JAMMU: Putting an end to the traditional examination system, all schools in Jammu and Kashmir will now have uniform question papers from the upcoming academic session, with 20% of the marks allocated to co-curricular component, from Nursery to Class 12
The formative assessment and summative assessment will be worth 20 and 50 percent of the marks in the Student Assessment and Evaluation Scheme (SAES), which will be implemented across the UT from upcoming session.
These changes are being brought under the NEP-2020 examination reforms, which seeks to change the purpose of assessment from one that is summative and primarily tests rote memorization skills to one that is more regular and formative, is more competency-based, supports our students’ learning and development, and tests higher-order skills like analysis, critical thinking, and conceptual clarity.
The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has been tasked with the responsibility to develop uniform question papers for all government and government recognized schools.
The first five years of education from KGs to Standard 2, also called the foundational stage will have its evaluation and assessment procedures carried out by the heads of the schools using the models outlined in the school-based assessment (SBA) document by the NCERT/SCERT.
The evaluation and assessment of the Preparatory (Class 3-5) and Middle stages (Class 5-8) would also be conducted by the heads of the schools using assessment tools and model question papers prescribed by the SCERT.
The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) has been given sole responsibility for the Secondary stage, which includes classes 9th through 12th, and will be administered in accordance with NEP-2020 criteria.
For the formative assessment, co-curricular component, and summative assessment, respectively, the weighting of the marks will be allocated as 30, 20, and 50% with a qualifying percentage of 33% in each.
Recitation, art and craft, role playing, painting, group songs, discussion, debates, health and hygiene, environmental awareness, and IT awareness are some of the activities that form the co-curricular component.
Students who have been designated as potential learners will be promoted to the next class on a proviso basis with plans for extra courses for two to three months during the vacation or at the start of the next session, followed by another assessment of grade-appropriate competencies. Only when the student is unable to meet the eligibility requirements in this reassessment tool may they be held back.
The evaluation shall be carried out in the Complex Head under the supervision of the head of the complex and overall supervision of DIET/SCERT.
“The contents of the evaluation mechanism at every level, including the standard operating procedures, are detailed in a 12-page document signed by Alok Kumar, Principal Secretary Education who also serves as the Director of SCERT,” said an official handout.
Instead of a grade sheet, the students will now receive a multidimensional report card or a holistic progress card, which would reflect each learner’s individuality and progress in detail. Software assisted by artificial intelligence would create a 360-degree perspective of a student’s progress and help them choose the best careers would also be used.
With the new curriculum and pedagogical structure of 5+3+3+4 adopted as per the NEP-2020 guidelines replacing the 10+2 pattern in school education, the new assessment and evaluation scheme takes effect right from the foundational stage.
The ‘Foundational’ stage is comprised of the first five years of education, the next three are ‘Preparatory’ followed by another three years in the ‘Middle’ stage. The final four years included the grades 9th and 10th in Phase-I and 11th and 12th in Phase-II under the head ‘Secondary’ stage.
