Why in the News?

• The Andhra Pradesh Personalised Adaptive Learning (PAL) programme is in the news after a Nobel laureate-led study found it significantly boosted students’ math learning outcomes.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Adaptive Learning (Introduction, Key Features, Case Study of Andhra Pradesh, Broader Implications, Future Outlook)

Introduction

• Education reforms in India have increasingly focused on leveraging technology to bridge learning gaps.
• One of the promising interventions in this space is Personalised Adaptive Learning (PAL), a digital model that tailors educational content to individual students’ needs.
• Andhra Pradesh has been at the forefront of implementing PAL, and a recent evaluation led by Nobel laureate Michael Kremer has revealed significant learning gains, especially in mathematics.

Personalised Adaptive Learning

• It refers to an educational approach where software dynamically adjusts content and difficulty levels according to the learner’s performance.
• This creates a customised pathway for each student, ensuring that those who lag receive additional support, while advanced learners are challenged further.
• Key features of PAL include:

• Gamification of concepts to enhance engagement.
• Continuous assessment that adapts in real-time.
• Use of digital devices such as tablets and laptops.
• Focus on skill mastery rather than rote memorisation.

• The Andhra Pradesh government, in collaboration with ConveGenius AI, introduced PAL in select schools to address the issue of low foundational numeracy and to improve overall math proficiency among government school students.

The Andhra Pradesh Experiment

• The state government began implementing PAL in 2018, scaling it gradually to 500 schools.
• To scientifically measure its effectiveness, a Randomised Control Trial (RCT) was conducted across 120 government schools between 2023 and 2025.

• Treatment group: 30 schools received PAL-equipped labs with tablets.
• Control group: 30 schools without PAL for comparison.
• Sample size: Around 6,800 students across Grades 6 to 9.
• Intervention period: 17 months, with students spending an average of 35.3 hours on the software.

• Each participating school had dedicated PAL labs with 30 tablets, and students engaged in two math sessions per week, each lasting 40 minutes.

Key Findings from the Study

• According to the study, the PAL intervention yielded striking results:

• Learning Gains: Students achieved the equivalent of 1.9 additional years of schooling compared to peers without PAL.
• Faster Progress: Students using PAL learned at almost double the rate of those in the control group.
• Impact by Grade: Gains were higher in younger grades (6 and 7) since students had greater access to devices.
• Gender Gap: Girls benefited more than boys, largely due to higher usage hours.
• Cost-effectiveness: Annual per-student implementation cost was estimated at $20-25, making it a scalable and affordable model.

• Importantly, the evaluation was conducted independently and included external math assessments, ensuring the results were unbiased.

Broader Implications for India

• The Andhra Pradesh model is being hailed as a proof of concept for technology-driven learning interventions in India.
• With nearly 45,000 government schools in the state, scaling PAL across all institutions remains a logistical challenge but holds significant promise.
• Nationally, PAL can address:

• The learning crisis highlighted by ASER reports, which repeatedly show low math and reading levels among Indian students.
• The growing demand for EdTech solutions that complement traditional teaching.
• The need for cost-effective scalable interventions to improve public education quality.

Future Outlook

• The Andhra Pradesh government has announced plans to expand PAL to 1,224 schools, including PM-SHRI and residential schools.
• If successful, the intervention could serve as a national model for digital learning reforms.
• Experts suggest that combining PAL with teacher training and infrastructure investment can transform India’s education system, equipping students with the critical skills needed for the 21st century.