CBSE Scraps open book test for Std IX and XI.

CBSE Scraps open book test for Std IX and XI.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has scrapped its open book exam for Std IX and XI with effect from the 2017-18 academic session citing ‘partial achievement’ of objectives.

Though the board has laced its reasons with technical words, this move was expected after CBSE decided to shift back to the traditional board exam pattern for Std X in the coming session.

The Open Text Based-Assessment (OTBA) was more in line with the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) scheme applicable for Std IX, and the shift to the traditional board exam system left no doubt that OTBA will be canned.

In a short notification, the board informed schools that it was doing away with its OTBA because it had not only partially met the desired objectives but also of feedback received from stakeholders.

OTBA was introduced in 2014 for all subjects of Std IX and a few selected ones for Std XI. TOI was the first paper to report about the revolutionary concept in 2012, almost two years before its implementation.

After introducing OTBA in 2014, the board reworked the marking system for Std IX to accommodate their new concept. The question papers in main subjects in Summative Assessment-II were rejigged to 90 marks (in English, of 70 marks + 20 marks for assessment of speaking and listening skills) based on prescribed syllabus and question paper design.

A separate section of 10 marks was carved out for OTBA. This section had text material accompanied by two or three questions based on that text. The questions were based on the Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) format that required students to apply their mind to situations given in the article/ report/ case study and draw inferences/conclusions from.

The questions based on the text were open ended, extrapolative, inferential and look at personal response justifying a point of view.

Reena Dargan, principal of Ira International School, said, “The board has suggested that for Std IX we must follow the same 80-20 (theory-practical) formula that is being implemented for Std X. In fact we have been asked to do it from Std VI-IX so there will be uniformity across the classes.”

Source: TOI