The Australian Council for Educational Research (India) launches a teacher assessment

We are delighted to announce the launch of STAR, a new standardised assessment that helps teachers demonstrate their literacy, numeracy, problem-solving, and pedagogic knowledge and skills, and their understanding of students' socio-emotional learning.

ACER is trusted by educators around the world to provide evidence-based tools for improving learner outcomes. We are a leader in international educational research and assessment, and the global manager for the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment.

The National Education Policy (2020) of India recommends continuous professional development of teachers, who are at the heart of the teaching and learning system. Informed by the National Professional Standards for Teachers (2023), STAR enables schools to optimise professional learning hours and strategically allocate and manage resources based on teachers’ learning needs.

Amit Kaushik, Managing Director & CEO, ACER India, said, ‘ACER believes that teachers play a crucial role in helping every learner make excellent progress and achieve the necessary skills for work and life. However, teaching capabilities vary across staff and, therefore, an assessment is important to determine the starting points for every teacher. STAR identifies those teaching practices that need further development to help schools decide the appropriate professional learning intervention for individual teachers.’

STAR is based on extensive research and helps determine effectively what teachers do well and the specific areas in which they need more help. School leaders can use this evidence to make informed decisions for targeted professional learning programmes, enabling teachers to improve their knowledge and skills to better support learners in classrooms.

STAR is designed to foster a culture of continuous professional growth and reflective practice among teachers, by offering comprehensive reports and actionable feedback for both schools and individual teachers.

Over time, STAR encourages teachers to excel and to enhance the quality of classroom instruction, leading to improved academic and socio-emotional skills among students, thus creating a win-win situation for all stakeholders in the system.

To know more about STAR, contact: india@acer.org