CBSE Class 12 assessment: consequences

Jun 4, 2021
Devinder Dhingra

Satyam (The Truth)

Now the CBSE class 12 exams have been cancelled, and parents and students are waiting for the assessment criteria. The old anxiety of exams is replaced by the new anxiety of how a student shall be assessed. Wait for two weeks more! I wonder why CBSE was not ready with some alternatives when they had so much time in hand.

Anyways, let us hope patience pays. Class 12 assessment is far more important than class 10 since it is the base for the next level of education and securing admission in career specific courses. So, let them take time and come up with a comprehensive output that suits the most, though it would not be that easy.

If they consider the result of class 9 and class 10 for assessing the class 12 performance, it has its own consequences. It is a known fact that class 11/12 is different from class 9/10. There are so many examples when a student who was performing well in class 9/10 is not able to handle the class 11/12 curriculum and vice versa (a student who was not good in class 9/10 excelling in class 11/12). The only plus about considering class 10 results is it might be able to judge a student’s ability to handle board level exams.

If they consider class 11, give a small weightage to it, and take the rest from the internal assessment of class 12, it also has its own consequences. There are examples when one has scored low in class 11 or even failed in class 12 pre-boards but does excellent in the board securing in the nineties. We cannot run away from the fact that the students are more focused on class 12 board examinations and various entrance tests instead of the pre-board etc. or the class 11 result. And then, the school exams and evaluation are certainly stricter in many cases.

Assessing students based on internal performance is easy but grading them purely on the basis of internal assessment is quite difficult. In fact, almost impossible.

At the end of the day, grading in this scenario shall not hinder anyone’s prospects – whether it is securing admission or in the placements, whatever.

Regarding the alternative option given to a student who is not happy with the assessment to appear in the exams at a later stage is a fair idea. But when? When will that exam be taken? What about the student - how long will one keep on revising and studying the same things again and again? No university or institution is going to wait beyond a certain time to close their respective admission process. Clearly the option without a date is ambiguous at this moment.

Shivam (The Solution)

Here are two solutions from my side. But whatever assessment policy is framed in the coming days, there is a need to include the following or something similar:

1. The institutions and universities that are providing admission on the basis of their own entrance test/ viva/ interview/ video meetings, the minimum percentage/ grade criteria of class 12 exam shall be straightaway removed. The eligibility shall be a mere ‘Pass’.
2. The institutions and universities shall also be instructed not to specify any minimum grade or criteria for class 12 for placement services for the 2021 batch.

Solution 1:

The first solution is ‘to do away with the grading’ for this year and simply declare one ‘Pass’ or ‘Fail’. The entrance to higher education institutions shall be done by the institutions themselves on the basis of entrance tests/ short tests/ viva/ video meetings/ video tests etc.

The entrance test is of course the best and the most feasible option.

Solution 2:

The second solution is to go for the internal assessment considering class 12 only. Practical/ internal assessment shall be given a weightage of 30% for all the subjects and not just Physics/ Chemistry. Spread the remaining assessment of 70% to the whole year performance: 10% to periodic tests, 25% to midterm exams, 35% to pre-boards.

Only the best score of the student in each category shall be considered. If a school has taken more than one pre-boards or tests, whether online or offline, they shall consider the best performance in each subject separately.

After the assessment is done, schools should share it with the student in advance before the last date of assessment submission to the Board and ask the student if he is interested in taking exams. If the student is unhappy and opts for the exams, the same shall be conveyed to CBSE along with the assessment sheet.

CBSE shall provide two dates for exams. The first date shall be as early as on June 30 and the second before July 15. That’s all. There shall be a single exam of three hours, an objective paper, for all the three major subjects in one go like the JEE Main exams.

The National Testing Agency shall be taking this exam and the result shall be available maximum by July 18 for the second test date. This shall ensure that the final result is declared for everybody (those who opted for the exam and those who did not) before July 31, 2021. Regarding the fee needed for conducting these tests, CBSE has already taken examination fees from all the students and the same shall be utilised.

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