Collaboration with the #Boards of School Education and #PARAKH, the National Assessment Center, NCERT, Delhi

The National Assessment Center, PARAKH, NCERT, is committed to enhance competency-based holistic assessments in schools across India, aligning with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. PARAKH, to promote school-based assessments for holistic development, recommends to implement the Holistic Progress Cards at the Foundational, Preparatory, Middle, and Secondary stages. In addition, at the Secondary stage, PARAKH collaborates with the different school boards to ensure equivalence among them, foster transparency and digitization in assessment practices to bring about qualitative changes in the examination process. To achieve these goals effectively, collaboration with the Boards of School Education becomes pertinent.

PARAKH proposes the following key areas for collaboration with the Boards of School Education:

1.     Digitization of Assessment Processes: Funding to support the digitization of assessment processes, including the development of online examination platforms, registration of students, issue of admit cards, digital evaluation systems, re-evaluation,, generation of marksheet and secure data management solutions. This ensures efficiency, transparency, and accessibility in assessment practices.

2.     Transparent Assessment Frameworks: Development and refinement of transparent assessment frameworks that ensure clear guidelines, criteria, and processes for conducting assessments including the timelines. This includes funding for the formulation of assessment policies, guidelines, and standards that prioritize transparency.

3.     Open Access Assessment Tools: Development and implementation of open access assessment tools and resources that enhance visibility and accessibility of assessment processes. Creation of online platforms, portals, and databases that provide stakeholders with easy access to assessment information, last year question papers with scoring keys and assessment rubrics.

4.     Awareness Campaigns: Awareness campaigns aimed at promoting understanding and adoption/ adaptation of competency-based holistic assessment practices among students, parents, teachers, and educational administrators.

5.     Capacity Building in Competency Based Assessments: Capacity-building initiatives for stakeholders involved in assessment processes, including educators, school administrators, and board officials. This includes training programs, workshops, and seminars on competency-based assessment methodologies, holistic development principles, and effective use of technology in assessments.

6.     Implementation of Holistic Progress Card: Assistance provided for the implementation, and dissemination of the Holistic Progress Card. Training educators on its effective use for comprehensive student assessment.

7.     Technology Integration: Enable integration of technology into assessment practices, such as developing mobile applications for assessment tracking, automated reporting systems, and virtual assessment tools to enhance accuracy and efficiency as per Holistic Progress card activity and assessment rubric.

8.     Standardization of Assessment Practices: Support boards in efforts to standardize assessment practices across different educational boards in India. This includes development of common assessment frameworks, guidelines for assessment moderation, and sharing of best practices.

9.     Fair, transparent, and tamper-proof examinations: PARAKH to dialogue with the boards to develop and deploy a secure online examination platform that minimize the chances of malpractice and ensure the integrity of the examination process. Implement blockchain technology to securely record and verify examination results, ensuring data integrity and preventing tampering. Introduce biometric verification systems for students appearing in board exams to prevent impersonation and ensure the authenticity of the examinees.

10.  Conduct Census Based Large Scale Surveys in the Affiliated Schools: To assess and understand the educational landscape and the effectiveness of teaching methodologies across different schools, develop standardized survey instruments that can be used across schools to collect data on various educational parameters such as student learning outcomes, teacher effectiveness, and school infrastructure. Boards can be supported for large-scale data collection efforts and use advanced analytical tools to process and analyze the data, providing valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the educational system.

11.  Training of Paper setters etc.: To ensure that the curriculum is relevant and that teachers are well-equipped to deliver it effectively. Boards need to invest in research and development to continuously update the curriculum to align with the latest educational standards and industry requirements. Collaborate for regular professional CPD programs for paper setters in competency-based assessments.

12.  Inclusive Education: To ensure that all students, regardless of their background, have access to quality education. Develop programs that promote cultural inclusivity and sensitivity within the educational environment.

By providing targeted inputs PARAKH aims to strengthen competency-based holistic assessment practices in schools across India, promote comprehensive student development, ensure transparency and equivalence among educational boards, and foster educational excellence nationwide. Also, by addressing the above areas, school boards can develop a more robust and effective approach to student assessment, ensuring that assessments not only measure learning outcomes accurately but contributes positively to student development and instructional quality.