CHAPTER 5
ASSESSMENT AND EXAMINATION REFORMS
5.1
Introduction
As a follow up of NCF-2005 and recently the scheme of RMSA, it is very important to
focus on student centred learning. Assessment of student’s learning is another crucial
area of concern. The Framework for Implementation of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha
Abhiyan (RMSA) has identified following areas/issues in the students’ assessment and
examination reforms.
a. There should be scope for a student to achieve learning in a flexible time
frame and accumulate credits, eliminating tests of fixed duration and adopting
CCE. The practice of mark sheet indicating marks in certain subjects must be
replaced by a portfolio that would accommodate a student’s performance in
variety of domains like life skills, academic/non-academic and vocational
subjects, personal qualities etc.
b. School-based assessment should be graded internally but moderated externally
to eliminate the widespread fraud currently perpetrated by school.
c. Short questions be reduced and replaced with Multiple Choice Questions
(MCQs) on one hand and reflective (long answer) type questions on the other.
d. As suggested by the National Focus Group on Examination Reforms inclusion
of wide range of performance parameters on the mark sheet, and percentile
rank among peers (e.g., schools in the same rural or urban block) should be
used in reporting performance of a student.
5.2
Concerns
1. The present system of assessment/evaluation, as a whole, is largely:
a. Memory based, outcome oriented public examination.
b. Testing limited abilities of students with no focus on students
understanding or application of knowledge/skill.
c. Examination-centric where learner does not enjoy learning rather than
see it as a forceful activity which creates tension
2. The reform suggested above (point no. 5.1) in the area of assessment and
evaluation at secondary level simultaneously require curriculum reform as
well as the training of teachers to handle the paradigm shift proposed in the
school education. The five guiding principles for curriculum development to
remove the burden and stress in learning are directed to bring changes in the
very assessment procedures and practices. These are:
a. Connecting knowledge to life outside the school.
b. Ensuring that learning shifts away from rote methods.
c. Enriching the curriculum so that it goes beyond textbooks.
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d. Making examinations more flexible and integrating them with
classroom life.
e. Nurturing an overriding identity informed by caring concerns within the
democratic polity of the country.
3. The above principles have implications for assessment as stated below:
a. The first and second principles imply paradigm shift from present day
pedagogy in use which emphasises on rote learning to learner centred
pedagogy relating classroom knowledge with life outside the school.
This makes the teaching learning more relevant and assessment
difficult, as the student has to be assessed in varied conditions and with
varied methods rather than the prescribed ones. These principles also
require that student should be equipped with the social understanding
before he can embark on recreating his knowledge. Student should be
allowed to have his own construction of knowledge from the beginning.
This has implications for framing good assessment procedures and
practices.
b. The third principle of going beyond textbooks demands infusion of
other curricular areas such as art and aesthetics, work, health and
physical education, peace, etc. which are equally important for the
holistic development of children and also monitoring of students’
learning progress in these areas. These areas cannot be tested for marks
but assessing learners in these areas for their development is essential.
This principle demands provision of adequate material resources,
curriculum planning, and time allocation for these areas. Presently, lack
of seriousness for these areas is a serious compromise which has deep
educational significance and potential.
c. The fourth principle makes the examinations highly flexible and the
NCF 2005 comes out with certain concrete measures to realise this.
Integrating assessment with classroom life means that assessment
should not be taken as an isolated activity from learning. As the purpose
of assessment is to provide constructive feedback to learners on his/her
progress on learning, hence it should be integrated with learning itself.
Rather than taking tests on the completion of the chapter of a textbook
after one week, it must be done within the classroom while teaching the
chapter and interacting with students. This also implies that internal
assessment needs to be emphasised as the teachers may be the best
evaluator for their students who are supposed to be with students
observing them not only on the cognitive dimensions but also on other
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aspects such as interests, values, taste, attitude, aptitude and habits.
However there are many issues, which need to be addressed with its
introduction such as different kinds of assessment, the periodicity of
assessment and developing faith in internal assessment among parents
and students etc.
d. The last principle places greater responsibility on teacher and student
community to deal with the current concerns, which are often debatable.
While it is necessary to provide this kind of education to the students in
a participative democracy, it should be seen how far they will be
translated with true spirit, without biases and how they will be assessed.
4. Assessment of practical aspect at secondary stage which bears several
challenges before us such as:
a. Variations are found with regard to the conduct of practicals at the
secondary stage. In some states there are no prescribed practical in
science subjects where as there are some states in which practicals are
in the form of mere demonstration done by the teacher. The students
are not engaged in any kind of hands-on practice for conducting
practical by themselves. However, there are some instances also,
where the conduct of practical is supervised by central agencies like
CBSE at the end of the year through multiple choice tests. Whether
assessment of practicals should be conducted along with the theory
papers or assessed separately. Whether they should be conducted as
part of the teaching learning process or as summative form of
assessment is an issue of debate.
b. The weightage given to practicals also varies from state to state.
Maintaining a balance between theory and practical is a contentious
issue. What weightage should be given to each of them (theory and
practical) in the final report card of the students is also a serious
concern.
c. How many practicals should be conducted for the purpose of
examination is also an issue to be sorted out. While centrally
conducted theory examinations are viewed as the most reliable ones,
aspersions are raised often on the conduct of practicals. In this regard
the onus for making the practical an effective teaching-learningassessment practice lies on the teachers themselves, who need to take
at most care in making the assessment true to the ability of students
and trust worthiness.
d. Further, the schools can have the reliable check for comparing the
practicals with the theory papers. There is a need to observe and
maintain the parity between existing imbalances of theory and
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practicals. It may also be noted that theory papers should not be the
sole criteria for assessing the student’s performance at this stage.
5.3
Strategies
Synchronising with the curriculum reform, efforts to bring examination reform
(making tenth board exam optional) are initiated, but leading towards examination
reform (as suggested in RMSA framework) needs our serious attention. The present
day assessment and evaluation practices at secondary level may be relooked in
view of assessing learner’s progress on learning, providing him/her constructive
feedback and also providing him/her success experience completing secondary
education. Evolving a scheme of CCE, its implementation and study of its impact
on students’ performance requires urgent attention.
Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE): Continuity implies making
evaluation an integral part of teaching learning process through formal and
informal methods. Comprehensiveness means assessment of all areas of learning.
This encompasses all aspects of pupils’ growth such as intellectual, physical, social
personal qualities, interests, attitudes and values. It also implies employing variety
of evaluation tools and techniques for different learning areas. The CCE is multidimensional which involves multiple techniques and different persons like teacher,
pupil, peer, parent and community.
CCE takes care of students pace of learning in all aspects of personality growth
with regular periodicity and timeliness in addressing of the problems. The essential
principles for a planned scheme of CCE relates to flexibility, functionality,
accountability, and economy. The learning environment such as conditions,
persons, and resources, which throw light on pupil’s learning, must also be taken
into consideration in assessing the students.
In this regard, portfolio assessment needs to be considered seriously. Portfolios are
a collection of student work, which represents a selected pool of items of his/her
performance. It contains student’s best works and may indicate the respective
strengths and weaknesses. It can be very extensively used in different curricular
areas. It also works as a record of students’ activities over a period of time.
Discussion on a student’s portfolio could be a starting point for teacher to solicit
the views of the peers and to collectively assess the strengths of each student vis-àvis others. Portfolios extend beyond test scores to include substantive descriptions
or examples of what the student is practising and experiencing.
Portfolios can be prepared on the basis of classroom assignments. There are three
important stages in preparing portfolios: Collection, Selection and Reflection.
Students may be having innumerable pieces of work across all subjects or even in
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one subject. They should be able to identify which they would like to document.
The teacher and the peer group may help in this process. There should be genuine
criteria for selecting the piece of work. In this process, student begin reflecting on
oneself. Which on the other hand was not the case earlier? A sample portfolio tool
is included in the annexure-III.
The report of the National Focus Group on ‘Examination reforms’ also emphasised
on the importance of school-based assessment. The CCE be established in order to
reduce stress on children, make evaluation comprehensive and regular, provide
space for the teacher for creative teaching, design a tool for diagnosis and for
producing learners with greater skills. The CCE scheme should be simple, flexible,
and implementable in any kind of school. Keeping in view the broad principles of
the scheme, each school should evolve a simple suitable scheme involving teachers
so that it is owned by the teachers without any apprehensions.
To make CCE effective, some weight to school-based assessment (SBA) should be
given in the school-leaving certificate issued by State Education Boards. It is
recommended that the designated samples of internally assessed work must be sent
to the board in each subject. The same applies to practical examination also.
The Central Board of Secondary Education and few other state boards have
formulated the scheme of CCE. The affiliated schools are in process of
implementing it. Some State Boards also are in the process of evolving CCE
scheme. However, feedback from teachers, students and parents on scheme of CCE
implemented so far points out:
a. Such evaluation places a lot of demand on teacher’s time and ability to
maintain meticulous records if it is to be meaningfully executed and if
it is to have any reliability as an assessment.
b. It simply increases stress on children by reducing all their activities
into the items for assessment, or making them experience the teacher’s
power’, defeating the purpose of education.
c. System is not adequately geared up for such assessment.
5. 4 Plan of Action
In the light of the above discourse, this documents suggests that strategy of
evolving and implementing this scheme requires vigorous and meaningful
discussions and dialogues with states/UTs inviting state boards, SCERT, University
Departments, IASE, CTE, DIET, teachers etc. deliberating on the following issues:
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a. Subject specific performance parameters for CCE including Arts and
Aesthetics, Health and Physical Education, Work and Peace1.
b. Observable parameters for other areas such as values, habits, interests,
creativity, relations with others, etc.
c. Preparedness of teachers in the art of observation and recording of
learners’ progress in learning in all the areas essential for his/her holistic
development.
d. Evolving mechanism for ensuring authenticity of teacher’s evaluation so
that students should not suffer. This does not mean system does not keep
faith in teacher.
e. Tools and Techniques required for CCE.
f. Support system- parent/community involvement.
g. Synchronisation of CCE with board examination and also providing space
to this evaluation in the board exam results (if it is continued in State/UT).
h. Gearing up system to completely implement CCE, which will further lead
to examination reform in all the states/UTs?
As a follow-up of the advocacy campaigns and environment building
programmes on the paradigm shift in the area of assessment and evaluation, a
scheme of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation needs to be evolved at the
state level incorporating the specific needs of state curriculum. State agencies
such as SCERTs and State Education Boards may collaborate with other state
agencies to evolve this scheme for the secondary stage of education. Thereafter
all the state/district level functionaries in tandem with school head teachers need
to be oriented followed by the training of schoolteachers to complete the cycle
for the implementation aspect of the scheme. The research studies may be taken
up by the IASE and CTE on the gradual impact of the scheme on learners’
progress, handling of tools and techniques for recording and community
involvement, etc.
S.No.
1
Programmes/Activities
Advocacy conferences on
CCE and an environment
building programmes for
the examination reform at
Nodal
Agency
NCERT
( National
level)
SRG
1
Modalities
01 National Conference and
05 regional conferences
(National level)
01 conference at the state and
Needs of adolescent learners and the nature of curricular area at this stage must be kept in mind.
Moreover, dimension of hands-on and head-on experiences in all the areas as far as possible also need
to be taken care of while identifying these parameters.
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secondary stage
2.
Development (including
field try out and
finalization of the CCE
scheme
3.
Orientation on CCE
4.
Follow-up
(State level)
DRG
(District
level)
NCERT
( National
level)
SRG
(State level)
DRG
(District
level)
02 conferences at district level
(State level)
Development of Sourcebook
on Assessment/CCE
(National level)
Training package on CCE &
Adoption/adaptation
(State level)
Orientation of district
SRG
(State level) functionaries and secondary
DRG
stage teachers
(District
level through
school
clusters)
SRGi.
Implementation of
Planning and
CCE scheme within
Management
two years
subii. State-wide sample
committee
studies on the impact
under SRG)
of implementation of
(State level)
assessment.
DRGPlanning and
Management
subcommittee
under DRG
(District
level)
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