Multiple choice questions (MCQs) to encourage critical thinking or experience-based questions are some of the assessment changes schools are planning to make across all classes following the ICSE council’s move to introduce more “higher order... questions”.
The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) on Tuesday in a circular sent to heads of schools said the ICSE and ISC exams in 2024 will have a small increase in the percentage of higher-order and critical thinking questions and such questions will progressively increase in subsequent years.
On Wednesday, several schools said they would have to start preparing students from junior school. Teachers across junior and senior school have been attending workshops to understand the new evaluation pattern.
At La Martiniere for Boys, MCQs, introduced in term exams, are now part of unit tests from Class VI onwards.
“MCQs may appear easy but the boys have to think and answer. We have to encourage our boys to think critically and creatively,” said John Stephen, acting principal, La Martiniere for Boys.
Some schools are looking at changes right from pre-primary and primary levels.
“Our teachers are undergoing training for the changed pattern of assessment from rote to one that is more analytical. Experiential learning based on activities rather than textual learning would be the focus,” said Rupkatha Sarkar, principal, La Martiniere for Girls.
Instead of teachers telling small children what domestic animals are, for example, the students will be asked if they have a pet at home so they can relate to what is being taught, Sarkar said. “Questions would be rooted in the children’s experience.”
To assess how much a student has picked up, they will be given a statement and asked to frame a question. “If students are able to do this, it would mean they have been able to grasp a topic,” said Terence John, principal, Julien Day School Kalyani. “We intend to introduce the changes from our half-yearly exams.”
Some schools said the changes have to be introduced in phases in different classes.
“We have to prepare parents of primary and middle school for the changes in the assessment pattern to prepare the child,” said John Bagul, principal, South City International School.
It will take a couple of years to shift to the new system, said Terence Ireland, principal of St James School. “We need time to prepare a question bank and see the level of critical thinking being expected from the students,” he said.
Last updated on 15 Jun 2023
