During May 2014, the Bihar Elementary School Study assessed Hindi and mathematics learning outcomes of students of Std 2, Std 4 and Std 6 of randomly selected clusters in all districts of Bihar. All government schools with elementary classes in the selected clusters were included and all children of the relevant classes who were present on the day of the visit were assessed. An oral assessment was administered to Std 2 children, and both oral and written assessments were given to Std 4 and Std 6 children. In all, more than 1,000 schools and 60,000 children participated in the study. 

In addition to assessing children’s learning, a key objective of the study was to build the capacity of key people at the district level. The study was designed in collaboration with Bihar state government officials and UNICEF. At district level, DIET faculty, CRC coordinators, and Pratham/ ASER staff were responsible for training DIET students to conduct the fieldwork as well as for monitoring its progress.