The ever swelling 95% club reflects a faulty assessment process and not the scholarly brilliance of students
Every year as Board exam results are declared, it is the Central Board of Secondary Education that comes out with flying colors. Its pass percentage and the 90% club has been increasing phenomenally year by year. This year’s results showed a huge increase in the percentage of students scoring above 90% and also a swell in the above 95% club. There were at least two students who scored 100%. Incidentally both were from Humanities stream.
This when the examinations got disrupted due to COVID-19 and the board dropped the exam scheduled from March 19 to March 31. A top scorer who got overall 100% did not write the Geography paper, which was one of his five subjects, as the exam was scrapped. Exams for 23 subjects were pending for class 12. The Board devised a special method for preparing the results.
For class 12 students, CBSE calculated the average marks of the three best papers on the basis of marks obtained by that particular student, while the best two subjects were considered for ranking by the board for students who could manage to sit in only three papers. For the students who could not appear even in two papers, the CBSE computed their ranking on the basis of their performance in practical and project marks.
Spiked scores
Over the years, there has been a spike in the number of students who score 95% in individual subjects or get an overall percentage of 95%. This gives a push to a widespread view that the scores of number of students are being spiked under the garb of “moderation”, a practice in which a board tweaks the scores of some candidates in order to meet certain stated objectives.
According to CBSE bylaws, moderation is followed in order to i) compensate candidates for difficulties in solving questions in a specified time, due to misinterpretation/ambiguity of questions and errors, ii) to level up the mean achievements in set-wise performance due to differences in difficulty levels of different sets of papers, iii) to maintain near-parity of pass percentage in the current year vis-a-vis preceding years.
Many experts who have analysed the results over the years feel that the increase in number of those scoring 95% in individual subjects or overall, shows that upto 15 marks are added under the garb of ‘moderation’ when a maximum of 1 or 2 marks should be increased, depending upon the difficulty level of the paper or even to adjust the overall percentage of the Board. “By following such a method a student who has genuinely scored 95% is at a disadvantage as his total can end up lower than the one whose marks were spiked,” says a teacher who has been evaluating answer copies for years.
Focus on cramming
Instead of celebrations, this trend of high percentage and now of a ‘Perfect Score’ should set alarm bells ringing. Such high scores are not a reflection upon a student’s merit. Rather it raises questions about the evaluation process employed by the Board.
It would be pertinent to ask if a perfect score is also indicative of perfect grasp of knowledge of the subject. Experts have argued that it puts other essentials like physical education and personal interests on the back burner as students give up these activities to focus only on ‘cramming’. It also indicates that the Board indirectly promotes just cracking the examination rather than gaining knowledge. What is worst, it puts students with a creative bent of mind at a disadvantage as they may not be adept at simply memorizing a subject rather than actually understanding it.
The real culprit is the method in which questions and model answers are set by the Board. The students who can reproduce these answers perfectly get full marks. Those who try to be more original or creative tend to lose out. The merit list thus has the risk of being a victory scroll of crammers.
Vocational studies
The purpose of education is to develop a child’s aptitude, logical thinking and creative abilities. But the current system of examination and assessment conditions them for a fixed form of educational response.
Decades back in 1977 when CBSE adopted the 10+2+3, India had four patterns of education. A national system was required to bring uniformity into the school system, ensure mobility across states, and be comparable with the rest of the world. In 1986 the Board offered 35 vocational subjects at secondary level to prepare the less academically inclined for skilled jobs. This was done so that only the scholars would reach the universities. But a forceful implementation of this idea is still a distant dream.
By keeping education tied down to scores, academics today is only about numbers. Sadly even the parents have not been able to shift their focus from marks to real learning in accordance with the aptitude and ability of the child. So the system sure throws up toppers but may not churn out innovators and entrepreneurs in desired numbers.
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