SCERT, Assam, as a state counterpart of NCERT, has been continuously involved for improvement of quality school education and teacher education of the state since its inception in 1985. With the passing of time the field of operation of SCERT, Assam has widened to a great extent to cope with emergent need and demand of time especially after declaration of SCERT, Assam as the State Academic Authority for the state under section 29(I) of RTE Act 2009. As such SCERT, Assam is developing textbooks for elementary stage of Assam in the light of National Curriculum Framework in all mediums of instruction and also the procedure of pupils' evaluation for elementary education. It has consistently been working for quality improvement of teacher education system of the state in compliance with the section 23 of the RTE Act, 2009. SCERT is conducting various surveys and researches related to problems and prospects of elementary education and publishing various materials for facilitating teachers and teacher educators to become professionally competent to deal with experiential and reflective learning practices.
The following unit offices under the erstwhile Directorate of Public Instruction, Assam were amalgamated with the Directorate of SCERT, Assam vide Govt. Notification No. AR.87/84/1 dated 29-03- 1985.
1) State Institute of Education (SIE), Jorhat.
2) State Institute of Science Education (SISE), Guwahati.
3) Educational Technology Cell (E.T. Cell), Guwahati, and
4) Educational and Vocational Guidance Bureau attached to the D.P.I’s office, Kahilipara, Guwahati.
Apart from implementing its own programmes, SCERT, Assam provides the required coordination of activities including quality issues amongst the existing institutions working in the field of educational research and training. Soon after its establishment, the administration of all primary teacher training institutions such as Normal Schools and BTCs were transferred from the Directorate of Elementary Education to SCERT. The B.Ed. colleges and Hindi Teacher Training College in the State were under the administrative control of the Directorate of Higher Education. Those were also brought under the control of SCERT in the year 1991-92. At present the constituent units of SCERT viz. the SIE, SISE and E.T. Cell have been merged with SCERT for administrative convenience vide Notification No. A(I)E.210/99/30 dated 30-01-2003. The Educational and Vocational Guidance Bureau (EVGB) initially set up as a part of SCERT was transferred to Directorate of Secondary Education later on.