The NAAT Excellence Awards, hosted on 28 April 2018 at the Constitution Club, New Delhi, aimed to recognise the efforts and achievements of the top performers on NAAT assessments. The awards also recognised schools that secured highest enrollments, as a marker of their commitment to fostering greater transparency, a commitment to pursue quality and ensure student learning. The first 12 students were honoured with scholarships supporting the annual cost of their education, and amounting to INR 25,000 each, with an additional 12 students receiving educational tablets. The first cohort of 24 achievers were also enrolled into the National Independent School Alliance (NISA) student mentorship program, bringing them advisory and counsel for their personal, academic, and professional development. The NAAT Excellence Awards were acknowledged in 11 leading digital and print media, such as EduAdvice, Jagran and India Education Diary.
Designed by Gray Matters India, the National Analytical Aptitude Test (NAAT), is a core component of Udaan, a comprehensive program launched by NISA to improve the quality of education delivery and learning in budget private schools in India. The NAAT assesses learning outcomes amongst students from class 3 to 11 on abstract, numerical and verbal reasoning skills that provide the foundational faculties of curricular comprehension and learning. The program integrates student and school assessments, on-going mentorship and scholarships for targeted students, and a comprehensive school improvement program for the participating budget private schools from across the country. NAAT, conducted for the first time in 2017, saw an enrolment 24,826 students across 14 states with the highest participation from Andhra Pradesh (i.e. 11,863 students from 109 schools) followed by Haryana (i.e. 6,078 students from 77 schools), and Telangana (i.e. 3,062 students from 53 schools).