In consonance with global best practices, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations on Wednesday said it plans to introduce a mandatory assessment, like an IQ test, at class 5 and 8-level from 2018 in an aim to reduce rote learning and identify students' weaknesses and strengths.
The assessment is aligned with the new curriculum prescribed by the Council for pre-school to Class 8, applicable from the academic year 2017-2018 and mandatory from the 2018 session.
"With the introduction of the CISCE curriculum, it becomes vital to ensure that progression of students against the defined learning outcomes is carefully monitored. The Council plans to do this though assessment which will be conducted at the levels of class 5 and class 8 in four subjects," CISCE Chief Executive & Secretary Gerry Arathoon told the media here.
The test subjects are English, mathematics, science (including physics, chemistry and biology) and social studies (including history and civics, geography).
"It will be a written examination. It will apply to day to day experience of the child. It will try to find out whether the student has understood the curriculum that has been set, in different ways. It will test them on their intelligence and life skills," said Arathoon.
The new assessment will be designed keeping in mind the best global practices to assess and measure the current level of learning of children enrolled in CISCE affiliated schools.
Referring to the IB (International Baccalaureate) and IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) approach, Arathoon stressed the new assessment and curriculum will aim to "reduce rote learning".
"We are looking at IB, IGCSE. They don't stress on rote learning. So we want to reduce the rote learning. The questions will be set by the Council and the questions will be inter-related with other subjects. We will run a pilot and then we will go for the assessment sometime in 2018 academic year," he said.
In support of this move, the Council will prepare 'Master Trainers' across India.
"We are preparing Master Trainers who will be trained by experts and these master trainers will go through all regions in the country and will teach the teachers how to teach this curriculum and how to assess it. This is going to be assessment with a difference," Arathoon said.
He said that the student assessment will also offer insights into whether teachers are able to disseminate the curriculum content properly.
"Whether the teacher has been able to teach this content to children properly... Aso a report will be prepared for the teacher. Similarly, a report will be prepared where the child has not understood. So parents will come to know the strength and weaknesses of the child," he said.
However, the assessment will not affect an individual's promotion prospect to the next class.
"The child will not be detained if he or she doesn't do well. The students will not require any preparation. It's like an IQ test. It will not require students to recall what they have learnt. Instead, it will require them to apply their knowledge and skills to problem solve and to think creatively," he said.
The CISCE curriculum from pre-school to class 8 has been designed to facilitate an "upward mobility" in the teaching and learning process and to lead children in a graded and progressive manner to derive full benefit of the ICSE and ISC syllabi, he said.
--IANS
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