School report cards to drop grades, marks

progress report (or report card) of students between classes 1 and 8 should no longer carry comments such as slow, poor, and dull, and will also not display any scores or grades, so as to prevent under-performers from developing a sense of inferiority, according to a revised government policy guideline that Hindustan Times has seen.

Schools will have to maintain the progress report in the form of a diary or a log which will require teachers to simply tick a scale linked to the learning outcomes achieved by the student, the guideline says.

These changes are part of revised policy guidelines called Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation, commonly known as ‘CCE’ which was introduced as school-based system of evaluation as per Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act, 2009), implemented in April 2010. The policy guidelines have been shared with the states. Education is a so-called concurrent subject in India, which means both the centre and the states have the right to make laws on it.

The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has prepared the document which will be applicable for classes 1 to 8. Earlier the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) was the implementing body for CCE. NCERT director Hrushikesh Senapaty said the guidelines have been shared with all the states for their comments and a national conclave will be held to finalise the policy.

The Act requires that Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation be implemented for children till the completion of elementary schooling.

NEWDELHI:The