PARAKH report proposes including Class 9-11 marks for Class 12 final scores

PARAKH has proposed that the final report card for Class 12 include a weighted contribution from earlier classes: 15% from Class 9, 20% from Class 10, 25% from Class 11, and 40% from Class 12

A recent report submitted to the Education Ministry by PARAKH, a unit established within NCERT to standardise school board assessments nationwide, recommends incorporating student performance from Classes 9, 10, and 11 into the final Class 12 marks, according to a report by Indian Express.

PARAKH, created in alignment with the National Education Policy, is tasked with capacity building, achievement surveys, and establishing uniform assessment standards across different school boards.

Following consultations with 32 school boards over the past year, PARAKH has proposed that the final report card for Class 12 include a weighted contribution from earlier classes: 15 per cent from Class 9, 20 per cent from Class 10, 25 per cent from Class 11, and 40 per cent from Class 12.

 

The report also suggests that evaluations should blend formative assessments, such as continuous classroom observations and project work, with summative assessments like term-end exams.

Grading structure

The report proposes a grading structure where Class 9 students' final scores will be composed of 70 per cent formative assessments and 30 per cent summative assessments. For Class 10, the score will be evenly split, with 50 per cent from formative assessments and 50 per cent from summative assessments. In Class 11, formative assessments will contribute 40 per cent to the final score, while summative assessments will make up 60 per cent. By Class 12, the contribution of formative assessments will decrease to 30 per cent, with 70 per cent of the score deriving from summative assessments, the Indian Express report said.

The report quoted sources as saying that this report will be distributed to all school boards for their input, and preliminary discussions have already taken place with educational authorities from Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.

Alternative scoring method

During these discussions, some states proposed an alternative method for calculating final scores. Instead of combining the performance from Classes 9, 10, and 11 into the Class 12 report card, they suggested that Class 10 scores should be based on 40 per cent of the Class 9 score and 60 per cent of the Class 10 score. Likewise, Class 12 scores should be determined by 40 per cent of the Class 11 score and 60 per cent of the Class 12 score, the report said.

PARAKH has proposed that assessments be measured in credits, with students being able to earn 40 credits each in Classes 9 and 10, and 44 credits each in Classes 11 and 12. For Classes 9 and 10, 32 of these credits will be allocated to specific subjects — 12 credits for three languages, four credits for mathematics, four for science, and four for social sciences, among others. 

Additionally, it is recommended that educational boards create a credit transfer system that aligns with the National Credit Framework, the report said.