ExcelOne Education

Across regions, traditions, and languages, the spirit of celebration brings us together.

From the sweetness of Makar Sankranti and the warmth of Lohri to the joy of Pongal and the energy of Bihu, we celebrate the festivals that reflect India’s shared heart.

Assessment data can shift learning outcomes, but only when school leaders actively interpret it, challenge assumptions, and translate insight into impact.
Building on this belief, ExcelOne Education, in collaboration with Udgam School for Children - India, is hosting an exclusive, in-person roundtable on competency-based assessments and data-driven problem solving.

Designed as a highly interactive working session, the Udgam roundtable will bring school leaders together to explore how assessment insights translate into everyday practice, moving beyond dashboards to feedback loops, progression benchmarks, and informed instructional choices.

The focus will be on:
• Strengthening classroom practice through assessment evidence
• Building meaningful feedback and progression frameworks
• Learning from peer experiences rooted in real school contexts

Where - Udgam School, Ahmedabad
When - 7 January 2026 | 9:00–11:30 AM

Register here - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf7ll8V0rw19GNbjlhFRjwFyx1DAu1a-ocCHN6haDAfV6pyEg/viewform
This is the second roundtable in our ongoing series with leading schools across India.
In our earlier roundtable at JBCN International School, Borivali, school leaders reflected on how data becomes truly powerful when it helps reframe the right questions. Read the wrap-up here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7408028710605328384/

As schools move towards competency-based education, critical thinking, and real-world application; assessment systems must evolve to capture meaningful learning and inform better academic decisions.

On 9 January, ExcelOne Education is hosting a leadership webinar, “𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴.”

The session features a keynote on the evolution of global assessments and their role in future-ready, holistic education by Tanja Vujičić, Senior Policy Analyst, OECD, followed by a panel discussion titled “𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮: 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴,” with senior educators and assessment specialists - Sapna Sukul, Nellie Ahmed, Dr Snehal Pinto, 𝗚 𝗔𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶, Nimi Sharma

The webinar will explore:
- Global trends in meaningful, competency-based assessments
- How international benchmarking supports school improvement
- How assessment data can be used to strengthen pedagogy and learning outcomes.

Designed for Principals, School Leaders, and Academic Directors, this is a focused conversation on moving from marks-based evaluation to evidence-led improvement.

When - 9 January 2026 | 4:00–5:30 PM

Register now: https://lnkd.in/g58DyUCM

PISA for Schools

Turning the page to 2026 with purpose.

Here’s to new journeys, meaningful learning, and milestones that truly matter.
Happy New Year from all of us at ExcelOne Education.

“𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘕𝘌𝘗 2020, 𝘚𝘈𝘍𝘈𝘓 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯,” says Senthil Kumaran A Dr. in this reflective piece in which he highlights a familiar pattern in schools: the rush to “prepare” for assessment before fully understanding its purpose. While well-intentioned, this instinct risks turning SAFAL into just another exam, something it was never meant to be.

Aligned with NEP 2020, SAFAL (Structured Assessment for Analysing Learning Levels) is a key-stage assessment designed to support learning, not rank performance. Its role is to offer feedback on how learning is unfolding at critical transition points, helping schools strengthen pedagogy, address gaps, and focus on competencies rather than coverage.

This is where school leadership is pivotal. When leaders position SAFAL as a mirror for reflection rather than a measure to perform against, teachers gain space to reflect, parents are reassured, and classrooms stay anchored in concept clarity and student thinking.

Read the full article by our Senthil Kumaran A Dr here: https://lnkd.in/g77NaKFi

Let’s not make SAFAL… असफल Understanding SAFAL(Structured Assessment for Analyzing Learning levels) the Right Way..

Season’s greetings!
May the season bring reflection, joy, and a bright start ahead.
- Team ExcelOne Education

As the NEP 2020 calls for a shift toward competency-based skills development, forward-looking school leaders are rethinking how their learning ecosystems can be designed and improved.

Working with 200+ schools across India, we’ve learned that global benchmarks like PISA for Schools give clarity, community is what turns insight into action and impact.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚 𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞.

𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐎𝐧𝐞 is an exclusive learning community for school leaders who want to turn global benchmarks into sustained, school-wide improvement.
It’s designed for leaders who want to move beyond reading reports to building capability together.

As a member, schools gain:
- Clarity on what PISA for Schools data means for teaching, wellbeing, and school culture
- Structured pathways to translate insights into actionable priorities across the academic year
- Peer learning with school leaders navigating similar challenges and sharing real practices
- Global perspective, grounded in Indian classroom realities

𝐖𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫!

𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗢𝗻𝗲 – 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀, 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 - 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺, 19𝘵𝘩 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 2025
𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 - 5:00 𝘱.𝘮. 𝘐𝘚𝘛
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 - 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦

Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScEJ7y2-QRl0gJ-s5DimKs6jzdDRgNSvb3qjA9QZtBdlkkxRg/viewform

In this session, we’ll explore:

- Why school improvement accelerates in communities, not silos
- How Club ExcelOne supports leaders through the year
- Insights from an OECD - OCDE representative on how schools globally are using PISA for Schools to drive meaningful change

If you’re a school owner, principal, or academic leader, this conversation is for you.

What an incredible day it was at our exclusive event, Building a Culture of Evidence: India’s School Education Transformation! Bringing together visionaries and leaders from the education world sparked conversations that were not just inspiring and thought-provoking, but a vivid reminder that evidence-based education is no longer just an idea—it’s a movement in action.

The discussions underscored why this journey matters: each PISA for Schools assessment cycle builds deeper insights, teachers play a central role in interpreting and applying data, and schools as a whole are critical units for driving meaningful change. Assessments must reflect real competencies, and true progress is always contextual. Most importantly, education must prepare students for life, not just marks—reminding us that every insight we gather must translate into meaningful action in classrooms and across schools.

We are immensely grateful to our speakers for their invaluable insights and to everyone who joined us today. Your participation made the event truly meaningful.
While today’s event has concluded, the momentum continues, and we look forward to advancing this journey together.

Kavish Sarawgi A Senthil Kumaran

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Just 2 more days to go!

We are excited to host an exclusive session on Building a Culture of Evidence: India’s School Education Transformation.

The dialogue will bring perspectives from education leaders pioneering change on the ground and shaping policy at scale. It’s a moment to listen, question, and imagine how the culture of evidence can transform the future of learning in our schools.

If you haven’t already registered yet. Do it now: https://lnkd.in/gc63T4cB

We look forward to seeing you at the event.

Kavish Sarawgi A Senthil Kumaran

Why does a ‘Culture of Evidence’ matter in education?
Because meaningful transformation happens when decisions are driven by reliable data, global benchmarks, and actionable insights.

The countdown is on for ExcelOne’s exclusive session on Building a Culture of Evidence: India’s School Education Transformation.

Join thought leaders from OECD - OCDE The World Bank, Central Board of Secondary Education Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) and ExcelOne Education as they share insights on how global assessments like PISA for Schools are empowering schools to improve student learning, well-being, and overall school climate.

Register here: https://forms.gle/EVHw6kAmzyjzR1cVA

We are looking forward to your participation.

India’s school education is undergoing a historic change under NEP 2020, shifting towards competency-based learning, tech integration, and global benchmarking.

At this pivotal moment, ExcelOne’s is hosting an exclusive session on Building a Culture of Evidence, India’s School Education Transformation.

In this session, global and national leaders from the education world will share how data-driven insights, global assessments like PISA for Schools, and evidence-based decision-making are reshaping learning in schools.

Register here: https://forms.gle/EVHw6kAmzyjzR1cVA

We are looking forward to your participation.