The “Digital Competence Levels Assessment in School Education – DigiCLASS” Erasmus+ project, currently undergoing by the DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University (HOU), as the Greek partner, is taking a major step forward with the launch of its early beta testing phase. This milestone marks the first practical deployment of the project’s tools in eight (8) selected secondary schools across Austria, Italy and the Aragon region in Spain, paving the way for the full implementation of the DigiCLASS pedagogical approach.

To facilitate this phase, the Pix digital competence assessment platform has been made available in three additional languages: German, Italian and Spanish. Participating students are currently undertaking an initial assessment test covering twelve (12) core digital competence topics. Over the coming months, further content from the Pix framework will be translated, contextualised and gradually introduced to additional schools within the three piloting countries. The early beta testing phase serves as a crucial trial run before the full-scale pilot, which is scheduled to begin in Autumn 2026.

The DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University (HOU), will closely monitor this process, given its leading role in Work Package 5 (WP5) – Pilot Evaluation and Policy Recommendations. Within this framework, DAISSy-HOU will drive the systematic evaluation of the pilot implementation, assess its overall impact, and formulate evidence-based policy recommendations to ensure the sustainability and wider exploitation of the project's results. The insights gathered from teachers and students during the beta testing phase will be utilised not only for the technical and pedagogical refinement of the platform but also for drafting national implementation strategies in the three piloting countries.

DigiCLASS addresses a critical need for common, effective strategies to assess digital competences across the European school education sector. Running from March 2026 to October 2028, the project brings together seven (7) partner organisations from six (6) European Union Member States, namely the GIP Pix (coordinator/ France), the European Grants International Academy – EGINA (Italy), GTN Solutions (Austria), the Government of Aragon and the University of San Jorge (Spain), ALL DIGITAL (Belgium), and the Hellenic Open University – DAISSy Research Group (Greece).