New assessment criteria in Delhi schools- Here's how students' performance will be evaluated

As per the new assessment guidelines, students of classes 3-8 will be assessed for Happiness and Deshbhakti curricula, while students of Class 9 and Class 11 will be assessed for Deshbhakti and Entrepreneurship Mindset Curricula. Scroll down for more details.

Image credit: IANS

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Friday (July 1) introduced new assessment guidelines for government, government-aided and recognised unaided schools in the national capital in which students will now be assessed for the impact of mindset curricula in their behaviour, along with other scholastic subjects. This will be a supplement to the evaluation norms that already exist and are based on co-curricular and academic activity.

This academic year, the Kejriwal Government amended the assessment criteria, and going forward, students will also be evaluated on their competencies in addition to their knowledge of key courses. Incorporating assessments of competencies learned through these curricula is being primarily done to emphasise the growth of social, ethical, and emotional capacities in addition to cognitive abilities. These objectives are consistent with the pedagogy and objectives of the mindset curriculum as envisioned in the NEP 2020.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, said in a statement, "In order to prepare students for real-world challenges in a world driven by information and technology and to maximise their innate potential, schools must prioritise competency-based learning."

"The new assessment standards will also motivate students to contribute to society`s advancement. As the curriculum has been in use for some time, it is appropriate to include it in the assessment process at this time. Further, no weightage of marks obtained will be calculated for the promotion of a student to the next higher class," he added.

As per the new assessment guidelines, students of classes 3-8 will be assessed for Happiness and Deshbhakti curricula, while students of Class 9 and Class 11 will be assessed for Deshbhakti and Entrepreneurship Mindset Curricula. It is to be noted here that students of Class 11 will have an additional criterion for assessment, which is their participation in Business Blasters.

Further detailing the procedure of assessment, Sisodia added that "question papers will be set in a manner where students will have to answer questions based on the application of concepts of this curriculum in real-life/unfamiliar situations.

Along with that, he said students will also have unique project works based on the curriculum."This new process of assessment will further strengthen the critical thinking and analytical abilities of the students. It will also help them get rid of the need for rote learning methods that create excessive and unnecessary stress on students during examinations," Sisodia added.

Exams schedule for Delhi Schools

As per the new assessment guidelines of the Directorate of Education, in the academic session 2022-23, the mid-term examination will be conducted in September/October and Common Annual School Examination (CASE) will be conducted in February/March.

Syllabus and question paper pattern for exams in Delhi Schools

The question papers for the mid-term examination will be set out of the syllabus supposed to be covered up to the midterm exam. The question papers of annual examinations will be set out from the syllabus as prescribed by CBSE and the Directorate of Education, Delhi.

Also, question papers in mid-term, pre-board and annual exams shall be set in a manner to assess the comprehension, competencies and other skills as required. The pattern of questions particularly in secondary and senior secondary classes shall be the same as that of the questions set at the CBSE Board examinations.

The new guidelines said a greater number of competency-based questions or questions that assess the application of concepts in real-life/unfamiliar situations will be part of the question paper in mid-term, pre-board and annual exams. The result of each examination shall be analysed and difficult topics/chapters in different subjects will be identified for arranging the remedial and enrichment programmes.

Further, a summary of the analysis of class-wise and subject-wise results shall be prepared and kept on record to serve as an input to academic enrichment and remedial purposes. Lastly, examinations shall be conducted in such a manner that chances of copying, favouritism, injustice and victimisation shall be reduced to the minimum.