Some schools have changed the evaluation pattern in exams to make it more analytical, impartial and transparent.
In one school, the answer scripts are evaluated by teachers who do not teach that particular class, and in another, teachers do a question-wise analysis of the paper to understand and address the learning gaps.
The objective is to prepare students better for the board exams. Questions in board exams are increasingly becoming competency-based and analytical, with less dependence on rote learning.
At St Xavier’s Collegiate School, subject instructors review the answer sheets of pupils in a class they are not responsible for teaching.
“Such a system emulates the board because in the board exams, students do not know who will check the papers,” said Father Roshan Tirkey, principal, St Xavier’s Collegiate School.
The change was introduced in the last academic session for Class III onwards. However, it is only applicable in the final term.
“During the half-yearly exams, it is the subject teacher who is correcting the scripts and gives detailed feedback for improvement to every student. During the next few months, the students are expected to work according to the feedback received,” Father Tirkey said.
The principal said it also makes the system more transparent and impartial and is not guided by any preconceived notion about a
student.
“Parents cannot say that any teacher has been impartial to any student,” he said.
This system has successfully addressed concerns from parents regarding their child’s deserved marks for a given answer.
“The child is awarded marks for what he has expressed and presented. Knowing is not enough because teachers do not evaluate a student on what he knows,” said Fr Tirkey.
At Mahadevi Birla World Academy, a detailed analysis of questions for each class is conducted, enabling teachers to identify the strengths of the students as well as the areas in which they are struggling.
“The analysis is provided to the students, highlighting their mistakes, which indicates a common issue where these children struggle with higher-order and critical thinking questions,” stated Anjana Saha, principal of Mahadevi Birla World Academy.
The teachers would review in their department which questions they have succeeded in and where they have erred.
For example, English teachers would analyse their respective classes and then compare them with one another.
“The questions are the same in each section, but the analysis would help the student and the school to understand whether everyone is faltering on a particular kind of question and accordingly address that,” said Saha.
“The question pattern has changed, and so the evaluation pattern has to change too. We are doing this from Class III onwards,” said Saha.