No Written Exams up to Class 2: Recommends NCF

New Delhi: Explicit tests and exams are completely inappropriate assessment tools for children up to class 2 and written tests should be introduced from class 3 onwards, this is the recommendation of the draft National Curriculum Framework (NCF). The NCF feels that assessment methods should be such that they do not contribute to any additional burden for the child.

The education ministry released a “pre-draft” of the NCF for school education on Thursday and invited suggestions from stakeholders such as students, parents, teachers and scholars.

The draft notes that explicit tests and examinations are completely inappropriate assessment tools for the Foundational stage (preschool to class 2).

Describing the assessment for preparatory stage (class 3 to 5), the draft recommends that “written tests should be introduced at this stage”.

“At the end of the preparatory stage, there should be a comprehensive summative assessment of the student’s readiness to enter the middle stage where several new curricular areas are introduced,” it adds.

The draft prepared by a panel headed by K Kasturirangan, former ISRO chief, suggests that at the middle stage (class 6 to 8), the focus of the curriculum should move to conceptual understanding and higher order capacities.

In the secondary stage (class 9 to 12), the panel has asserted that comprehensive classroom assessments should be effectively practised for facilitating meaningful learning and constructive feedback. Regular summative assessments should be conducted for recording students learning against competencies.

The NCF has been revised four times – in 1975, 1988, 2000 and 2005. The new proposed revision will be the fifth of the framework.