Telangana begins pilot external assessments for Classes 6 and 9

Telangana’s School Education Department has ordered a pilot programme of external evaluation for students in Classes 6 and 9 across the state. The department directed all District Educational Officers to conduct the assessments as part of summative assessments 1 and 2. The first phase is scheduled to begin with summative assessment 1, taking place in schools from October 1 to 10.

Under the initial arrangement, external evaluation will be conducted for Class 9 in all 33 districts of Telangana. The Class 6 assessment will begin in nine districts as part of the pilot. The districts selected for the Class 6 exercise are Adilabad, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Mulugu, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Mahabubabad, Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Medchal and Sangareddy.

The department’s directive, as reported by The Hindu, does not specify how the external evaluators will be appointed or how the results will be used. It also does not state whether the pilot will be expanded to all districts after the first assessment period. The initiative introduces an assessment process in which evaluation is conducted externally rather than solely through the students’ own schools.

The available material identifies the exercise as a pilot and links it to the department’s summative assessment schedule. The first round will therefore provide external evaluation for Class 9 statewide, while Class 6 students in the nine selected districts will participate. Further details about the programme’s outcomes or future implementation were not included in the announcement.