The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) plans to introduce a new school assessment framework aimed at fostering continuous improvement in education quality, inclusivity, leadership, and parent engagement.

The pilot phase of the initiative, named Rise (Review for Improvement of School Education), is set to begin next year, with the council intending to make it a regular evaluation every five years thereafter.

Joseph Emmanuel, council chief executive and secretary, emphasised the importance of ongoing progress during a recent meeting with school principals. “Every school should strive for excellence, or else they will stagnate,” he told Metro.

Emmanuel said that while many schools maintain high standards and have long-standing legacies, they must continually raise their benchmarks to remain leaders in education. “If you are at the top, you have to raise the benchmark to remain there,” he said.

The Rise framework will be a comprehensive tool for self-assessment, benchmarking, and evidence-based improvement, designed to align schools with global quality standards. Its evaluation criteria will span multiple domains including teaching and learning, assessment methods, school leadership and governance, teacher qualifications, infrastructure, active learning, and student satisfaction.

One component of the assessment will focus on inclusive practices, which the council defines as respecting diversity and fostering coexistence and cohesiveness among varied student populations.

Currently, the CISCE conducts inspections only during the affiliation process, which is a one-time evaluation covering infrastructure, laboratory facilities, managing committee composition, student strength, state government clearances, teacher qualifications, and safety protocols. The new Rise framework aims to provide ongoing feedback.

Assuring schools that the process would not be punitive, Emmanuel described the review as a “non-threatening” handholding mechanism designed to help schools improve. Rise will not affect a school’s affiliation status, but act like a report card, he explained.

At the meeting, Emmanuel outlined the various initiatives the council has planned for the coming years to the school heads.

The announcement of Rise was met with a positive response from many principals.

Sujoy Biswas, principal of Rammohan Mission High School, welcomed the initiative: “It would help us see whether the parameters with which the school started are being maintained or improved upon.”

Principals from newer schools also saw it as a chance to level the playing field. Legacy schools with years of history often have an edge, even when they may not have implemented new initiatives.

“The Rise assessment would be evidence-based rather than driven by public perception,” said Seema Sapru, principal of The Heritage School, which turned 24 this year.

“We would welcome the council’s evaluation of classroom teaching and pedagogy, provided the feedback is constructive and aimed at helping schools improve,” Sapru added.

Transparency and informed choice for parents were other expected benefits of the evaluation.

“It would allow parents to select schools in a more informed way,” said Rodney Borneo, principal of St Augustine’s Day School, Shyamnagar.

“For schools, it creates an opportunity for self-awareness and reflection, helping identify areas needing improvement,” Borneo said.

However, not all school heads were fully convinced. Some, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed concerns that the council might overstep, fearing “too much interference” in school affairs.