The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has announced two assessment windows — October 6 to 17 and November 10 to 21 — for online evaluations for Classes III, V, and VIII as part of a pilot project.
The council had earlier indicated that flexibility would be given to participating schools in choosing dates. “There is no fixed date. Schools can choose according to their convenience,” Joseph Emmanuel, CISCE's chief executive and secretary, told Metro.
Schools can select either window based on their academic calendars. Participating institutions were briefed during an orientation session, which covered the assessment windows, necessary precautions, and instructions on downloading and running the assessment program.
Fifty schools in Bengal, including 21 in Calcutta, are part of the pilot. Nationally, the initiative spans 300 schools. The assessments are planned for rollout to all affiliated institutions from the next academic session.
The assessments target Classes III, V, and VIII, but this year they will be conducted for Classes III, VI and IX, as the pilot falls mid-academic session. “The current students of V and VIII haven't completed their syllabus yet. To avoid burdening them, the assessments will be conducted for students one class above,” a council official explained.
When the assessment is fully implemented, it will be for Classes III, V, and VIII.
The CISCE has recommended that participating schools conduct the pilot for all three classes. “We should encourage schools to conduct it for all three classes. Only then will the testing be complete. Within the school, the assessments will help identify gaps. They have to use the facility in totality, not in isolation,” said Emmanuel.
The assessments will be conducted digitally and require tech-enabled infrastructure. “It will help us gauge teaching and learning proficiency. It will help us understand the learning outcomes of students and the teaching proficiency of our faculty,” said Rupkatha Sarkar, principal of La Martiniere for Girls, one of the participating schools.