Failure of frequent assessment: An evaluation of India’s continuous and comprehensive evaluation program

Abstract

Continuous assessment programs, which emphasize frequent evaluation over infrequent high-stakes testing, have been implemented in many developing countries as a way to improve learning outcomes. In India, continuous assessment is mandated in all public primary schools through the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) Program. We conduct a randomized evaluation of CCE in the state of Haryana. We find that CCE had no significant effects on test scores, and we can rule out effects above 0.1 standard deviations. We present evidence that the lack of impacts was due to the program’s focus on evaluation without linking evaluations to changes in teaching practices.