Key Points- Assessment Framework for CBSE Science, Mathematics and English for Classes 6 to 10
Developers: – Joint Project
- Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi
- British Council
- AlphaPlus
Focuses on “Assessment and Pedagogy”
- The design of the assessment specifications for CBSE Science Mathematics and English for Classes 6 to 10”
- Encourage teachers to focus on higher order thinking skills and move away from rote learning.
Golden Words:-
Barbara Wickham OBE, Director India, British Council states that “High quality assessment, curriculum and pedagogy are the golden triangle of any education system and when these are made available to young people in an enabling environment it has a profound impact on learning outcomes.” (CBSE Assessment Framework 2021)
Manoj Ahuja Chairman, CBSE stated that “Competency Based Education (CBE) is an alternative to ensure a future ready generation proficient in relevant skills. CBSE with its focus on holistic education is facilitating this progression to CBE where learners would gain mastery of 21st century skills.” (CBSE Assessment Framework 2021)
“Assessment Framework for CBSE Science Mathematics and English for Classes 6 to 10” Salient Features:-
Approach-
The focus of the curriculum is on the students developing a broad range of skills within the relevant subject areas which support their progression in school and more widely as global citizens.
The NCERT curriculum is not a definitive national curriculum which sets out what should be taught in each of the classes for each subject.
NCERT curriculum students should develop higher order thinking skills that better prepare them for later life, rather than a focus on learning of facts.
The NCERT curriculum is well known to teachers it is not universally well understood and there is a significant amount of teaching practice which still focuses on students learning facts and teaching to the text book rather than developing these broader skills.
What is ‘Learning Ladder’?
‘Learning Ladder’ identified both pedagogy and learning outcomes from the NCERT curriculum aligned with the content from the CBSE syllabus.
This learning ladder is presented so that the assessment content is linked directly to the NCERT curriculum which will facilitate amendments to be made if the curriculum changes in future.
The assessment specifications:
- The assessments are generally shorter for lower classes as there is less content to sample and shorter tests are more reasonable for younger students.
- Generally, there are a greater proportion of higher order thinking skills assessed in classes 9 and 10 than in the lower classes.
- Each subject takes a slightly different approach because of the nature of the subject and the skills and content that they need to cover.
- CBSE Assessment Framework 2021
- English- (a) the focus on assessing reading means the assessments are relatively shorter in classes 6-8, (b) at class 9 with the introduction of literature skills into the assessment and with more extended response questions which significantly increases the length of the assessment.
- Math- (a) the need to assess students’ abilities to use a calculator and in mental maths means that two separate assessments are required (b) The mental maths skills are more important in lower classes so are more heavily weighted in these classes and hence the non-calculator tests are longer (c) classes 9 and 10 the non-calculator assessments are proportionally shorter
- Science- (a) the emphasis is on assessing the ability of students to apply their knowledge and analyse data and evaluate information and this increases in classes 9 and 10 (b) Aspects of practical skills can be assessed in written tests (c) the students ability to manipulate equipment and carry out practical procedures cannot be assessed in a written test so these skills should be assessed by the teacher through lab books, projects and practical assessments
Key Concepts/Principles
• Learning Ladder – sets out the content for each class for each subject
• Assessment objectives – set out the skills to be assessed and the proportion of marks for each
• Assessment specification – sets out the guidance for test duration, number of marks, content coverage, question types, marks scheme approach and rubric requirements.
• Example items – illustrate the types of items which can be used and how they can be grouped.
Steps to Create the Assessments:-
The assessment specification and the learning ladder should be used to identify the specific topic areas which will be covered in an assessment
The item writers should then be commissioned to produce items which meet the required content and assessment objectives
The example items would serve as a guide to item writers on the style and type of questions which can be used to cover specific assessment objectives
