Introduction
Large-scale assessments in India such as NAS and ASER (2022), have highlighted persistent gaps in foundational literacy, numeracy, and student motivation. While Motivation is a critical determinant of academic success, it is often underemphasized in large-scale education reform efforts. The AuroScholar Programme, implemented by the Sri Aurobindo Society (SAS), was designed to address this gap by integrating digital assessments with micro-scholarships to promote and encourage sustained student engagement in learning.
Ms. Aditi Malviya presented a poster at the International Conference on Emerging Trends and Challenges in Open, Distance, Digital and Blended Learning (OBBDL) showcasing how the AuroScholar programme, through competency-based assessments supported by strong capacity building and quality assurance mechanisms, can contribute to improved student learning outcomes.
Assessment as a Tool for Competency-Based Learning
AuroScholar is built on the principle that assessment should actively support learning, not just measure it. This programme offers short, curriculum-aligned quizzes for students in Classes 1 to 12, encouraging regular practice and deeper conceptual understanding.
The programme also integrates a micro-scholarship model to improve motivation. Students who achieve defined performance benchmarks receive small financial incentives, reinforcing consistent effort and sustained engagement with learning.
By aligning assessments with clearly defined learning outcomes, AuroScholar supports competency-based approach to learning, where student progress is determined by demonstrated mastery rather than peer comparison. This shifts assessment from a summative exercise to a continuous, learning-oriented intervention.
The Role of ACER in Capacity Building
As AuroScholar scaled to reach millions of learners, ensuring the quality of assessments became increasingly critical. SAS partnered with the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to strengthen internal assessment design capacity and establish standardised quality assurance processes.
ACER implemented a structured capacity-building model through a series of adaptive workshops conducted over time. These workshops focused on:
- Competency-based item design
- Writing high-quality assessment items
- Developing higher-order thinking questions
- Improving distractor quality
- Understanding quality assurance standards
Notably, the workshop content was informed by insights from continuous quality reviews ensuring that the training addressed real and emerging challenges in assessment development.
The programme demonstrated that assessment development improves through continuous training, feedback, and practice, rather than through one-time training interventions.
Establishing a Strong Quality Assurance System
ACER also supported the development of a standardised quality assurance framework to ensure maintenance of consistency and reliability of assessment items at scale. Items were systematically reviewed and categorized as accepted, sent for revision, or rejected based on clearly defined quality standards.
Monthly feedback reports enabled assessment developers to progressively improve item quality over time. The findings reinforce that quality assurance is a core requirement for any large-scale competency-based assessment programme. Regular feedback, external expert inputs, and periodic independent reviews plays a critical role in strengthening assessment validity, reliability and fairness.
Implications for Competency-Based Education
The AuroScholar model aligns closely with broader education priorities such as competency-based learning and data-informed decision-making. The large-scale learner data generated through the programme can inform targeted academic interventions as well as system-level planning.
The initiative also highlights that technology alone cannot transform assessment systems. Sustainable improvement depends on strong and sustained capacity building, rigorous quality assurance processes, and expert collaboration.
Conclusion
The AuroScholar Programme demonstrates how competency-based digital assessment can enhance learning outcomes when supported by continuous capacity building and strong quality assurance systems. ACER played a pivotal role in strengthening internal assessment expertise and establishing sustainable quality assurance mechanisms.
The key takeaway is clear: effective competency-based assessment systems require continuous professional development, rigorous quality assurance, and meaningful use of data. When these elements work together, assessment becomes a powerful tool not only for measuring learning, but for improving it at a scale.