No board exam for CBSE Class X from 2011

Grade system on continuous, comprehensive evaluation to be implemented

Those students who are in secondary schools or need board certification for shifting to another school or any of the state boards may take on-demand assessment tests to be conducted by the CBSE from time to time. However, over eight lakh students appearing for their Class X exams in March 2010 have to appear for board exams for which the results will be declared through a grading system.

Briefing reporters here on Monday, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said for senior secondary schools there would be no board examination in Class X since the students would be entering Class XI in the same school.

“However, those students who may need board certification at a later stage can also take the on-line/off-line/on-demand assessment test. This might be due to their parents’ transfer or the students might want to shift to schools of other state boards due to local reasons,”  Sibal said.

On the grading system, which will be introduced from 2010, the minister said it would be through a “continuous, comprehensive evaluation” (CCE) implying a system of school-based evaluation of students covering all aspects of their development.
The comprehensive component of CCE will include assessment of  student’s thinking, emotional and social skills apart from the scholastic aspects.

There will be two terms of CCE –– from April to September and then October to March. Each term will have two formative assessments and one summative assessment. The formative assessments will be based on application-based tests and may include means like group discussion, quiz, projects and interviews. The summative one will be carried out at the end of a course. “It measures or sums up how much a student has learned from the course and is a graded test,” acting CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi said.
For the summative assessment, internal tests will be held for students, based on curriculum and scheme of studies. Question papers based on blue print will be designed by the schools from the question bank to be sent by the board and evaluation will be done by school teachers.

The new system of grades will be based on a nine-point scale, starting from A1 (exceptional) up to E2 (unsatisfactory).

The board will offer an aptitudet test from February 2010.

“By the time a student reaches Class XI, he would have undertaken aptitude test twice, once at the end of Class IX and at the end of Class X. This along with other school records and CCE would help the students, parents and teachers in deciding the choice of the subjects at Class XI,” Sibal said. 

Testing time