No written exams till class 2, says draft NCF

NEW DELHI: Explicit tests and exams are completely inappropriate assessment tools for children up to class 2 and written tests should be introduced from class 3 onwards, the draft National Curriculum Framework (NCF) has recommended, stressing that assessment methods should not contribute to any additional burden for the child.

The framework, being developed on the lines of new National Education Policy (NEP), suggests that the child’s observations and analysing artefacts that the child has produced as part of the learning experience are the important and appropriate assessment methods at the foundational stage.

“Assessment should allow for diversity among children and in their learning. Children learn differently and express their learning differently too… Assessment should not contribute to any additional burden… Assessment tools and processes should be designed such that they are a natural extension of the learning experience for the child,” it adds.

Written tests should be introduced at the preparatory stage (classes 3-5), at the end of which, there should be a comprehensive summative assessment of the student’s readiness to enter the middle stage (classes 6-8). In the latter stage, the curriculum should focus on conceptual understanding and higher-order capacities, suggests the draft prepared by a panel headed by ISRO ex-chief K Kasturirangan.

“Classroom assessment techniques such as projects, debates, presentations, experiments, investigations, role plays, journals and portfolios should be used to assess learning. Regular summative assessments at this stage will help students synthesise their learning at logical intervals such as year-end, term-end, unit-end. Summative assessments comprising multiple-choice questions and constructed responses like short and long answer, may be used periodically,” it says.

In the secondary stage (classes 9-12), comprehensive classroom assessments should be effectively practised for facilitating meaningful learning and constructive feedback. Stressing on self-assessment, the panel says students should be facilitated to monitor what they are learning and use the feedback to adjust, adapt, and decide their own strategies for learning.