CBSE Guidelines for Conducting Internal Assessment in CBSE Affiliated Schools -from CBSE Senior School Curriculum 2024
Internal Assessment (20 Marks):
One-time year-end examination is complimented and supplemented with Internal Assessment (IA) that assesses students in diverse manner, at different times and also examines a broad range of curriculum objectives. IA, in effect school-based assessment, plays the dual role of providing a complete picture of students’ abilities or progress towards fulfilling the aims of education and informing teachers of students’ progress and therefore supporting classroom learning. It also informs the individual learner about his/ her progress over a period of time enabling them to develop strategies to improve learning.
How to Conduct Internal Assessment in CBSE Affiliated Schools
Periodic Assessment (05 Marks)
The main purpose of Periodic Assessment is to assess the learning progress of students. Such Assessment done at regular intervals provides feedback and insight to teachers regarding learners’ needs and helps them to improve instruction, do remedial teaching and set curricular targets for a student or a group of students. The feedback also helps students to know their errors as well as strengths and weaknesses. The students, thus, are enabled for better learning and setting up realistic goals. In essence, this is assessment for, of and as learning. Periodic Assessment is further divided into the following:
Periodic Tests (05 marks):
As earlier, these would be restricted to 3 in each subject in a year and the average of best 2 would to be taken for final submission of marks. These tests tend to follow a pattern, which is quite similar to the final end of course examination, and have a gradually increasing portion of content. Hence, they also tend to prepare students for final summative exams in a more confident manner.
Multiple Assessment (05 marks):
Over the course of the curriculum transaction, multiple assessment strategies are advised. Subject teachers would determine the type and frequency. Schools/teachers would be able to use multiple and diverse assessment techniques to assess learners, i.e., observation, oral tests, individual or group work, class discussion, field-work, concept maps, graphic organizers, visual representation etc. Hence, the schools are given autonomy to use alternate modes of assessment as per the demand of the subject and the context towards addressing the goal of assessment for and as learning, such as quizzes, project-work, Self and peer assessment, collaborative projects, experiments, classroom demonstrations, etc. Caution must be exercised to ensure that recording such assessment is not cumbersome and can be easily translated into individual student scores. When choosing a particular technique, developing simple scoring criteria and rubrics becomes equally important. The purpose of periodic assessment is to provide feedback to improve teaching and learning, so it is equally important to use follow-up measures when students are found to be lacking proficiency.
Portfolio (05 marks):
A portfolio is a collection of chosen work by a student representing a selection of performances. It is a tool for assessing a variety of skills not usually testable in a single setting of the traditional written paper and pencil tests. Portfolio helps students gain an awareness of their own learning. Peer Assessment is a great support that facilitates a clear understanding and evaluation of personal goals.
The active role that students plays in self-assessment not only motivates them but also help to develop metacognitive skills which enable them to make adjustments. The creation of portfolios is suggested to broaden the scope of learning and achieve diverse curriculum outcomes by examining a range of evidence of student performances being assessed.
The portfolio may take the form of a journal or notebook that would include students’ artifacts selected along with their reflections. Learner here is an active participant involved in constructing his or her journey through the portfolio building process of selecting, organizing and reflecting. It is suggested that the portfolios would include classwork and homework assignments that would help evaluate learner’s progress. The attention should be to promote techniques such as annotation, identification of key words / topics/ themes, summarization and organization of ideas and content, photos, presentations, assignments, art integrated learning, etc. Developing them should not be a burden on students- both in terms of cost and time.
Assessing Portfolios
Students’ portfolio can be effectively evaluated using a simple scoring rubric. The criteria – to be used in determining the quality of a particular student’s portfolio needs to be carefully developed and shared with students. They key elements of the particular criteria need to be specified as well.
Suggested below are some elements to judge student’s portfolio:
| Elements to Judge Student’s Portfolio | Organization, Neatness , Creativity and Visual Appeal |
| Completion of Guided Work Focused on Specific Curricular Activity | |
| Evidence of Student’s Growth | |
| Inclusion of all relevant work _Completeness |
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Subject Enrichment Activities
Subject Enrichment Activities (05 marks):
Subject enrichment activities aim at enrichment of the understanding and skill development of students. They provide in-depth learning that motivates students to dig deeper into the discipline.
These enrichment activities need to challenge students and permit them to apply knowledge to the next level. They ought to provide opportunity to students to explore their own interests as well as an understanding of the nature of particular discipline. Some suggestions for conducting these activities are as follows:
Languages provide ample space and the autonomy to subject teachers to develop relevant listening and speaking skills. Teachers need to use this opportunity to full advantage and use excerpts from relevant suitable literature to develop vocabulary and heighten students’ awareness and sensitivity.
The specified activities in practical work in Science and Mathematics need to be conducted in congruence to the objectives of the subject. The focus must shift from confirmatory nature of lab experiments to explorations that focus on development of science processes. Students need to be encouraged to raise questions, generate hypotheses, experiment, innovate and find solutions to questions/ problems encountered.
Social science being the subject relevant to social context, activities and projects in this area should be related to, society, socio-economic and environmental problems, political theory and art and culture. I may also include development of Life Skills.
Assessment
Overall approach in these years as in all higher classes is also competency focussed assessment using a variety of techniques. However, assessment should not contribute to any additional burden for the child, should not overtly burden the teacher and care must be taken not to label the child. Teachers should try to provide each child individual care and attention and keep observing what they are doing.
The stipulated learning outcomes may not be achieved in a linear fashion for all students. Children take their time and have their own ups and downs during their journey towards achieving these learning objectives. Teachers, thus, need to be very patient provide adequate space and time to each child as per her/ his need and not be overbearing. Some of the strategies that can be employed to assess progress of children may be guided observation, storytelling etc. Tools of assessment may include anecdotal records, checklists, event sampling and analysis of artefacts and workbooks.
Teachers should analyse evidence from multiple sources taken over a period of time to assess the extent to which children have demonstrated understanding and acquisition of skills.
There should be no ranking of students at this stage as each child is unique. A teacher can sometimes accomplish a range of distinct curricular objectives and competences just by telling a story, having a conversation, or playing a game. Therefore, the teacher should have the freedom to conduct activities as she / he seems fit in the context of their classrooms.
Resources and References
Senior School Curriculum 2024
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