No Board exam for CBSE class X from 2011

Sep : In a path-breaking move that will cheer lakhs of students

across the country, Govt on Monday announced that Class
Xexaminations of the CBSE will be optional from the next academic
year (2010-11) while the grading system will beintroduced this year
itself.
Over eight lakh students appearing for their class X exams in March
2010 have to take Board exams for which the results will be declared
through grading system.
From 2011, the grading system will continue but the Board exams will
become optional.
The Class X examinations of CBSE will be abolished from 2010-11
while the grading system will be introduced from 2009-10 (current
academic year), Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal
told reporters in New Delhi.
“After the Board examination is abolished in 2011 (for class X),
students will have choice to take the Board exam on demand for
transfer (to another school) or entry into pre-university institutes,”
Sibal said.
The exam on demand is also available to students who want to
continue in the same school, he said.
Under the new system, students who wish to continue in the same
school after class X, need not take Board exam from 2011.
On the grading system, he said it will be a “continuous,
comprehensive evaluation” which will be good for the students.
However, along with grades, students can also ask for their
percentage.
New Delhi, September 7 : Class X students of CBSE schools will be
the last batch to compulsorily take the board examination
for entering class XI this year, with HRD ministry today formally
announcing the end of class X boards in all CBSE senior secondary
schools from the next, 2010-2011 academic session. Secondary
schools (up to class X) will, however, have an online or offline (as the
student chooses) “on-demand” assessment option available at the
end of class X to enable students acquire a board certificate for
entering pre-university.
Senior secondary school students can also take this “on-demand”
examination if he/she wants so, either for a transfer certificate or
entry into some other state board school. The test will comprise GRE-
type questions available online for students, including those who wish
to improve their grades through the course of school instruction. The
CBSE, however, is silent on how many “improvement options” a
student will get.
A nine-point grading system will also be introduced for CBSE class X
from this year. These grades, A1 (for grade point 10), A2 (for grade
point nine), B1 (eight), B2 (seven), C1 (six), C2 (five), D (four), E1
and E2 will correspond to respective attributes and marks ranges –
exceptional (91 to 100 per cent marks); excellent (81 to 90), very
good (71 to 80), good (61 to 70), fair (51 to 60), average (41 to 50),
below average (33 to 40); students with E1 grade (21 to 32 per cent
marks) would be marked “need improvement”; those with E2 (marks
ranging from 0 to 20 per cent) will be marked “unsatisfactory”.
Students with lowest grades will also be promoted to class XI, but will
be required to improve their performance through two chances.
“Students can know their marks/percentiles if they so wish,” HRD
minister Kapil Sibal said today after a detailed presentation on
examination reforms by CBSE chief Vineet Joshi.
In another development, the CBSE announced the introduction of
continuous comprehensive evaluation (CCE) system for class IX
students from October this year. This semester assessment will
happen through two terms (April to September; October to March)
and will comprise two formative (40 per cent of assessment) and one
summative assessment (60 per cent).
“The CCE will cover all aspects of students’ development,” said Sibal.
It will in effect rid the system of the stressful, annual examination
tradition and “produce learners with greater skills”, says the ministry.
The new assessment will cover a student’s for scholastic (curriculum-
based) and co-scholastic skills including life skills, attitudes, physical
and health-related merits.
CBSE’s document paper on examination reforms (in line with NCF
2005 suggestions) further debars schools from restricting CCE
assessment of class IX students to paper-pencil tests. “Quizzes,
group discussions, interviews, oral and visual tests, practicals will
have to be designed for assessment,” said Joshi.
Summative assessment will happen at the end of each term, and will
test students internally for curriculum and scheme of studies. For this,
the schools will have to develop question papers based on the
question bank the CBSE will send to them soon. “Pass percentage
will remain 33,” Joshi said.
To settle the issue of subject selection, which, academics feel, will be
hampered once the class X boards end, the CBSE plans to offer an
“optional aptitude test” from February, 2010. It can be taken at the
end of classes IX and X. “This test, along with the CCE certificate, will
help students choose subjects suiting their aptitude,” Joshi said.
But the CBSE leaves many questions unanswered like how will a
student taking the on-demand class X board examination enter a
state board school if it takes newcomers only on the basis of exact
percentiles; how will a student get streams of choice if several fall in
the same grade and marks range?