New Delhi, September 7
Class X students of CBSE schools will be the last batch to compulsorily take the board examination for entering class XI this year, with HRD ministry today formally announcing the end of class X boards in all CBSE senior secondary schools from the next, 2010-2011 academic session. Secondary schools (up to class X) will, however, have an online or offline (as the student chooses) “on-demand” assessment option available at the end of class X to enable students acquire a board certificate for entering pre-university.

Senior secondary school students can also take this “on-demand” examination if he/she wants so, either for a transfer certificate or entry into some other state board school. The test will comprise GRE-type questions available online for students, including those who wish to improve their grades through the course of school instruction. The CBSE, however, is silent on how many “improvement options” a student will get.

A nine-point grading system will also be introduced for CBSE class X from this year. These grades, A1 (for grade point 10), A2 (for grade point nine), B1 (eight), B2 (seven), C1 (six), C2 (five), D (four), E1 and E2 will correspond to respective attributes and marks ranges - exceptional (91 to 100 per cent marks); excellent (81 to 90), very good (71 to 80), good (61 to 70), fair (51 to 60), average (41 to 50), below average (33 to 40); students with E1 grade (21 to 32 per cent marks) would be marked “need improvement”; those with E2 (marks ranging from 0 to 20 per cent) will be marked “unsatisfactory”.

Students with lowest grades will also be promoted to class XI, but will be required to improve their performance through two chances. “Students can know their marks/percentiles if they so wish,” HRD minister Kapil Sibal said today after a detailed presentation on examination reforms by CBSE chief Vineet Joshi.

In another development, the CBSE announced the introduction of continuous comprehensive evaluation (CCE) system for class IX students from October this year. This semester assessment will happen through two terms (April to September; October to March) and will comprise two formative (40 per cent of assessment) and one summative assessment (60 per cent).

“The CCE will cover all aspects of students’ development,” said Sibal. It will in effect rid the system of the stressful, annual examination tradition and “produce learners with greater skills”, says the ministry. The new assessment will cover a student’s for scholastic (curriculum-based) and co-scholastic skills including life skills, attitudes, physical and health-related merits.

CBSE’s document paper on examination reforms (in line with NCF 2005 suggestions) further debars schools from restricting CCE assessment of class IX students to paper-pencil tests. “Quizzes, group discussions, interviews, oral and visual tests, practicals will have to be designed for assessment,” said Joshi.

Summative assessment will happen at the end of each term, and will test students internally for curriculum and scheme of studies. For this, the schools will have to develop question papers based on the question bank the CBSE will send to them soon. “Pass percentage will remain 33,” Joshi said.

To settle the issue of subject selection, which, academics feel, will be hampered once the class X boards end, the CBSE plans to offer an “optional aptitude test” from February, 2010. It can be taken at the end of classes IX and X. “This test, along with the CCE certificate, will help students choose subjects suiting their aptitude,” Joshi said.

But the CBSE leaves many questions unanswered like how will a student taking the on-demand class X board examination enter a state board school if it takes newcomers only on the basis of exact percentiles; how will a student get streams of choice if several fall in the same grade and marks range?