TSAR 2021 or Teachers Self Assessment Rubrics 2021 has been introduced by the NCERT for self assessment of teachers on online mode across the country. For this NCERT has launched TSAR Website tsar.ncert.org.in and released guidelines and rubrics for Teachers Self Assessment in PDF format. Teachers who are working in Education Department can check details and download the TSAR Guidelines for better understanding.
Teachers play a crucial role in shaping the minds of children and in turn the quality of education. Teachers are expected to demonstrate understanding of subject matter; establish a positive relationship with students; create an effective learning environment to ensure enriching experiences; conduct students’ assessment; work closely with colleagues and the community; and exhibit professional commitment and accountability.
NCERT has developed Learning Outcomes for elementary classes in various subjects and Learning Outcomes for secondary classes are being finalized. To help the teachers understand and achieve the learning outcomes as per curricular expectations, some suggestive pedagogical processes are also provided in the document of Learning Outcomes.
In 2013, NCERT developed guidelines and tool for assessing the teacher’s performance at the elementary level called PINDICS which helps in self assessment of teachers. The Cluster Resource Centre /Block Resource Centre or other supervisory staff can also use PINDICS for assessing the performance of teachers, supporting them through appropriate teacher development programmes, and making the teachers accountable to their responsibilities.
In continuation with PINDICS, NCERT has made an effort to develop guidelines along with a tool for assessing the teacher’s performance up to senior secondary level and NCERT is happy to present this document titled ‘Teacher’s Self Assessment Rubrics’ (TSAR) to teachers and other stakeholders to use it for self assessment and further professional development activities. TSAR has been developed through a series of in- house meetings and sharing workshops with teachers, teacher educators, and other experts.
The draft document was tried out with teachers from state board schools, Kendriya Vidyalalyas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, Demonstration Multipurpose Schools and private schools. Feedback was also obtained from the faculty members of SCERTs, DIETs and Samagra Siksha Abhiyan during Regional Consultative cum Sharing Workshop.
The document is suggestive in nature and States/UTs can suitably use it by adopting or adapting it. The efforts made by the Department of Teacher Education in finalizing this document is appreciated. NCERT wish to thank all teachers, teacher educators, and other experts and institutions for their contributions in developing TSAR.
| Name of Guidelines | TSAR 2021 |
|---|---|
| Title | Teachers Self Assessment Rubrics |
| Subject | NCERT has developed Teachers Self Assessment Rubrics |
| Category | Guidelines |
| TSAR TS Official Website | TSAR TS Website |
| NCERT TSAR Website | https://tsar.ncert.org.in/ |
The society is evolving continually and so is the performance demand in every profession. The profession of teaching is no exception. The demands on teachers are becoming increasingly complex and some of the challenges to the profession can be counted on fingers, in terms of – multicultural classrooms, integration of children with special needs in the mainstream, use of information and communication technologies, interactions with the community and the parents, etc.
Though, most teachers try to deliver to their best, the quality of deliverance needs to be in question sometimes. This calls in for a need of assessment. Teachers’ assessment which refers to the process of evaluation of individual teachers to judge their performance and/or providing feedback to help improve their practice, ultimately aims to strengthen their accountability.
In this light, teachers’ self assessment promises to encourage teachers to reflect on the personal, organisational and institutional factors that have an impact on their teaching. Keeping this idea in centre focus, the National Council of Educational Research and Training has come up with a guideline and a tool called – Teachers’ Self Assessment Rubrics that will help a teacher right from elementary to senior secondary level to participate intricately in his/her self assessment.
| Name of TSAR File | Download |
|---|---|
| TSAR TS guidelines | Telangana TSAR Guidelines (Telugu) |
| TSAR TS Urdu Guidelines | Urdu TSAR Guidelines |
| TSAR Data Entry Form | Required Information to fill up TSAR |
| Performance Standards, Indicators, 4 Point Rating Scale | TSAR 4 Point Rating Scale |
| TSAR Data Entry User Guide | Steps to fill up TSAR Data |
| TSAR Teacher Training in Telugu | Telangana TSAR Teacher Training PPT (Telugu) |
| TSAR Teacher Training in English | TSAR Teacher Training PPT (English) |
| NCERT TSAR Guidelines | NCERT TSAR Guidelines (English) |
Designed so as to assist the teachers in self assessing not only their daily teaching practices but also their overall role as a teacher, TSAR comprises of six (6) Performance Standards (PS) with certain Performance Indicators (PI) under each PS. These forty PI(s) are thereby assessed on a continuum specifying the Levels of Performance ranging from Level 1 to Level 4 as per four Descriptors.
Level 1 indicates that the teacher has not approached the expected standard as per that particular PI and Level 4 indicates that the teacher is beyond the level of expectations as per that PI. The descriptors given under each level for every Performance Indicator will help the teacher to understand where he/she stands and what more he/she needs to do in order to at least reach the expected level.
Further, it will also help to understand their expected roles and responsibilities in facilitating students’ learning. Self assessment by teachers not only helps one to identify his/her strengths and weaknesses, but to evolve as a reflective practitioner. Thus, this TSAR document as a self assessment tool for teachers presents with a prospect to contribute successfully in Continuous Professional Development activities.
It will also provide the teachers with an occasion to display their exceptional performances. The document includes Teachers Performance Sheet provided in the appendix that is to be filled by teachers themselves so as to understand their performance levels under each PS. For consolidating the assessment done by all teachers from the School/CRC/BRC/DIET, another table namely Consolidation Sheet has also been included with this document in the appendix.
An exemplar sheet of both the tables have been provided with this document to understand the process of calculating and thereby, completing the tables. The guidelines along with the tool will also help different institutions, which are responsible for providing continuous professional development to teachers to identify training needs and requirements of teachers contrary to the most characterized top down approach to in-service programme. After all, the national workforce of teachers can only be strengthened when one starts right from the grass root level.
PINDICS (Performance Indicators): NCERT had developed a guideline along with a tool for assessing the performance of teachers at the elementary level, called PINDICS. It can be used for self assessment as well as for external assessment. The online and mobile application of PINDICS are also available. This tool is basically a 4 point rating scale consists of 54 performance indicators covered under 7 broad performance standards. Teachers from 20 states/UTs have been using PINDICS.
TSAR (Teacher Self Assessment Rubrics): PINDICS, being a tool for assessing the performance of elementary school teachers, there is a need to come up with a tool, which will help teachers from all levels of school education. NCERT has developed a guideline and tool for the self assessment of teachers’ performance titled Teacher Self Assessment Rubrics (TSAR). This tool can be used by any teacher working at primary to higher secondary level. It can be used by teachers for assessing their own performance based on their expected roles and responsibilities. This will help them identify their areas of strength and challenges when they perform their duties as a teacher and facilitate them to enrich the teaching learning process.
One of the important roles of a teacher is to facilitate students’ learning and provide support to them in the realization of learning outcomes. As a teacher, many-a-times he/she might get puzzled by the fact that, in spite of putting in the best effort, the students are not performing to the best of their potential. Self-reflection and introspection of teacher’s practices inside and outside the classroom will help one to understand some of the aspects that require further modification and improvement.
The teacher may be already practicing some of the innovative pedagogical approaches in the classroom that might be very effective for enriching the teaching-learning process. This document will provide the teacher with an opportunity to showcase his/her innovative work and performance. The most important thing is that, this tool being Rubrics, will give an idea about what are the expected roles and responsibilities of a teacher in facilitating students’ learning. This, in turn, will help the teacher to identify the weak as well as strong areas of his/her performance.
Purpose of Teacher’s Self Assessment: Assessment plays a key role in schools’ improvement and teachers’ development. A teacher, who does not reflect on and introspect his/her methods and actions in the classroom/school, would tend to be repetitive in the future. He/she may teach a concept in the same way and may use the same examples and activities again and again in the class irrespective of the performance of the students.
Once the teacher starts looking at himself/herself and analyses what has yielded results and what has gone wrong in the teaching-learning process and other school activities, he/she will be able to identify the areas which require further improvement. This process will help the teachers to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and thereby, motivating them to improve their performance which will ultimately help to achieve the objectives, such as schools’ improvement and accountability of teachers.
The present Teacher’s Self Assessment Rubrics can be used by teachers for assessing their performance and making continuous efforts to reach the highest level. This tool can be used by teachers voluntarily as a resource to guide their thinking as they would be able to reflect on their instructional practices, including their areas of strength, the scope for growth as well as available and desired support.
Teacher’s Self Assessment Rubrics (TSAR): Self-assessment by teachers is fundamental to reflective practice that contributes to the professional growth of teachers. TSAR is based on six performance standards mentioned below. These Performance Standards reflect the expected roles and responsibilities of a teacher.
(1) Designing Learning Experiences (2) Knowledge and Understanding of the Subject Matter (3) Strategies for Facilitating Learning (4) Interpersonal Relationship (5) Professional Development (6) School Development Each performance standard includes performance indicators, which directly indicate the expected roles and responsibilities of teachers.
A teacher’s performance is assessed on a continuum ranging from ‘Much effort is needed to reach the expected standard’ to ‘Beyond the expected standard’. The subdivisions in this continuum are based on the actual performance of teachers as per different indicators specified under each performance standard.
TSAR Performance Standards (PS): Performance standards are areas in which teachers perform their tasks and responsibilities. They refer to statements describing what is expected of a teacher’s knowledge and performance in his/her day-to-day teaching and other related activities inside and outside the classroom. The following Six performance standards have been identified:
| Performance Standard Code | TSAR Performance Standards |
|---|---|
| Performance Standard 1 (PS 1) | Designing Learning Experiences |
| Performance Standard 2 (PS 2) | Knowledge and Understanding of Subject Matter |
| Performance Standard 3 (PS 3) | Strategies for Facilitating Learning |
| Performance Standard 4 (PS 4) | Interpersonal Relationship |
| Performance Standard 5 (PS 5) | Professional Development |
| Performance Standard 6 (PS 6) | School Development |
Performance Standard 1- Designing Learning Experiences: The teacher designs the classroom activities, appropriate pedagogical strategies, resources, learning outcomes, assessment procedures to meet the needs of all students. TSAR PS 1 Performance Indicators as shown in below table.
| Performance Indicators Code | PS 1 Performance Indicators |
|---|---|
| PS 1.1 | Use existing knowledge and experiences of learners while planning |
| PS 1.2 | Consider Learning Outcomes (LOs) while planning |
| PS 1.3 | Plan for engaging all learners in different activities |
| PS 1.4 | Collect, prepare and integrate the relevant teaching learning materials (TLMs) |
| PS 1.5 | Planning assessment strategies |
Performance Standard 2 – Knowledge and Understanding of Subject Matter: The teacher demonstrates an understanding of the curriculum, subject content, and developmental needs of students by providing relevant learning experiences. TSAR PS 2 Performance Indicators as shown in below table.
| Performance Indicators Code | PS 2 Performance Indicators |
|---|---|
| PS 2.1 | Exhibit content knowledge with conceptual clarity using appropriate examples |
| PS 2.2 | Address the conceptual errors/difficulties/misconceptions of learners |
Performance Standard 3 – Strategies for Facilitating Learning: The teacher uses resources and procedures to provide a respectful, positive, safe, and student-centered environment that is conducive to learning. Teachers engages students in learning by using a variety of teaching-learning strategies to meet individual learning needs. Teacher communicates clearly with learners. Teacher collects, analyzes, and uses all relevant information to assess learners’ academic progress, and provides timely feedback to both-learners and parents throughout the school year. TSAR PS 3 Performance Indicators as shown in below table.
| Performance Indicators Code | TSAR PS 3 Performance Indicators |
|---|---|
| PS 3A | Creating Conducive Learning Environment |
| PS 3B | Learning strategies and activities |
| PS 3C | Communication Skills |
| PS 3D | Assessment and Feedback |
TSAR PS 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D Sub Performance Indicators as shown in below tables.
PS 3A Creating Conducive Learning Environment
| Performance Indicators Code | PS 3A Performance Indicators |
|---|---|
| PS 3A.1 | Use available space in the classroom to organize different activities |
| PS 3A.2 | Ensure cleanliness in classrooms and school |
| PS 3A.3 | Take care of safety of students in the classroom |
| PS 3A.4 | Address the issues of personal health & hygiene |
| PS 3A.5 | Display teaching-learning materials and learners’ work in the classrooms |
| PS 3A.6 | Use appropriate strategies for ensuring classroom discipline |
| PS 3A.7 | Strengthening learners’ regularity of attendance in classroom/ school |
PS 3B: Learning strategies and activities
| Performance Indicators Code | PS 3B Performance Indicators |
|---|---|
| PS 3B.1 | Use learner centered strategies (engaging students in creative and critical thinking, inquiry, investigation, and problem-based learning; encouraging discussion, dialogue, debate, cooperative and collaborative activities, etc.) |
| PS 3B.2 | Provide opportunities to all learners to participate in discovery, exploration and experimentation |
| PS 3B.3 | Acknowledge learners’ responses and encourage their participation |
| PS 3B.4 | Encourage learners to ask questions |
| PS 3B.5 | Develop ICT skills amongst learners |
| PS 3B.6 | Use different teaching-learning resource materials like textbooks, teachers’ sourcebooks, print & digital materials, web resources, etc. |
| PS 3B.7 | Provide opportunities to learners for development of qualities like care, concern, compassion, sympathy, empathy, and stress management |
PS 3B: Communication Skills
| Performance Indicators Code | PS 3C Performance Indicators |
|---|---|
| PS 3C.1 | Listen to learners patiently |
| PS 3C.2 | Use the home language of learner wherever needed |
| PS 3C.3 | Write grammatically correct sentences with proper spacing and punctuation marks |
PS 3D: Assessment and Feedback
| Performance Indicators Code | PS 3D Performance Indicators |
|---|---|
| PS 3D.1 | Assess students’ learning and provide feedback for improving learning |
| PS 3D.2 | Maintain students’ profile of learning and performance (record of different tests, assignments, written work, projects, anecdotes, etc.) |
| PS 3D.3 | Share learners’ progress with parents/guardians |
Performance Standard 4 – Interpersonal Relationship: The teacher collaborates and works with colleagues, students, parents and communities to develop and sustain a positive school climate that supports students’ learning.
| Performance Indicators Code | PS 4 Performance Indicators |
|---|---|
| PS 4.1 | Relationship with students |
| PS 4.2 | Relationship with colleagues |
| PS 4.3 | Relationship with parents and community |
Performance Standard 5 – Professional Development: The teacher maintains a commitment to professional ethics, engages in innovation and classroom (action) research, takes responsibility and participates in professional growth that results in enhanced students’ learning.
| Performance Indicators Code | PS 5 Performance Indicators |
|---|---|
| PS 5.1 | Update subject knowledge through self learning |
| PS 5.2 | Participate in in-service education programmes as per need and requirement |
| PS 5.3 | Participate in in-service education programmes for improving ICT skills |
| PS 5.4 | Engage in innovative and action research activities |
| PS 5.5 | Participate and present papers in seminars/ conferences/ workshops and publish articles/papers in various journals, newspapers, magazines, etc. |
| PS 5.6 | Contribute to the development of teaching-learning materials (TLMs) and other resources through ICT |
Performance Standard 6 – School Development: The teacher takes initiative and contributes to the activities which lead to the school’s development.
| Performance Indicators Code | PS 6 Performance Indicators |
|---|---|
| PS 6.1 | Organise/participate and contribute in School Management Committee (SMC)/ Parent Teacher Meeting (PTM)/Parent Teacher Association (PTA) activities |
| PS 6.2 | Discharge duties of various committees responsibly and take initiative for organizing activities for those committees (such as morning assembly, time-table, examination, sports, cultural day celebration, public relations, excursions, etc.) |
| PS 6.3 | Take responsibilities for organizing activities-Guidance & Counseling, NCC, NSS, Scouts & Guides, Red Cross, various club activities, resource mobilization, and school budgeting |
| PS 6.4 | Discharge all kinds of duties as assigned by the authority |
Performance descriptors are observable and measurable statements of teachers’ actions aligned to each performance indicator. They serve as the basis for identifying the level of performance. In some of the descriptors, there are terms like Occasionally, Often, Usually and Always.
| Performance descriptors | Details |
|---|---|
| Occasionally | Occasionally means the presence (frequency) of the activities under the given performance indicator ranges between 0 to 30% |
| Often | Often means the presence of the activities under the given performance indicator ranges between 31% to 60% |
| Usually | Usually means the presence of the activities under the given performance indicator ranges between 61% to 90% |
| Always. | Always means the presence of the activities under the given performance indicator ranges between 91% to 100% |
Rating used in TSAR Each performance indicator is rated on a four-point scale ranging from 1 to 4 indicating the levels of performance. The rating points are:
| Performance level | Name of the Level | Descriptors | Level Point |
|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | Much effort is needed to reach the expected standard | Below Satisfactory Performance: Teacher’s performance does not meet the expectations, roles and responsibilities of a teacher; Needs more effort to achieve proficiency to become an effective teacher; Requires continuous professional support to achieve proficiency | 1 |
| L2 | Approaching the expected standard | Satisfactory performance: Making efforts to achieve the required proficiency to become an effective teacher; Requires professional support to achieve proficiency; Needs improvement in his/her performance | 2 |
| L3 | Approached the expected standard | Effective performance: Meets the requirements of teaching job; Demonstrates a willingness to learn and applies new teaching skills; Sustains high performance over a period of time; Exhibits behaviour that has a positive impact on students’ learning | 3 |
| L4 | Beyond the expected standard | Exceptional performance: Consistently exhibits behaviours that have a strong positive impact on learners and school’s climate; Serves as a role model to others; Innovatively performs tasks and makes extra efforts for improving students’ performance | 4 |
Sources of Evidence: Under each performance indicator, the teacher has to assess his/her performance as per any one of the four levels mentioned above. He/she should provide evidence or reason for his/her rating against each such indicator. If specific pieces of evidence are not available, the teacher may write the reason, why he/she has been placed at that particular level. The teacher may use the following types of evidence during the self assessment:
Teachers’ Diaries; Lessons’ Notes; Instances of Daily Interaction between Learners and Teachers; Video Recordings; Recordings of Assessment; Learners’ Worksheets; Learners’ Activity Books; Learners’ Secondary Board Results; TLMs; Learners’ Portfolios; Attendance Register of Learners; Learners’ Notebooks; Photographs; Record of Learners’ Participation in various Activities (eg. Annual Day); Learners’ Diaries; Learners’ Feedback Form (on specific activity); Progress Report Cards;
Monitors’ Diaries; School Magazine; School Website; Time Tables/Activity Charts; Display Boards; Visitors’ Register; Inspection Register; Teaching Resources Developed and Used by Teachers; Certificates of Workshops, Conferences, In-service Teachers’ Training, etc.; Teachers’ Publications; Case Studies & Project Reports; Teachers’ Meeting Records; Students’ Feedback about their Learning; Students’ Participation in District Level or State Level Competitions; Counseling Services; Other Duties; etc. as performed by the teacher.
Guidelines for Teachers: Self-assessment by the teacher should be done once in an academic year, preferably at the end of the first quarter. The following points need to be taken care of while undertaking the self assessment:
- Complete the teacher’s profile. If you are using the online/mobile app, please register.
- Read each performance indicator carefully and reflect on it in the context of your classrooms’ as well as school’s practices. Each indicator contains four descriptors. Read all the descriptions carefully and select the descriptor that best describes your performance.
- Provide evidence/reason for the selection of a particular level.
- Complete Table 1 by providing a rating point for each indicator. An example of the same has been given in Appendix 2.
- Calculate the total score for each Performance Standard by adding scores of Performance Indicators under that PS.
- Prepare a descriptive report based on your assessment in Table 2 (Appendix 3). The report may also include the areas in which help is required.
- Submit a copy of the filled-in tool along with the descriptive report to the Head Teacher/ Principal/CRC/BRC/DIET so that they can provide you further professional support and mentoring.
- If you are using the online tool or mobile app, please get a printed copy of the report.
- If any of the performance indicators/descriptors are not applicable in your context, please write NA in the Remark Column with a valid reason for the same.
Guidelines for Head Teacher/Principal/CRC/BRC/DIET: The self assessment data submitted by the teachers should be tabulated and analysed for identifying the areas/themes for future in-service programmes of teachers. The following need to be taken care of:
- After collecting the self assessment report from all the teachers, Head Teacher/Principal needs to forward the same to CRC/BRC (for elementary teachers) and DIET (for secondary and senior secondary teachers).
- CRC/BRC/DIET has to consolidate the data obtained from the schools in Table 3 (Appendix 4) provided. An example of the same has been given in Appendix 5.
- From the consolidated data, CRC/BRC/DIET has to identify the major standards/areas/ themes, and how many teachers are under Level 1 and Level 2 (Appendix 5).
- These areas/themes need to be prioritized while organising in-service programmes/on-site support/mentoring.
- Self assessment data should only be used to provide professional support and mentoring to teachers.
Guidelines for Administrators (District/State level): For effective use of this tool, the following activities need to be undertaken by the administrators at state and district levels:
- An orientation programme needs to be organised for teachers as well as head teachers/ principals.
- Orientation should include familiarisation with the tool, its use and how it will help the teachers in their professional development.
- State and district may appoint a State Nodal Officer and a District Nodal Officer, respectively. For elementary level, there should be Cluster and Block level Nodal Officers.
- A state may form a state-level Resource Group for this purpose. Similarly, each district may form a district-level resource group(s).
- The data submitted by teachers shall reach the cluster/block/district-level Nodal Officer and after the completion of Table 3, the same may be forwarded to the state-level Nodal Officer.
- The district/state-level Nodal Officers should analyse the data based on table 3 and identify the themes in which teachers require in-service programmes/on-site support.
- In the case of primary/upper primary teachers, cluster/block level officers can analyse the data and chalk out the plan for in-service programmes/on-site support.
FAQs on Teachers Self Assessment Rubrics
- What are the uses of TSAR (Teachers Self Assessment Rubrics)?
Benefits of TSAR or Teacher’s Self Assessment Rubrics are to facilitate reflective practices in teaching-learning, assess and address the strengths and challenges of teachers, enhance the proficiency of teachers in organizing classroom teaching-learning activities and other school related activities, provide support and mentoring to the teachers, provide opportunities for continuing growth through multiple experiences, enhance the self confidence of teachers, and improve the teaching-learning process and the performance of students
- What is TSAR?
The TSAR means Teachers Self Assessment and it is an assessment tool which serves as a guide for teachers to self-assess themselves and reflect on their daily teaching practices as well as on their role as a teacher.
- What are the Performance Indicators?
Performance indicators are specific activities that are required to be performed by a teacher inside and outside the class in order to be observed and assessed.
- What are the Performance descriptors?
Performance descriptors are observable and measurable statements of teachers’ actions aligned to each performance indicator. They serve as the basis for identifying the level of performance.
TSAR training is very useful for every teacher because how to improve our teaching skills, how to improve students abilities. And this training stands for students basics improve their learning abilities.