The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued a circular to all affiliated schools on the promotion policy for Class IX, under the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) system.
It says that school-based assessment cards should include grades of students' performance in scholastic areas as well as certain areas identified as “co-scholastic”. The year-end subject-wise grades of a student in Class IX are to be calculated on the basis of performance in all formative assessments and summative assessments in scholastic areas as well as grades obtained in co-scholastic areas.
According to Minoo Aggarwal, principal, DAV Public School, Velachery, the new grading system is working well for students. “These [grading] methods have made more students confident. We find that even those students who have problems scoring in conventional examinations obtain good grades now, as they are marked for several other aspects,” she says.
While the scholastic category includes the five subjects – two languages, mathematics, science and social science – co-scholastic areas include life skills, attitudes and values, co-curricular activities and health and physical education. These, according to school heads, are graded based on aspects such as students' ability to work in groups, make presentations in class, participation in extra-curricular activities and performance in areas such as sports.
The system has helped students improve their self confidence, says T.M.J. Padmanabhan, Principal of Sindhi Model Senior Secondary School. “I see that our children are more motivated and the pressure is less.”
The system also allows students to identify which co-curricular areas they are inclined to, he adds.
The CCE requires students to be assessed throughout the year, through four formative assessments and two summative assessments. “Now, nearly 60 per cent of the assessment is over and students know where they stand. For the final summative assessment, they have to learn whatever was covered in the second term alone,” Ms. Aggarwal adds.
The CBSE has asked teachers to write remarks about student's performance in different areas, indicating which of them needs improvement. On promotion, the CBSE says: “A student getting E1 or E2 grade in scholastic areas in one or more subjects will have to improve his/her performance in one subsequent attempt to obtain qualifying Grade D in these subjects.”
If a student fails to obtain qualifying grade D in one or more subjects, even after adding grade points from co-scholastic areas and after availing one improvement chance, he or she will be required to repeat the same class during next academic year, it adds.
Students have a good chance to improve their overall grade through the Summative Assessment II to be held soon. “We are not likely to have students who will have to repeat their year, as they have ample opportunity to make up now,” Ms. Aggarwal says.
