July 6: The ICSE council has clarified that the test it has proposed for students of classes V and VIII will not be board exams and they will not add to the stress the young learners are already subjected to.

"The assessment is envisaged to be a non-threatening diagnostic assessment unrelated to classroom academic scores, hence, no prior preparation on the part of the students is required. It is NOT a board examination," Gerry Arathoon, the chief executive and secretary of the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations said in a note posted on the council's website.

"The assessment would be student oriented and will be designed to assess the student's understanding of concepts based on the newly introduced curriculum. It will put in place strong learning foundations so that both the ICSE and the ISC examinations become less demanding and more stress-free for students."

Arathoon's note is addressed to the heads of all affiliated schools.

The heads of several schools in the city, however, questioned the council's contention that the proposed tests would be different from a board exam.

"If the council conducts a compulsory exam, then it has to be a board exam," said the principal of a private school, who is opposed to the council's plan to hold tests for the students of classes V and VIII.

The council in its note has said it has "received certain queries regarding the curriculum and its assessment from some of the affiliated schools." The questions have been "summarised" and the board has provided an answer to each of them.

One such question is: "Is the assessment a 'Board' examination?"

The council's response: "No, it is not a 'Board' examination?"

Another question: "Will this assessment lead to higher levels of stress and anxiety among students?"

The council's response: "This will not lead to any stress or anxiety as the outcome of this assessment does not determine pass/fail/promotion. It will in fact identify their strengths, skills and areas of improvement and thus help devise subsequent measures to bring about improved levels of learning and understanding."

Parents and teachers are, however, of the opinion that any additional exam is bound to add to the students' stress. "Any one who says an exam can be stress-free is far removed from classroom reality," a teacher said.

"The council has said a student's performance in either exam will not determine whether he or she will be promoted or not. But what most students are bothered about is how much they are scoring in each subject. When a mere class test adds to the stress of the students and the parents, one can well imagine what a council exam will lead to," the principal of an ICSE school said.

Most of the Anglo-Indian schools in Bengal affiliated to the ICSE council have refused to let their students take the proposed tests.