Building better schools: Spotlight on Golden Jubilee School

Golden Jubilee School is a 26‑year‑old CBSE K-12 co‑educational day‑boarding school in Jalna in Maharashtra. The school has 120 dedicated teachers with an impressive teacher–student ratio of 1 to 10, higher than most Indian schools. This enables personalised learning, prompt feedback, and real-time academic and emotional mentorship.

ACER contacted Priya Peter, Principal, Golden Jubilee School, to learn how the school leveraged ACER’s support in evidence gathering and targeted interventions to drive meaningful improvement in teaching and learning. Her school has partnered with ACER since 2022 for the International Benchmark Tests (IBT).

Today, Golden Jubilee School is strengthening teaching and classroom practices with ACER’s teaching observation and performance tool and professional learning workshops that – together with IBT – will have impact on the entire school ecosystem.

Evidence collection to collective actions

Initially, Golden Jubilee School began by collecting baseline data on student learning. ACER’s IBT in English and mathematics helped measure and benchmark student competencies and highlight learning gaps.

Ms Peter said, ‘IBT transformed our approach from merely identifying learning gaps to actively bridging them and fostering student growth both individually and collectively. We shifted toward concept-based teaching, prompting students to engage in critical thinking and self-reflection. Remedial lessons became far more structured and targeted, enabling us to quickly identify both slow learners and high achievers and implement strategies to help average students climb to the next level.

‘Among our teachers — especially those accustomed to traditional, teacher-led methods — we observed a clear shift toward student-centred instruction, accompanied by a redesign of lesson plans focused on achieving conceptual clarity. Assessment practices also evolved, moving from rote-based testing to application-driven, critical-thinking questions. This comprehensive transition aligns with evidence-based, learner-centred pedagogies that emphasise active engagement, conceptual understanding, and higher-order thinking.

‘At the beginning, teachers found report analysis challenging, but a guided visit by ACER’s resource expert helped decode data and integrate it into lesson planning. As confidence grew, we progressed to the full school programme — empowering us with sophisticated diagnostics, global benchmarking, and data-driven teaching strategies.’

Student success through targeted interventions

IBT showed that most students faced challenges with English vocabulary and comprehension. In response, the school implemented targeted activities including introducing 5 new words daily on the board, using flash cards consistently and implementing structured daily story reading to teach context-clue identification.

In mathematics, IBT helped pinpoint concepts that students struggled to grasp, prompting the school to incorporate hands-on experiments and real-world examples for each new topic.

Ms Peter said, ‘The school promoted peer coaching and classroom observation among teachers, redesigned lesson plans with clear objectives, and tracked progress through weekly or biweekly assessments, feedback, and discussions. As a result, the lessons are now more interactive, engaging, and enjoyable — improvements that align with best practices in academic writing, such as clear topic sentences, active voice, and a logical progression of ideas.

‘The IBT programme has significantly benefited both our students and teachers, initiating a positive shift in our school’s teaching–learning culture. Every student now benefits from early identification and immediate remediation of learning challenges, which fosters continuous learning and growth.’

Empowered, confident teachers

Ms Peter observed transformation in the faculty.

‘One newly appointed teacher, who initially struggled with classroom management and lesson delivery, received targeted support from ACER. The resource person [ACER expert] observed his class, offered constructive feedback, and provided a live demonstration of an effective lesson delivery.

‘He reprepared his lesson overnight, and the very next day we witnessed a significant improvement ­ though initially finding it challenging to adhere to the lesson structure, he managed to engage the entire class successfully.

‘In the days that followed, we could clearly observe the impact ­ his students were more participative, and his own confidence soared. This example underscores the transformative power of the IBT programme in enhancing teaching practices and student engagement.’

Looking ahead

Over the coming years, Ms Peter envisions the ACER partnership driving a dynamic, student centric ecosystem that goes well beyond its current focus on English and mathematics remediation.

‘As students gain confidence and proficiency, I look at mathematics becoming a favourite across the board—anchored by hands-on experiments and real-world problem solving—while critical-thinking driven English instruction elevates my students speaking and writing skills.

‘The gains from IBT will then not stop at the core subjects; they will naturally filter into science, social studies, and even creative areas, benefiting subjects not formally included in the IBT cohort.

‘I look towards a shared vision where every teacher who once adhered to traditional methods will transition toward inquiry-based, student-led classrooms, and this will expand as peer coaching and structured feedback loops become institutionalised.

‘This will then enhance our assessment framework—with more application-based questions and critical-thinking prompts—ensuring that every subject reflects higher-order skills development.

Over time, this will evolve into an integrated learning environment, where excellence in math and eloquence in English act as catalysts for deeper thinking, creativity, and academic growth across the entire school experience.’

ACER can help you to transform your school. To know how we can help, write to: india@acer.org.