CBSE to scale down difficulty level of Class 12 mathematics paper

• Puja Pednekar, Hindustan Times, Mumbai| 

CBSE said it will scale down the difficulty level of the Class 12 Mathematics question paper next year after an unusually-tough exam drove millions of students to tears this year and hurt their scores. (HT File Photo)

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Anxious class 12 students and their parents can breathe a little easy.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) said it will scale down the difficulty level of the class 12 mathematics question paper next year after an unusually tough exam drove millions of students to tears and hurt their scores.
The board announced on Wednesday evening a revamp of the paper’s pattern, introducing short-answer type questions carrying two marks and reducing the number of controversial higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) questions.
The HOTS questions will now carry only 10 marks and will be split into two sections of four and six marks. Students will also be given more choice.
Teachers welcomed the move, saying the tough HOTS questions were responsible for raising the difficulty level of the paper this year as they carried substantial weightage.
“HOTS questions are tricky and for the past two years, they have been exceptionally tough. It is good that they will be restricted to only 10% now,” a maths teacher at a school in Mumbai’s Santacruz said.
The short-answer type questions will make the paper easier, teachers said. This is the first time that the board has brought in two-mark questions
“Shorter questions require less time to solve and will help students in completing the paper on time,” the teacher said.

The CBSE categorised 20% of the paper as easy, 60% as average and 20% as difficult.
Students depend on their maths scores to boost their grades in the class 12 examination, which is crucial for college entrances where cut-offs regularly touch 98-99%.

NEW PATTERN

• 4 questions of one mark each (Total: 4 marks)
• 8 questions of two marks each (Total: 16 marks)
• 11 questions of four marks each (Total: 44 marks)
• 6 questions of 6 marks each (Total: 36 marks)

PREVIOUS PATTERN

• 6 questions of one mark each (Total: 6 marks)
• 13 questions of four marks each (Total: 52 marks)
• 7 questions for six marks each (Total: 42 marks)

But this year, many were unable to finish the tough and lengthy maths paper that, students said, was responsible for lower scores.
The CBSE was flooded with complaints about the daunting March 14 examination and an alleged question paper leak in the Patna region. It even triggered a debate in Parliament, with the government promising an inquiry into the reported leak and complaints that questions were extremely difficult.
Following this, the board held meetings with schools and teachers seeking suggestions to change the paper pattern. It constituted an expert committee to come up with remedial measures to look into the issue and officials said students were marked leniently.
Teachers admitted that marks in mathematics had affected the overall percentage of students. Commerce and science stream students were hit the most. At Apeejay School in Mumbai’s Kharghar, for example, the average score in maths fell to 78% from 87% last year.

(Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/education/cbse-to-scale-down-difficulty-level-of-class-12-mathematics-paper/story-xGSCNhfIRlS8pX7VoGgGHK.html)

• Updated: Aug 11, 2016 20:32 IST

CBSE XII maths paper pattern altered

Vinamrata Borwankar | TNN | Aug 12, 2016, 12.59 AM IST

Mumbai: After tough mathematics exams for two years, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has toned down the difficulty level for Class XII students. The new question paper design has capped the higher order thinking skills (HOTS) questions at 10% and introduced two-mark questions to bring relief to lakhs of students.

In a circular on the board's website, the CBSE said the changed question paper design would be applicable for the board examination scheduled to be held in 2017.

The HOTS questions will now be split into three two-mark questions and one four-mark question in the 100-mark paper. Teachers in the city said there had been no specification on the inclusion of HOTS questions but it varied between 10 and 20%. "It is good that the CBSE has now defined what to expect and students can prepare themselves well. Also, splitting the HOTS into three two-mark questions (see box) will mean that students can at least attempt some of them," said Jeeja K, teacher at R N Podar School, Santacruz. The CBSE categorized 20% of the paper as easy, 60% as average and 20% as difficult. With the introduction of short answers (two-mark questions), the total number of questions has increased from 26 to 29. Teachers feel it will help students score better. "When a student doesn't know how to answer a six-mark question, he or she loses out on all the six marks. With more questions with fewer marks, they are likely to lose fewer marks. Shorter questions take lesser time to solve," said Kalpana Dwivedi, principal, St Joseph High School, Panvel.

During the board examination this March, the CBSE had drawn a lot of flak over the difficulty level of the mathematics paper. Apart from social media outrage, the issue was also discussed in Parliament. Following this, the CBSE had assured to place the issue before a committee of subject experts and take remedial measures before evaluation.

(Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/CBSE-XII-maths-paper-pattern-altered/articleshow/53659163.cms )

To go beyond textbook study, schools log on to e-libraries

To go beyond textbook study, schools log on to e-libraries

Freny Fernandes| Jul 18, 2016, 10.46 PM IST

Thane: It's the age of technology and information where most students own their personal tablet or iPads for e-learning and seeking information. Keeping pace with the technology, even the educational institutes are pushing themselves beyond boundaries to match up to the kid's pace with technology.

Observing the growing need for research and acquiring additional knowledge to rise above the text book knowledge, a number of city school students have started embracing the concept of e-libraries.

Rajani Pattabhiraman, principal, Euro School, said, "Education today is not limited to textbooks. Within the curriculum itself students are expected to go beyond classroom lectures and refer to as many research papers and gather as much information in order to get a holistic perspective. School is where they need to explore and garner this knowledge. As it is not possible to buy all genres of books and research papers and thesis and fit it in our library, we have started an e-library where students can access any book, journal or paper. This saves a lot of paper as well."

These libraries are not only equipped with a plethora of otherwise unavailable books, but also are made available to students at their fingertips. They are simultaneously stocking their bookshelves with book lovers who refer spending time browsing.

"In addition to academics and knowledge about current events, students today are participating in an array of science competitions like the National Children's Science Congress, debates, projects and so on which require quick information at one's finger tips. An e-library facilitates this. It also helps them develop the lost habit of reading," said Rupa Dey, principal of Shrirang Vidyalaya, who is soon have an e-library installed for her students.

"While we have to move with time, we also have to maintain some elements of traditional learning that do work. E-learning is the way ahead, but we have to ensure students don't let go of reading books. Our e-library has eight computers which have access to a variety of books. It however, also has encyclopaedias, fiction and non-fiction books and other books," added Simmi Juneja, principal of DAV public school.

While these institutions have not discarded the traditional library, they have used technology and coding systems to make them better accessible to students.

"We first segregate all books on the basis of their genre, subject, author, title etc. and then assign each book a particular code which is fed into the system. The books are arranged in the library according to the system. If any student wants to find a particular book, they have to only key it into the system and find its location," Shraddha Sansare, librarian at Shrirang Vidyalaya.

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thane/To-go-beyond-textbook-study-schools-log-on-to-e-libraries/articleshow/53271747.cms

Home schooling: Is it worth trying?

Story from page 3 - NAVI MUMBAI, dnaofmumbai   Home schooling: Is it worth trying?

It is apparent that those parents who choose to home school their children can clearly see many advantages

dna correspondent correspondent@dnaindia.net

Vashi: An academic degree is certainly not the only way one gets educated. Not obtaining a formal degree does not have any direct impact on how commercially successful one can be in life, if one has been taught informally reading, writing and the basic math operations. Around 99% of the population sends their kids to school and then there is a miniscule 1% or less who swear by the notion that schools can only damage their children. These parents choose to home school or educate their children at home away from the campus and shirk formal school education. It is apparent that those parents who choose to home school their children clearly see many advantages. One of the clear advantages is that the school environment is a leveller. Everything is pitched for the average. What the majority number of students can do gets into the school planning. Sports are chosen on the basis of maximum participation, subjects are offered as per popular choices. Curriculum gets fixed and percentage of time allotment is done as per the requirement of a large number of parents. Core subjects like math, science and English will get the lion’s share rather than say Sanskrit, playing violin or an animation programme. Home schoolers argue that before the advent of schools, no two people were equally wise or had similar capabilities, therefore how can the teaching be tailored to groups? It is true that teaching in schools targets the average sets of students; the system is not geared up for either dealing with the gifted lot or the laggers. Both these sets of learners need to be academically or talent wise supported through after school supplementary activities. Home schoolers also argue that schools at best pretend to educate children. Schools and education are not synonymous. Education is not available to a large number of students because the definition of education is not classroom counsellor homework assignments project work hobby classes examinations. Schools at best increase the chances of making children the run of the mill engineers, computer professionals, doctors or MBAs. It does not teach that there is a life beyond economic success, they argue. In continuation a whole different life can open up to a whole new universe and children can attend to their true calling when they do not attend classroom and are home schooled. The Liberal school of thought may have some merits. But it must never be undermined that the consequences of the actions that parents take today with the lives of their children will show up after they are adults 15-18 years later. Man is a social animal. Besides academics, classrooms teach students lessons in sociability. Schools teach children to toughen up. They get into hassles with their peers, their teachers and school authorities. Lessons of friendship are carried forward for life. Some teachers who act like role models create impacts that last an entire life time. Students learn that for every good deed there is a reward and for a bad deed a negative consequence. The Liberal school or the liberal parents’ concept that gives rise to home schools must therefore be done with utmost care. Some experiments may prove very successful and others may not. Those that fail can have very serious repercussions.

Published Date:  Aug 05, 2016

Legal literacy clubs sprout up in city's CBSE schools

TNN | Aug 5, 2016, 09.35 AM IST

 

 

RANCHI: To generate awareness among school children about various laws and their enforcement, a majority of CBSE-affiliated schools in the city have introduced legal literacy clubs.

These clubs will not only inform students about their fundamental rights and duties, but will educate them on their rights and responsibilities, common laws against domestic violence, right to education and information and penal laws and their enactment history.

At Jawahar Vidya Mandir (JVM), Shyamali, about 20 students of Class XII have joined the newly-inaugurated legal literacy club. School principal A K Singh said, "The books and legal study materials are provided by the Jharkhand Legal Service Authority (Jhalsa). We are informing students about the country's various laws and their fundamental duties as citizens."

The legal literacy club at JVM, Shyamali is not just a hub of legal knowledge, but also serves as a preparatory course for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). "We have provided the necessary books and other related material required for CLAT preparation. After each class, students put in an extra hour-and-a-half to prepare for CLAT," said Singh.

The school also plans to adopt a nearby village where students can visit and provide legal education on social issues like witch-hunting, human trafficking and other topics.

Ankita Purohit, a club member, said, "We are being informed about the country's legal system, including various acts and legalities. We have been made aware that the school plans to organize a mock parliament and legal quizzes. It should be educational and fun."

The Delhi Public School was the first school in Ranchi to start a legal literacy club in January last year.

(Sourec: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Legal-literacy-clubs-sprout-up-in-citys-CBSE-schools/articleshow/53552009.cms)

A portal to help students practise online

• Mahitha Owk

Helping students in doing their coursework and making it easy for them to practise online, MicroMerits.com aims to offer intelligent practice tests for students of CBSE and regional (State) boards studying in classes 6 to 10.

These tests are designed to appease parental queries, please teachers’ concerns and aid students’ wishes. It is a platform for unlimited practice focussing on joyful learning modes to approach the subjects. While motivating children through phased, analytical and progressive practices in mathematics and sciences, the portal simultaneously attracts learners towards more broad-based intellectual pursuits like language and communication, and mental ability. The four elements that guide students on the portal are arranged in a sensible and interconnected chain — learn, practise, measure, and compete. The proactive chain of learning and retention elements are presented in easy, enjoyable and effective ways, a press release stated.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-educationplus/a-portal-to-help-students-practise-online/article8956454.ece 

NEET 2016: Check OMR answer sheet

NEET 2016: The candidates wish to challenge the OMR grading of their OMR sheet will have to pay a fees of Rs 1000 per response challenged

By: express webdesk | New Delhi | Published:August 5, 2016 10:19 am

 













 NEET 2016: The combined result of NEET 1 and NEET 2 will be declared by August 17
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released the online images of OMR answer sheets and responses of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) Phase 1 and Phase 2. The candidates can check the results on the official website – aipmt.nic.in.

The candidates wish to challenge the OMR grading of their OMR sheet will have to pay a fees of Rs 1000 per response challenged. The last date to apply online is August 6 by 5 pm.

The Board conducted the NEET 1 on May 1 while NEET 2 was held on July 24 across the nation. In a statment, CBSE has said that the test was conducted at 739 centres in 56 cities.

“Total candidates registered for the examination were 4,75,785. As per preliminary reports received from across the country, more than 90 per cent candidates were present in the examination,” the statement said.
The NEET examination was also held peacefully in Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir and 93 per cent of registered candidates took the exam there, it added.

Steps to check OMR answer sheets of NEET 2016
 

• Log in to the official website
• 
  Click on the link ‘OMR sheet’
• 
  A new page will open
• 
  Login with your registration number and password
• 
  The OMR sheet will display
• 
  Check and take a print out for further reference

On August 3, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking re-examination over an alleged paper leak reported on July 24. The petition, filed by NEET aspirant Anshul Sharma, said the primary investigations carried out by the Uttarakhand police points out that five persons (one from Delhi and four from Bihar) belonging to an inter-state racket were arrested on July 23, a day before the entrance exam.
However, the CBSE has denied any paper leak and has said they had matched the original question paper of NEET 2 and found that the seized material is entirely different from the original question paper of the entrance test.
The combined result of NEET 1 and NEET 2 will be declared by August 17.

(Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/education/neet-2016-check-omr-answer-sheet/)

CBSE releases NEET 2016 Phase 1 and 2 OMR answer sheets

CBSE releases NEET 2016 Phase 1 and 2 OMR answer sheets - download now

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released the OMR answer sheets of both the first (May 1) and second (July 24) phase of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

Last Updated: Friday, August 5, 2016 - 13:26

 

New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released the OMR answer sheets of both the first (May 1) and second (July 24) phase of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

The OMR sheets were made available on the AIPMT's official website - aipmt.nic.in - on Thursday.

 

(Source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/cbse-releases-neet-2016-phase-1-and-2-omr-answer-sheets-download-now_1915429.html )

Sound-proof class helps kids imbibe more, say experts

Sound-proof class helps kids imbibe more, say experts 

 

Priya Menon & Yogita Rao TNN





IS your child is easily dis tracted in the classroom? If so, the area where his or her school is located, the strength of the class, and exactly where he or she sits in the room may be responsible. With research showing a strong link between classroom acoustics and academic achievement, doctors and educators are now stressing on the need for professionally designed classrooms.

 

With cities getting more densely populated and noisier, many schools are located in noisy places. And none seem to have paid attention to classroom acoustics. “In India, we do not have a norm for classroom noise level. A student with normal hearing is able to receive speech signal of 15 decibel above the speech level. But for students with mild hearing loss or loss in one ear it becomes difficult. Not all schools can afford air-conditioned classrooms, so they need to have windows for ventilation.And therefore, noise from an outside source is unavoida ble,“ said A K Sinha, director, Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Impaired.

Noise can also come in due to internal sources as fans and AC systems give out a hum that masks speech and makes it less intelligible. Children with auditory processing disorder where the child has normal hearing but cannot make the best use of what he or she hears are particularly affected. Sinha also said that source of noise can be from outside the classroom as well as inside.“If the classrooms are big, with more than 40 students, students' attention also drops with the noise in the classroom. Long-term exposure to such noise can trouble students with mild hearing loss or even students with normal hearing. Schools need to ensure they make some acoustical changes in their structures,“ said Sinha.

Acoustical consultant Roopa Krishnamurthy , who owns Bangalore-based firm Soundscape India, says, in classes, high levels of background noise due to noise intrusion leads to what is known as the Lombard effect, with the teacher having to shout higher than the din, just to be heard. “The teachers end up with a raspy voice and sore throat at the end of the day. The students also use up brain power in constantly having to tune out external noise, and this is far from a relaxed mind that can soak up information and process it in peace,“ she says.

Quiet environments foster assimilation, percolation, evaluation and processing of knowledge, leading to a large shift in interest levels of students. “It also has far-reaching social effects. The self-confidence of students goes to an all-time high when they feel they can be interested in and do well in their academics, leaving their mind free to think of many other things,“ says Roopa, whose firm has worked on corporate spaces, hospitals, residential areas, clubs, hotels, auditoria, studios, malls, and museums.

Source: Aug 04 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)





Don’t lose yourself: avoid identity theft on social media

Don’t lose yourself : avoid identity theft on social media

By Jared Lawrence on 1 August, 2016


More than three-quarters of American adults are active on social media, and the numbers total approximately 2.3-billion people worldwide. By living with and through our technology, it is easier than ever before to reconnect with friends, stay in touch with family and meet new people across previously unassailable physical distances. But this also means that the likes of identity theft is becoming a bigger problem.

Unfortunately, in stark contrast to real-world interactions, there are few reliable ways to be sure a person is who they purport to be on the internet.

The proliferation of social media tools has created new space for fraudsters and other criminal agencies to exploit interpersonal networks and gain access to a treasure trove of previously inaccessible data.

Identity theft is big business

In 2014, 17.6-million Americans experienced some form of identity theft. This marks an extraordinary 175% increase over the past decade, and identity theft has grown even more rapidly in other parts of the world.

CIFAS, a fraud-prevention service based in the United Kingdom, reports a total 57% increase in identity theft victims over just the last year. A staggering US$112-billion has been stolen over the past six years as a result of identity fraud.
Social media creates a culture of oversharing, encouraging users to broadcast the details of their lives to the internet

 With more people also moving toward online banking and bill paying, it should come as no surprise that projections indicate both instances of fraud and the resulting financial losses are likely to continue sharply increasing in the near future.

A feeding ground for fraud

More than 80% of identity theft cases are considered internet-related, and the tremendous amount of personal information voluntarily shared on social media makes it a prime feeding ground for would-be fraudsters.

A dedicated scammer can often track down an abundance of data on a person with minimal effort, ranging from full names and birth dates to names of parents, places of work and residence, names of pets and many other potentially useful details.


More motivated criminals can attain a great deal of information through phishing, posing as a known acquaintance, legitimate company or other trustworthy figure to gain trust and access information or manipulate their target.

A culture of oversharing

The explosive rise in identity theft also points to deeper issues at the heart of the internet experience.

In addition to the ambiguous nature of online identity, social media creates a culture of oversharing by encouraging its users to broadcast the details of their lives to the wider “world wide web”.

While many social media websites have taken steps in recent years to enhance privacy and curb identity theft and other forms of fraud, there remains a delicate balance between empowering users to share and connect freely with others without becoming an open invitation to criminals.
The explosive rise in identity theft also points to deeper issues at the heart of the internet experience

 LinkedIn, Facebook and others have faced considerable challenges, and earned no small degree of criticism, for their attempts at straddling the line between adding useful features and impinging on their users’ right to privacy.

An uncertain future

Young social media users will face a similar challenges as technology continues to evolve.

Having grown up with the Internet and the concept of creating an “identity” over social network spaces, today’s youth are comfortable with sharing almost everything about themselves online. The prevalence of smartphones and other mobile devices add another layer of complexity to the issue, making it even easier to share — and steal — sensitive data.

Fortunately, stronger encryption and security protocols are being put to use by many social media tools and websites. Users should take time to personally researchidentity theft protection tools, put them to use, and understand what they do and do not protect.

Learning to encrypt personal data and navigate the web securely is an excellent first step towards reducing fraud on social media. Regularly changing login information, using strong passwords and utilizing two-factor authentication whenever possible are also significant steps in the right direction. Ultimately, however, the best tool is simply using discretion when deciding what to share online and with whom.

As we offload more of our lives onto programming code and data algorithms, we share our social spaces with peers as well as potentially dangerous strangers. Today, learning to reduce exposure, protect one’s privacy and recognize the signs of identity theft is crucial for maintaining safe social structures — both online and off.

(Source: http://memeburn.com/2016/08/identity-theft-social-media/)