September 3, 2013, 12:00 am
To improve the quality of students who pass out of class X in CBSE schools, the board has now made it mandatory for students to obtain at least 25% marks each in summative assessments I and II in class IX and X.
Till last year, the schools were declaring a student pass on the basis of the total marks they scored in the four formative assessments (FA) and two summative assessments (SA) in these classes. If the student scored more than 33% marks in a subject in all these tests taken together, they were declared pass. "As a result, there were students who had scored zero in SA I and II passing the exam purely on the basis of their performance in FA," said K Unnikrishnan, president of the Confederation of Kerala Sahodaya Complexes.
While SA assesses what the student has learned in each subject and seeks to monitor educational outcomes, the FA assesses students’ language skills, mathematics and science skills, besides their performance in extra-curricular activities.
CBSE has also made it clear to schools that from this academic year it is mandatory for students of class IX and X to appear for summative assessment exams. Illness can’t be an excuse for not appearing for the exam. Only those participating in sports at national or international
level recognised by sports federation or CBSE will be exempted but with prior approval.
If a student is absent due to his appearance in a sporting event held in the month that SAs are conducted, then schools have been advised to consider the marks obtained in one SA in the other SA too.
A letter sent to the principals last month, CBSE’s controller of amination, MC Sharma, has said, "It would be mandatory for a student to appear in both SAs in both classes IX and X." In case of non-appearance in SAs on grounds of illness, one more chance to appear in SA I may be given up to October 31 in class IX and X. For SA II in class IX, the exam has to be held within a month from the date of declaration of results. However, students in class X will have to appear for SA II exam as per schedule.
