) for classes 1-9.

The department has directed officials to identify teachers from government and government-aided schools as invigilators. For classes 3 and 5, Bachelor of Teaching assistants from middle, high and higher secondary schools should be selected, with primary school teachers considered if the numbers are insufficient. For Class 8, teachers from primary schools will be selected.

CEOs, with the support of DIET principals, have been asked to submit a list of selected invigilators to the State by November 5. Details of invigilator training will be communicated separately. The department has also emphasised the need to ensure the accuracy and transparency of the assessment. After the survey, a sample of schools and students from every district will undergo reassessment by education officials.