BENGALURU: In a move aimed at reducing stress among students in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the State Education Department has come out with several guidelines on conducting the final examination for students of Classes 1 to 9 and also for SSLC students.For students of Classes 1 to 5, schools have been permitted to take a decision on promoting them based on only one Formative and one Summative Assessments instead of two and one, respectively.
The guidelines, issued by Commissioner, Department of Education, on Thursday stated that considering the pandemic situation, and also the fact that lessons taught till now have been mostly online, on DD Chandana and through Vidyagama, schools will be conducting only one FA and one SA examination for Classes 1 to 5.
For Classes 6 to 9, the department has come up with an Alternative Academic Calendar. Considering the fact that the schools have not been able to conduct regular classes and the students, even under the Vidyagama programme, have been coming to schools only alternate days, the teachers can identify lessons which have continuity (spiral) for the next academic year.
“It is good if the schools are given an option to decide on the ability of the child and also the spiral curriculum. Then it won’t burden the child or the teacher,” said D Shashikumar of Karnataka Associated Managements of English Medium Schools (KAMS).
Schools can decide on lessons, activities
Considering the remainder of the current academic year, schools can decide on the lessons to be taught, activities that can be planned to monitor the child’s learning ability and conduct examination and evaluation at the school level.For Classes 6-9, if the schools have already conducted FA 1,2,3,4, then the best results of any two FAs can be considered for promotion of the child to the next class. If the exams have not been conducted, then only one FA and one SA has to be considered.
For Class 10 students too, the teachers can decide on the syllabus based on the activities currently being followed — like Vidyagama, online classes, YouTube learning, activities framed, worksheets given, etc. If the schools have already done FA 1,2,3 or 4, conducted eight project works already, then the best of two FAs or four project works should be considered.
“The schools have also been permitted to teach particular lessons in the syllabus if it is important for the next academic year, and tell the students that it will not be considered for the exam,” said an official.
Time table for assessment for schools that have not conducted FAs so far (For Std 6 to 9)
First FA (10 marks): In Feb third week
Second FA (10 marks): In April fourth week
SA (30 marks): In last week of May, completed by June first week
Results: June second week
For SSLC Students
Assessment for Preparatory exams
1FA: Feb last week
2FA: April third week
Four project works: Jan-April (to be conducted every month subject-wise)