____________________________ Reliance Foundation School-English Medium, Lodhivali. ____________________________
Pune: CBSE assessment formula for Std XII strikes a chord
TNN | Jun 18, 2021, 04.00 AM IST
PUNE: Schools in the city have reacted well to the Central
Board of Secondary Education’s assessment criteria which the Supreme Court
approved on Thursday.
The board has informed the apex court that the Std XII
results will be based on the students' performance over three years starting
for std X and the results will be announced by July 31.
Most colleges in the city have already conducted online
pre-boards and other internal assessments. The practical examinations were also
conducted at a later stage in a stepwise manner, many principals said.
Meanwhile, most parents and students are happy that the
evaluation criteria is out, ending the uncertainty, but many expressed
reservations on the 30% weightage given to class XI marks.
As per the method submitted, the practical marks will be
calculated based on the actual practical examination conducted by the school
this year.
The theory component, which is generally 80/70/60/50/30, will
be calculated using 40% of the Std XII marks scored in pre-boards or unit
tests, 30% based on theory marks obtained in Std XI final exam and another 30%
from the best-of-three subjects in the Std X board exams.
Jayshree Venkatraman, principal at SNBP International School,
said, “The CBSE has done for Std XII what it followed for Std X evaluation
pattern. Considering the situation, it is a fair decision. We have conducted
all pre- boards. We conducted a fourth pre-board in April just to ensure the
students are prepared. We are also done with all our practical examinations and
the one which was not taken up because one of our teachers was unwell with
Covid 19, was conducted at a later stage.”
Bharti Bhagwani, principal of GG International School, said
the concern that giving weightage to Std XI marks is not justified.
“There will be criticism of all decisions. But, the CBSE has
taken suggestions and then devised a method. Students need to take all exams
seriously, and not just the board exams for a better understanding of the
subjects. Schools keep telling them this and there are students who prepare
well too. Lastly, the process of results needs to be completed on time, so that
students can move on to higher education, without any hassles.”
Lakshmi Kumar, founder director of The Orchid School, said
while there are many negatives in the assessment criteria, especially
considering unequal access to education during the pandemic year, differences
in the individual assessment of schools, quality of online practicals etc,
there is no other alternative to fall back on.
“The benchmarking of this assessment process is challenging
and even the reliability is questionable. But then everyone knows this has been
a Covid year and we need to move on. But, we must be better prepared for the
next year. We need to ensure that all stakeholders are on the same page when a
decision is taken and we need to reform the evaluation model keeping in mind a
possibility that the academic year 2021-22 can also be washed out by the
pandemic. Hence, we need a system in place and we need to train the teachers
well in advance so that there is uniformity and fairness in evaluation,” she
added.
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To transform learning, assessment, trust teachers and schools
Written by Ameeta Mulla Wattal | Updated: June 16, 2021 8:08:35 am
Identifying learning, aligning it to the goal, mapping skills, designing authentic tasks through which progress can be captured should be the essence of assessment.
The wait for a way to assess Class XII students after the cancellation of the board examinations has created immense anxiety in students and parents. This is a lesson for us to ensure that our systems are in place, and that methods of teaching and evaluating must not rest only on three-hour pencil-paper tests.
On this issue, we have to look at both the short and long-term evaluation goals.
In the immediate future, in order to bring respite to students who seek admission in colleges in India and abroad, an algorithmic formula has to be created which will, fairly and transparently, help tide over the current crisis. Unfortunately, due to the immediacy of the issue, every formula put forward will have detractors because none will be foolproof. A variety of scientific permutations and combinations will have to be worked out, which may range from calculating the performance averages from Class X to Class XII, taking evidence from historical data and defining a referral year, so that the result is authenticated and validated by the CBSE.
At the same time, our long-term goals of internal assessments, teacher training, online and offline bridging, investing in technological pathways for student access, should be initiated with immediate effect. This will help change the dynamics of learning.
Assessment is defined as a systematic review of learning, use of information collected from various experiences and consistent feedback. This definition contradicts how we assess our learners because we do not give them a variety of learning experiences. We assess them through a year-end standardised test of three hours in the national exams.
Assessments should have multiple rubrics in place. This will help to gauge what learners know, measure their understanding, track progress, help in planning the next step, assign remedial work and constantly give feedback to the stakeholders.
It is important to establish cross-assessments which are reliable and objective, in order to ensure comparability within teacher evaluation. It is also essential to develop a framework to evaluate more autonomously. Evaluation tools need to be changed depending on the subjects. A student cannot be evaluated in science the way she is in languages.
Questions have to be application-based. Banks of case studies, without too many knowledge and memory-based tasks, should be created. Interesting testing systems, such as gamified tests, periodic midterms, project-based tests, should be attempted. An individual grade or marks scored for a single event cannot endorse a whole year’s work.
The three most important things to bring about change are creating mobility in thought, stabilising the online-offline pathways and strategising the methods needed to change assessment and to teach learning methodology.
For this, we need to create capacity-building methods where every child is equipped with a diversity of knowledge and emphasis is given to her competencies, values and attitudes, using experiential pedagogy that integrates art, play, life skills, social and emotional learning with an interdisciplinary approach.
Assessments in the context of the National Education Policy mark a shift from a summative to a formative and competency-based learning system. In such a framework, assessments need to be based on teacher-student feedback, which plays a significant role in understanding the priorities of students and empowering teachers to meet their learning requirements.
The purpose of assessment is to understand learning outcomes. Identifying learning, aligning it to the goal, mapping skills, designing authentic tasks through which progress can be captured should be the essence of assessment.
A holistic report card should be equitable, inclusive and joyful, reflecting the learner’s diverse knowledge. A combination of self, peer, teacher and parent assessment will help create students who can reconcile tensions, take on responsibilities, shape better futures for themselves and others, and understand the importance of well-being and sustainability.
Unless education is more contemporary and child-centric, our children will not be able to cope with the rigours of the future. We need to have alternative learning systems that are enjoyable, inclusive, progressive and holistic. Breaking the mould of rote learning will help children realise their full potential.
The number of schools and students in the CBSE is growing each year. Evaluating question papers physically will become a challenge. Issues of paperwork, manpower, confidentiality, and monitoring teachers in evaluation centres, will continue to pose problems. The creation of online assessment platforms has to be explored and supported by regional centres and schools. Schools and teachers have to be empowered by giving weightage to school-based assessments and continuous evaluation programmes because a year-end exam is no longer the future of learning. The board has done remarkable teacher training in a variety of areas during the pandemic. Aspects of assessment can be included in these training models.
The Sahodaya school clusters which already exist within CBSE schools should be empowered to conduct group evaluations. Linking teachers in regional groups and giving them opportunities to move away from mechanical assessments will help to stop anonymous evaluation.
We need to shift to a collaborative mindset, where teachers work together to enhance the learning experience of all students. School groups should use the opportunity presented by the pandemic to share work and practices across departments and faculties.
The role of a teacher has to be transformed. She should be able to accelerate change, redesign systems with equity in mind, respond to feedback, encourage collaboration, catch and pollinate ideas and create a culture of research and development. Governments, parents and all stakeholders will have to trust schools and teachers to be the true harbingers of change.
This article first appeared in the print edition on June 16, 2021 under the title ‘Relearning assessment’. The writer is principal of Springdales School, Pusa Road, New Delhi
Source : https://indianexpress.com
