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Government suggests a new body to ensure uniformity in all board exams

:- The National Achievement Survey (NAS) and State Achievement Surveys are examples of periodic learning outcome examinations that will be administered by the proposed regulator, PARAKH

 

By Disha Saxena

New Delhi: The Union government intends to develop a "benchmark framework" for evaluating secondary and upper secondary pupils in order to promote "uniformity" among state and central boards, which now use various methods of evaluation and cause significant score differences.

In order to reach a consensus on how to carry out the plan, which includes the creation of a new assessment regulator, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has met with representatives of state boards and State Councils of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) over the past few months.

The National Achievement Survey (NAS) and State Achievement Surveys are examples of periodic learning outcome tests that will be administered by the proposed regulator, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), which will function as a constituent unit of the NCERT.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020's goal of ending the focus on rote learning will be attempted by the benchmark assessment system. The NEP proposal includes PARAKH, the suggested implementing agency.

The NEP plan to offer board exams twice a year, including one to help students improve their grades, was reportedly supported by the majority of states during the deliberations. States are also in favor of the idea of offering two different mathematics exams: one to assess basic skills and the other to assess higher-level proficiency.

"It will promote learning and assist in lowering pupils' math anxiety. The NEP recommendations to have two sets of question papers for the majority of subjects—one with MCQs (multiple choice questions) and the other descriptive—were also discussed at these sessions. According to a representative of the Ministry of Education, the response was positive.

The Centre issued a request for proposals earlier this month to create PARAKH, which it claimed would "set norms, standards, and guidelines for student assessment and evaluation for all recognized school boards of India, encouraging and assisting school boards to shift their assessment patterns towards meeting the skill requirements of the 21st century."

According to a ministry representative, PARAKH would assist address the issue of some state board students being at a disadvantage when applying to colleges when compared to their classmates in CBSE schools. At all levels of academic study, it will create and put into practice "technical standards for the design, conduct, analysis, and reporting" of exams.

The Expression of Interest (EOI) put forth by the Center further specifies that PARAKH will carry out the sample-based NAS, direct the State Achievement Surveys, and keep track of how well the nation is doing in terms of learning outcomes. If all goes according to plan, PARAKH will run the NAS in 2024.

"Its (PARAKH) team would be made up of top assessment specialists who have a comprehensive understanding of the educational system in India and around the world. In the future, PARAKH will serve as the nation's one-stop shop for all assessment-related knowledge and information, with a mandate to promote learning assessment in all its forms on a national and, if appropriate, international level.

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