Bhubaneswar: Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) on Monday directed all govt and govt-aided schools in the state to conduct summative assessment-I (SA-I) for the 2026-27 academic session in the fourth week of Sept, including observation-based assessment for students enrolled in Sishu Vatikas.In a letter issued to all district education officers-cum-district project coordinators (DEO-cum-DPCs) of Samagra Shiksha, Odisha, OSEPA said the assessment would cover students from Shishu Vatika-III to Grade VIII. It said the assessment should be conducted as per the academic calendar 2026-27 and the assessment framework for school education prepared by OSEPA. The authority instructed the DEO-cum-DPCs to ensure that the framework is followed “scrupulously” while conducting the assessment across all govt and govt-aided schools.Under the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020, Sishu Vatikas were introduced last year as part of the pre-school education system. Sources in OSEPA said while written examinations would be conducted for students from classes 1 to 8, children in Sishu Vatikas would be assessed through observation.Earlier this year, at the beginning of the academic session, the school and mass education department had announced four mandatory assessments in an academic year for students up to Class 8. Students would undergo two formative assessments (FA-I and FA-II) and two summative assessments (SA-I and SA-II).
