SCERT Andhra Pradesh has issued the FA-2 Tool-2 TaRL testing guidelines for the academic year 2026-27 along with the Formative Assessment-2 proceedings (Rc.No.3426774/FA-2/SCERT/2026). The guidelines explain how the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) baseline assessment for Telugu, Mathematics and English is conducted along with FA-2 for Classes III, IV and V — including the level-by-level testing method, the exact level codes, and the instructions that School Complex Headmasters, MEOs and CRPs must follow.
FA-2 Tool-2 TaRL 2026-27 at a glance
- Classes covered: III, IV and V only.
- Subjects: Telugu, Mathematics and English.
- Part of: FA-2 / Self-Assessment Model Paper-II.
- How it is conducted: individually, in a friendly and stress-free manner.
- What is recorded: only the highest level the child actually achieves — entered in the OMR Sheet (Tool-2) and the School Learning Progress Sheet.
- Level structure: Telugu and English share the same 6 reading levels (Beginner to Comprehension); Mathematics has its own 6 operation levels (No Operations to Word Problem).
According to the guidelines, the TaRL baseline assessment is integrated into the FA-2 examination, and the Tool-2 booklet carries the relevant testing components. Where a writing component applies, it is administered to the child, but its marks are not entered in the OMR sheet.
Examination schedule and papers: the AP FA-2 / SAMP-2 time table and syllabus page carries the current FA-2 dates, and the AP FA-2 syllabus PDF sets out the subject-wise syllabus for Classes 1 to 10.
TaRL Telugu testing process 2026-27
Telugu levels
| Code | Level |
|---|---|
| 0 | Beginner Level |
| 1 | Letter Level |
| 2 | Word Level |
| 3 | Paragraph Level |
| 4 | Story Level |
| 5 | Comprehension Level |
How the child is tested
- Start at Paragraph Level (Level 3). Show the paragraph and ask the child to read it.
- If the child reads fluently, move up to the Story Level.
If the child makes more than 3 errors, reads word by word, or is not fluent, move down to Word Level (Level 2). - Word Level: show the 10 words and ask the child to read any 5. If the child cannot choose, use the first 5 words. If at least 4 of the 5 are read correctly, record Word Level (Level 2). Otherwise move to Letter Level.
- Letter Level: show the 10 letters and ask the child to read any 5. If the child cannot choose, use the first 5 letters. If at least 4 of the 5 are read correctly, record Letter Level (Level 1). Otherwise record Beginner Level (Level 0).
- Story Level: if the paragraph was read fluently, show the Story section and ask the child to read it aloud. Fluent reading takes the child to Comprehension Level; if the child is not fluent or makes more than 3 errors, record Paragraph Level (Level 3).
- Comprehension Level: after the story is read, ask the two prescribed comprehension questions. Only if both answers are correct is Comprehension Level (Level 5) recorded. Otherwise the highest level already achieved (Story Level, Level 4) is recorded.
Key rule: reading the story alone is not enough for Level 5 — both comprehension questions must be answered correctly.
TaRL Mathematics testing process 2026-27
Mathematics levels
| Code | Level |
|---|---|
| 0 | No Operations (Beginner) |
| 1 | Addition |
| 2 | Subtraction |
| 3 | Multiplication |
| 4 | Division |
| 5 | Word Problem |
How the child is tested
- Arithmetic operations are tested in order: Addition → Subtraction → Multiplication → Division. At each operation, the child must solve at least 2 out of 2 questions correctly to move to the next operation.
- Division Level: a child who reaches Division must solve the prescribed division problems — both correctly — to demonstrate the Division Level and proceed to Word Problems.
- Word Problem Level: after the division assessment, the two prescribed word problems are given. Only if both word problems are solved correctly is the child recorded at Word Problem Level (Level 5).
Note: number recognition is used for the teacher’s own understanding and is recorded in the School Learning Progress Sheet. The final TaRL level for Mathematics is decided by the arithmetic operations and word-problem performance.
Key rule: solving only one of the two word problems is not sufficient for Level 5.
TaRL English testing process 2026-27
The English assessment follows the same structure and progression as the Telugu reading assessment.
| Code | Level |
|---|---|
| 0 | Beginner Level |
| 1 | Letter Level |
| 2 | Word Level |
| 3 | Paragraph Level |
| 4 | Story Level |
| 5 | Comprehension Level |
- Start at Paragraph Level (Level 3) — the child reads the paragraph aloud.
- Fluent reading moves the child to Story Level. More than 3 errors, word-by-word reading or lack of fluency moves the child down to Word Level (Level 2).
- Word Level: 10 words are shown; the child reads any 5 (or the first 5 if unable to choose). At least 4 correct records Word Level (Level 2), otherwise move to Letter Level.
- Letter Level: 10 English letters are shown; the child reads any 5 (or the first 5). At least 4 correct records Letter Level (Level 1); otherwise record Beginner Level (Level 0).
- Story Level: fluent reading of the story leads to the comprehension questions; a non-fluent reader is recorded at Paragraph Level (Level 3).
- Comprehension Level: both prescribed comprehension questions must be answered correctly for Level 5 — otherwise the highest level achieved (Story Level, Level 4) is recorded.
Common instructions for schools, Headmasters, MEOs and CRPs
- Record only the highest level successfully achieved by the child.
- Conduct the assessment individually, keeping the environment friendly, encouraging and stress-free.
- Show only the relevant section of the testing tool — fold the sheet so the rest is not visible to the child.
- At Paragraph and Story level, repeated mistakes on the same word count as one error only.
- Follow the prescribed sample rotation for the assessment cycle.
- Enter the highest achieved level in the OMR Sheet (Tool-2) and in the School Learning Progress Sheet, as applicable.
TaRL level summary 2026-27
| Subject | Level progression |
|---|---|
| Telugu / English | 0 Beginner → 1 Letter → 2 Word → 3 Paragraph → 4 Story → 5 Comprehension |
| Mathematics | 0 No Operations → 1 Addition → 2 Subtraction → 3 Multiplication → 4 Division → 5 Word Problem |
Why the FA-2 Tool-2 TaRL assessment matters
TaRL is designed to find out where a child actually is, not where the syllabus assumes the child should be. Because testing begins at Paragraph Level and moves up or down according to the child’s response, a Class V child who is still at Word Level is identified immediately instead of being marked simply as “weak”. That level is then carried into the OMR Sheet and the School Learning Progress Sheet, so the teacher can group children by level and give the right kind of practice during the FA-2 period.
Teachers should refer to the official SCERT guidelines and the Tool-2 booklet supplied with the FA-2 material for the prescribed passages, word and letter lists, division problems and word problems. The level rules above are summarised from the SCERT AP FA-2 Tool-2 guidelines, Rc.No.3426774/FA-2/SCERT/2026.
Downloads: FA-2 Tool-2 TaRL testing material
- AP TaRL Testing Tools 2026-27 (Telugu, Mathematics, English) – PDF
- Format: School Learning Progress Sheet – TaRL Format (PDF)
Both files open in a new tab (PDF, hosted on Google Drive).