Summary
Abstract
The Primary School Certificate (PSC) has been administered annually since 2010 by the Ministry of Education, Directorate of Primary Education to grade 5 (ISCED 1) students in public and private schools.
The PSC is a low-stake examination that certifies completion of primary education.
The PSC is a written examination, administered face-to-face and delivered through paper-pencil tests. All test-takers are presented with the same cognitive booklets or tests, which are aligned with the national curriculum.
The PSC serves the following purposes:
- student certification for completion of primary education
- student selection to higher education programmes or admission into specific courses or tracks
- supporting teachers (training, relevant materials, etc.)
- school or educator accountability
- promoting competition among schools
- sub-national level monitoring of learning outcomes
- monitoring education quality levels
- planning education policy reforms
Kind of Data
Census (all students at the given grades or ages)
Units of Analysis
Results are reported at the student, school, sub-national and national levels. Data are disaggregated by sex, geographic location (urban and rural), major cities and type of schools (public and private).
Results are published in reports, which are available in print and online. Examination results are broadcasted on the radio and on television, and published in the media.
The Primary School Certificate comprises six mandatory subjects administered in Bengali, except for the English language test. The subjects are listed below:
Description of test items: Test items consist of multiple choice questions with three or more response options, open-ended questions requiring short constructed responses and essay writing.
Description of stimuli: Test stimuli consist of mixed texts.
Reporting metrics: Student performance is reported by percentage of points scored out of the maximum possible score. The maximum possible score is 600 points, 100 points for each subject. The minimum requirement to meet the national standard is 33%.
Students enrolled in grade 5 (ISCED 1) in public and private schools.
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