27 August,2010 07:17 AM IST | | Debarati Palit and Alifiya Khan
School managements and parents unsure how new methods of assessment work
The school education department may be patting itself on its back for the introduction of the grading system and the no-failing policy for state board students, but the latest change it has called for has left principals and school managements in a fix in the middle of the academic year.
A government resolution (GR) issued on August 20 says there will be no unit tests in state board schools up to Class VIII and the marking system will also change, laying more emphasis on oral examinations, behaviour of students and extra-curricular activities such as PT and craft.
The new rules say smaller tests based on objective questions will be conducted at regular intervals, but the frequency of these tests is not specified. Implementing the new rules in the middle of an academic year will prove a herculean task, say teachers as well as parents.
'Rules have come late'
Manisha Sablok, Principal, MIT English High School, said the new rules have come late and teachers have not fully understood the new marking format.
"We need time to understand the format ourselves before we explain it to parents. We agree to follow the rules, but some changes need to be made," she said.
Sablok added that though ambitious, the new marking system is better off in classrooms with smaller student numbers.
"Marking students on things like behaviour is a successful format in the West. But the number of students per class there are quite low compared to the number of students in our classrooms," said Sablok. "We have 60 students per class and in a 30-minute class it's not possible to keep an eye on every student and grade them."
Hemant Bharav, head of administration, New India School agreed that the school authorities were confused about the new rules.
Lily Patel, president of Headmasters Association in Pune, added that a meeting of principals had been convened today to discuss the new system.
"Some schools have already conducted unit tests while some are unclear on the new marking pattern," she said. "Given the confusion, we are holding the meeting to discuss how to go about implementing the new rules."
Parents react
Parents feel that if assessment were to be done on a weekly basis, it would help students. Marina Desouza, a mother of two girls studying in St Anne's High School, said, "I am happy that students have to no more face unit tests as these were tiring for both the children and their parents. But the new format focuses more on children's behavior, PT and craft, which leaves parents in the dark about the child's academic performance, and I feel some sort of assessment for that should happen as well."
Augustine Xavier, whose daughter studies in a well-known state board school, said his concern was the frequency of tests and whether all of the portion would be covered.
"If smaller tests are done regularly, it will keep the students keep up with their studies. I am quite worried about the evaluation pattern and on what basis students are assessed," he said.
