The Central Board of Secondary Education has rolled out a new assessment framework for Classes 6-10 in English, Maths and Science in collaboration with the British Council. Under the new system, teachers will be trained to create question papers and other assessment methods that test the actual competency of students in these subjects, rather than their ability to memorise chunks of text.
Launching the new framework on Wednesday, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said it was aligned with the National Education Policy’s vision of achieving a global standard in assessments, according to an official statement.
British agencies worked with the CBSE team to analyse the current set-up in Indian schools and identify how competency-based approaches can be integrated into the assessment system. They have developed materials to train teachers in new styles of pedagogy and lesson plan preparation and will hold capacity building workshops for 40 assessment designers, 180 master test item designers and 360 master trainer mentors, who will create model question banks.
In the first phase, the framework will be implemented in select Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas, CBSE schools in Chandigarh, and a few private schools. By 2024, it will be rolled out to 25,000 CBSE schools across the country, with 1.32 lakh teachers and two crore students.
“The new National Education Policy 2020 envisages a significant shift in the education ecosystem in India. It aims at preparing students for the 21st century and lays emphasis on competency-based education rather than an education which tests rote learning,” the statement said.
