Many schools in the city affiliated with CBSE have finally discarded the age-old mark or grade system for tests. Instead, they are opting for emojis and stars as efficient ways of assessing the performance of students. As announced in the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, this move is in keeping with the CBSE's official guidelines.

For the students from kindergarten to Class II, a "holistic report card" has been introduced into this academic year's curriculum. It is based on the assessment of children through activities instead of written examinations. The concept is to focus on some skills such as communication, active learning, and overall health and well-being.

What makes the new system unique?

Instead of the question paper type assessment, students are graded with project work, quizzes, inquiry-based activities, and other group activities. These methods evaluate cognitive, emotional, social, and physical skills. Teachers also encourage student self-assessment and collect responses from peers and parents.

Skills over scores [Source - TOI]

To support teachers in this regard, schools offered special sessions for training and even developed integrated assessments. For example, from this year onwards, Math and English teachers are beginning to work together to devise tasks that combine both these subjects. 

“In an English lesson on birthday parties, students might role-play in English while solving math puzzles, helping them develop both language and cognitive skills,” explained Sheeba Thomas, a Math teacher at Rajagiri Public School.

Creative learning tools and positive feedback

To aid learning, schools are getting on the brink of innovative tools. As per principal Priya C Pillai of Chinmaya Mission School at Tripunithura, board games are in use to teach Maths and Environmental Studies. “We are also stressing the importance of healthy eating and physical fitness alongside academics,” she added.

Many have welcomed the new system. “Schools are realizing that early intervention can help build social skills in students from a young age while reducing the pressures of performance and marks,” said Ibrahim Khan, president of the CBSE Management Association.

What are the challenges?

While the initiative holds much promise, not all experts are that optimistic. According to Amruth G Kumar, professor of the School of Education at Central University of Kerala, "Students connect better with emojis than with numbers, but there’s a risk of monotony setting in,”  he added, “Such initiatives can only succeed if teachers remain consistently creative with evaluation methods.”

What's next for holistic report cards?

The system is expected to expand to higher grades soon. “We are developing new assessment models to evaluate students, and the holistic report card will be introduced for younger classes in the coming months,” said Bobby Joseph, principal of Naipunya Public School. The school also plans to implement this approach for students up to Grade IX in the near future.

The shift is always a step towards reducing academic stress and dealing with well-rounded development in students, but success depends upon the creativity and consistency of educators.