While Class X students of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) were given an option to choose between Standard level and Basic level mathematics for their board exam, schools across the State say a majority of their students have opted for the Standard level for the upcoming exams.
Bharati Kishore, principal, C.S. D.A.V. Secondary School, Kodambakkam, said that all students taking up the Class X board from their institution had opted for the standard maths paper. “Many students and parents feel that their options will be limited if they take up basic maths. The CBSE has a clause which specifies that a student has to opt for standard maths if they wish to pursue mathematics in Class XI and XII,” she said.
“I expect parents to be more aware in the coming years, and more students to opt for basic maths if they are clear about their future options,” she added.
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Student centric
When the CBSE made the announcement in June, they had said that the existing math exam was the standard level, and assesses a higher level of capabilities in comparison to the basic paper. The choice was given with a more student-centric evaluation in mind. In Everwin Vidhyasharam, nearly two-thirds of students have opted for standard maths. “Students who are extremely sure of taking up the arts group in colleges or wish to pursue medicine are among those who have opted for basic maths,” said B. Purushothaman, founder and principal.
He further said that choosing standard maths would ensure that the students had more options, in case they changed their minds in the future. The CBSE recently announced that board exams for Class X would begin on February 15. Classes have been taken as per the same syllabus for all students through the year, and schools are also having just one paper for the half-yearly and revision exams for the students.
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A positive move
“For students who are extremely sure of what they want to pursue in Class XI and XII, as well as later in college, basic maths is a good option. Several students find the subject tough and we ensured that both parents and students were aware of the benefits of this option,” said P. Ashok Shankar, secretary of the CBSE Schools’ Management Association in Tamil Nadu.
Stating that the move by the CBSE to give students the option was an extremely positive one, Mr. Ashok said students could score better if they made the right choice.