No written exams till class 2, creates unnecessary burden on children, says NCF draft
The draft mentioned that in the developmental years, the written examinations would create an unnecessary burden on the children.
- Apr 8, 2023,
- Updated Apr 8, 2023 1:25 PM IST
The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) has suggested that explicit tests and exams are completely inappropriate assessment tools for children up to class 2, and written tests should be introduced from class 3 onwards. In addition, the NCF draft recommended pointing out the assessment methods that it should be done in such a way that they do not contribute to any additional burden for the child.
The draft mentioned that in the developmental years, the written examinations would create an unnecessary burden on the children.
The draft states, "Assessment should allow for diversity among children and in their learning. Children learn differently and express their learning differently too. There might be many ways to assess the achievement of a learning outcome or competency. The teacher should have the ability to design different kinds of assessment for the same learning outcome and use each assessment appropriately.”
"Assessment should enable recording and documentation. Children's progress should be described and analysed through systematic collection of evidence. Assessment should not contribute to any additional burden for the child. Assessment tools and processes should be designed such that they are a natural extension of the learning experience for the child," it adds.
Describing the assessment for the preparatory stage (class 3 to 5), the draft recommends that "written tests should be introduced at this stage."
It said, "A variety of assessment methods should be used to promote learning. Portfolios can be used to capture student progress holistically through their work. This could also provide a reliable picture of their learning to parents. Peer and self-assessments could also be introduced to help students monitor the trajectory of their own learning.”
"At the end of the preparatory stage, there should be a comprehensive summative assessment of the student's readiness to enter the middle stage where several new curricular areas are introduced," it added.
The education ministry released a "pre-draft" of the NCF for school education on Thursday. The ministry also invited suggestions from stakeholders such as students, parents, teachers and scholars.
The draft prepared by a panel headed by K Kasturirangan, former ISRO chief, suggests that at the middle stage (class 6 to 8), the focus of the curriculum should move to conceptual understanding and higher-order capacities.
"Therefore, classroom assessment techniques such as projects, debates, presentations, experiments, investigations, role plays, journals and portfolios should be used to assess learning. Regular summative assessments at this stage will help students synthesise their learning at logical intervals such as year-end, term-end, unit-end. Summative assessments comprising multiple-choice questions and constructed responses like short and long answer, may be used periodically," it says.
In the secondary stage (classes 9 to 12), the panel has suggested that comprehensive classroom assessments should be effectively practised to facilitate meaningful learning and constructive feedback. Regular summative assessments should be conducted to record students learning against competencies.
The draft stated, "Self-assessment will play a key role in student learning at this stage. Students should be facilitated to monitor what they are learning and use the feedback from this monitoring to adjust, adapt, and decide their own strategies for learning.
"Summative assessments can be designed using case-based questions, simulations, and essay-type questions to enable assessment of competencies. At this stage, students should also be prepared to undertake the board examinations and other selection tests to gain access to higher education and livelihood opportunities," the draft added.
As per the ministry officials, the textbooks, according to the new NCF, will be introduced next year.
The Education Ministry has designed four NCFs based on the 5+3+3+4 curricular and pedagogical structure that NEP 2020 has recommended for school education.
In October 2022, the ministry launched the NCF for the foundational stage (NCF-FS) for children between the ages of 3-8 years. In continuation of that policy, the next NCF for school education is being prepared.
Among the recommendations made in the pre-draft, there are also suggestions of revamping class 10 and 12 board exams, aligning the shift from 10+2 structure to 5+3+3+4 structure and emphasis on developmental perspectives suggesting curricular and pedagogical shifts at different stages of foundational, preparatory, middle and secondary.
Also Read: Arijit Singh touches MS Dhoni's feet during IPL 2023 opening ceremony; Picture goes viral
The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) has suggested that explicit tests and exams are completely inappropriate assessment tools for children up to class 2, and written tests should be introduced from class 3 onwards. In addition, the NCF draft recommended pointing out the assessment methods that it should be done in such a way that they do not contribute to any additional burden for the child.
The draft mentioned that in the developmental years, the written examinations would create an unnecessary burden on the children.
The draft states, "Assessment should allow for diversity among children and in their learning. Children learn differently and express their learning differently too. There might be many ways to assess the achievement of a learning outcome or competency. The teacher should have the ability to design different kinds of assessment for the same learning outcome and use each assessment appropriately.”
"Assessment should enable recording and documentation. Children's progress should be described and analysed through systematic collection of evidence. Assessment should not contribute to any additional burden for the child. Assessment tools and processes should be designed such that they are a natural extension of the learning experience for the child," it adds.
Describing the assessment for the preparatory stage (class 3 to 5), the draft recommends that "written tests should be introduced at this stage."
It said, "A variety of assessment methods should be used to promote learning. Portfolios can be used to capture student progress holistically through their work. This could also provide a reliable picture of their learning to parents. Peer and self-assessments could also be introduced to help students monitor the trajectory of their own learning.”
"At the end of the preparatory stage, there should be a comprehensive summative assessment of the student's readiness to enter the middle stage where several new curricular areas are introduced," it added.
The education ministry released a "pre-draft" of the NCF for school education on Thursday. The ministry also invited suggestions from stakeholders such as students, parents, teachers and scholars.
The draft prepared by a panel headed by K Kasturirangan, former ISRO chief, suggests that at the middle stage (class 6 to 8), the focus of the curriculum should move to conceptual understanding and higher-order capacities.
"Therefore, classroom assessment techniques such as projects, debates, presentations, experiments, investigations, role plays, journals and portfolios should be used to assess learning. Regular summative assessments at this stage will help students synthesise their learning at logical intervals such as year-end, term-end, unit-end. Summative assessments comprising multiple-choice questions and constructed responses like short and long answer, may be used periodically," it says.
In the secondary stage (classes 9 to 12), the panel has suggested that comprehensive classroom assessments should be effectively practised to facilitate meaningful learning and constructive feedback. Regular summative assessments should be conducted to record students learning against competencies.
The draft stated, "Self-assessment will play a key role in student learning at this stage. Students should be facilitated to monitor what they are learning and use the feedback from this monitoring to adjust, adapt, and decide their own strategies for learning.
"Summative assessments can be designed using case-based questions, simulations, and essay-type questions to enable assessment of competencies. At this stage, students should also be prepared to undertake the board examinations and other selection tests to gain access to higher education and livelihood opportunities," the draft added.
As per the ministry officials, the textbooks, according to the new NCF, will be introduced next year.
The Education Ministry has designed four NCFs based on the 5+3+3+4 curricular and pedagogical structure that NEP 2020 has recommended for school education.
In October 2022, the ministry launched the NCF for the foundational stage (NCF-FS) for children between the ages of 3-8 years. In continuation of that policy, the next NCF for school education is being prepared.
Among the recommendations made in the pre-draft, there are also suggestions of revamping class 10 and 12 board exams, aligning the shift from 10+2 structure to 5+3+3+4 structure and emphasis on developmental perspectives suggesting curricular and pedagogical shifts at different stages of foundational, preparatory, middle and secondary.
Also Read: Arijit Singh touches MS Dhoni's feet during IPL 2023 opening ceremony; Picture goes viral