NCERT Proposes Cumulative Credits and Demand-based Exams for Classes 9-12

NCERT's new Cumulative Credit System for classes 9-12, proposed by PARAKH, offers holistic student assessments, reducing stress and promoting flexible, demand-based exams.

on Jul 18, 2024

NCERT Proposes Cumulative Credits and Demand-based Exams for Classes 9-12 | Frontlist

PARAKH, an NCERT unit, has proposed a new 'Cumulative Credit System' to holistically assess students in classes 9 to 12, including their board exams. This initiative aims to monitor students' progress comprehensively, and NCERT plans to discuss its implementation with state education boards next week.

The Holistic Progress Card (HPC), developed by PARAKH, will track students' performance from classes 9 to 12. The HPC considers feedback from peers, parents, and students themselves to assess progress across various domains. For senior classes, it includes future plans, career choices, and vocational skills.

The proposal, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, is currently under review by the Ministry of Education (MoE). The council has already asked the states to implement HPCs for foundational, preparatory, and middle school stages, with secondary school implementation planned following regional meetings with state boards.

Prof. Indrani Bhaduri, CEO of PARAKH, highlighted that the cumulative system will allow for credits from various activities, such as research projects, to be included in assessments. State boards will create a question bank with assessment rubrics, ensuring transparency. Teachers will use this question bank to prepare exams for classes 9 and 11, while classes 10 and 12 will continue with board exams.

The new system aims to reduce student stress by tracking progress through both formative and summative assessments, potentially altering the current 80:20 ratio of external to internal assessments. PARAKH also suggests a demand-based exam system, allowing students to take exams when they are ready.

State boards will develop their own roadmaps for implementation, teacher training, and translation of HPCs into their respective languages. This initiative, linked to students' APAAR IDs and Digi lockers, promises to provide a more flexible and comprehensive assessment method for secondary education.