Conducting class tests or exams is the norm these days but marks have little to do with skill development and comprehension. The Stanford Achievement Test Series, also known as SAT-10, is one that seeks to assess concept-based knowledge of students from the primary to the secondary level.

The test series, commonly used by schools in the United States, has now been adapted for Indian students by the Pearson Education India for gauging the students’ skills in English, Mathematics and Science.

Launched in New Delhi on Friday, the series is going to be extended to Hyderabad too.Senior vice-president of the company, Naveen Rajlani told City Express, “SAT 10 is an old and tested product. Its relevance in the Indian educational environment is higher as more and more educators have realized that learning by rote is ineffective.” The standardisation of the test series for Indian education system was done over a year-and-a-half where close to 3,000 students were tested across classes for the pilot studies.

In a country with multiple education boards and increasing divide between the curriculum with progression in age, SAT 10 India claims to have uniform testing guidelines for all. “There are certain concepts a specific age group of students are expected to know and this is what the test aims to achieve. It is applicable for CBSE, ICSE, state boards as well as schools following international curriculum,” explained the  head of ELT and School division at Pearson Education.

The test reports are comprehensive and provide an insight into the different aptitudes and skills of the students.

 “It can help teachers and parents zero in on the child’s strengths. Further, in an environment of child-centric learning, the tests provide the teacher with information on subjects which require special attention for a specific student,” said Naveen Rajlani.

The test is administered by schools and is taken by individual students as well in the US. But in India, it will be made available only through schools to begin with. “As of now, the mode of testing will be through schools and is priced economically at Rs 150 per subject and Rs 350 in case the student wants to appear for all the three subjects,” added the senior vice-president.

The target shools in the city are yet to be decided. “Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh in general is a large market for us and the test will be launched in some of the schools soon after finalizing the deal,” he said.