JOIN US Written examinations cannot be done away with completely but there is a need to change the way children’s performance is assessed, according to Sarita Manuja, Director of Centre for Assessment Evaluation and Research (CAER).
Multiple choice questions play a vital role in assessing the level of understanding of a student.
“Right questions must be framed to better assess the progress of a student in each class. There is a possibility that multiple choice questions can find place in class 10 board exams,” Manuja told Deccan Herald.
The Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE), a newly introduced education system by the Central Board of Secondary Education, is the brainchild of CAER. The body gives advice to the CBSE on the kind of questions to be framed and how to analyse the answers.
The CAER director also explained there is no board or system in the world that has completely done away with written examination.
Level of understanding
A student’s level of understanding should be checked at regular intervals, and it is where CCE comes in the picture.
“If two students get equal marks, it doesn’t mean that their level of understanding is also the same. Till date we have been thinking marks imply same level of competence. It needs to be changed,” added Manuja.
The Centre for Assessment Evaluation and Research is a public-private partnership between CBSE and an NGO called Pearson Charitable Foundation, which came into existence in 2012.
“The quality of education can only be improved if we have trained teachers,” she said at the CBSE-CAER International Conference 2014 on ‘Global trends in large scale assessments’.
“The biggest challenge that the CCE faces is lack of quality teachers, so CBSE should pay more thought to training teachers,” she added.
CAER also works through an executive council led by chairman of CBSE Vineet Joshi. “As educators, we are not only able to provide in-depth education but we are also able to judge the potential of the child aptly. With CCE, CAER has shown us the way to help children develop themselves better,” said Joshi.