 TOWARDS A SCHEME OF LEARNER
 EVALUATION

1. MLLs and Evaluation

1.1. A sound evaluation programme, if carefully designed and effectively implemented as an integral part of an overall educational programme, can be of immense value in maintaining and enhancing the quality of learning. On the other hand, if learner evaluation is neglected or if a scheme of evaluation is rigid, ritualistic and lopsided it can prove equally harmful and damaging to the very objective of ensuring the quality of education. Under the MLL programme, therefore, it is one of the essential preconditions that a comprehensive, illuminative and improvement-oriented evaluation plan is properly developed and consistently practised.

1.2. While developing an effective evaluation system, the following issues, among others, may be paid particular attention:

(a) Prerequisites for following the system of automatic promotion at the initial stage of learning

(b) The need for emphasizing mastery learning at the basic stage of education-the question of quality coupled with equity

(d) Accountability of the education system and its functionaries as reflected in the actual achievement of learners.

1.3 The Dilemma of Automatic Promotion

Together with the introduction of a policy of non-detention or automatic promotion in all or initial classes of primary education, a sound procedure of evaluation closely integrated with the process of learning was also to be introduced. In fact, a continuous and formative evaluation procedure is an essential and unavoidable prerequisite for successful implementation of the policy of automatic promotion. It has, however, been observed that there are many instances where the scheme of automatic promotion is uniformly practised but evaluation aimed at constant improvement of learning is either totally neglected or paid inadequate attention. As a result, children often remain weak in the basic skills of reading, writing and computation besides other aspects of achievement. Indeed, it is too early to introduce formal

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examination at least in the first two classes of the primary stage. At the same time it is essential to check from time to time in an informal but meticulous manner that all children learn basic skills and other competencies which are the essence of primary education.

1.4 The Need to Emphasize Mastery Level of Learning

At the primary stage most essential core skills and competencies are included in the curriculum. The MLL approach implies a calculated effort to include those minimum, essential and common competencies that all children must master. But the traditional concept of '35 per cent pass' prevalent at the middle and secondary stages of education invariably prevails at the primary stage also which indeed is an impediment in raising the standard of learning. At least at the primary stage and in the context of MLLs it is absolutely essential that the mastery level of learning is aimed at. Only when almost all children succeed well in achieving the basic skills of reading, writing, computation, etc. as indicated in the MLL statements that one can be sure of substantial improvement in quality without sacrificing equity. The traditional concept of low level of expected achievement by the bulk of children should, therefore, be gradually given up and should be replaced by the concept of mastery as the expected standard of attainment for all children. If minimum essential facilities and help are given to schools and teachers, and if continuous feedback, academic guidance and remedial work are given to the learners, it should be possible for most children to reach the mastery level of achievement in basic competencies at the primary stage.

1.5 Cognitive and Non-cognitive Learning

Primary education should include not only the acquisition of knowledge and mental skills but also health habits, work habits, cleanliness, cooperation and such other personal and social qualifies that form character and personality. It is known that the cognitive elements such as knowledge and mental skills are relatively easier to assess and, therefore, the non-cognitive aspects are either altogether excluded from the evaluation process or they are not given adequate attention. This imbalance should be eliminated. Simple and manageable means of assessment of non-cognitive aspects of growth must be included in a comprehensive evaluation scheme. Much of this is based on observation techniques aimed at helping children in acquiring valuable personal and social behaviour and in cultivating healthy habits for their well-being.

1.6 Accountability of the Education System

The accountability of individual schools, school system and their functionaries should depend on the ultimate criterion of education, namely, student achievement. There is need to introduce summative evaluation, achievement surveys and other measures as part of an overall, comprehensive scheme of evaluation to determine accountability and efficiency of institutions and their functionaries, and to make other such decisions by administrators, planners and policy-makers based on actual achievement data.

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1.7. It may be emphasized at this stage that the competencies included in the MLLs become specific educational objectives or minimum expected outcomes of learning in the context of evaluation. The modality of formulating and presenting the minimum essential levels of learning adopted here is such that it not only helps the primary school teacher and NFE instructor in anchoring the task of teaching to a series of competencies in a progressive manner through various units of study within a grade as well as across grades, but it also assists them and others concerned in conducting competency-based evaluation. Each competency constitutes an expected performance target and each cluster of competencies lends itself to unit testing and formative evaluation. Maximum advantage of this arrangement should be taken by teachers, supervisors, evaluators, textbook writers and teacher-educators in instituting an integrative, improvement-oriented and competency-based evaluation scheme as an inextricable part of a system of basic education for all.

2.Some Operational Aspects

2.1 In the light of the above-mentioned analysis and observations, it is proposed that a competency-based evaluation system be followed as part of the MLL approach to improving quality together with equity. As MLLs are defined in terms of expected attainment of competencies, these competencies themselves should become the basis of developing evaluation tools and techniques, analysis and interpretation of evaluation data, and other such procedures. In brief, a competency becomes a criterion to organize teaching and learning, and it is also used for conducting criterion-referenced evaluation.

2.2. Evaluation at the primary stage should be essentially used for two mutually reinforcing purposes: (i) To improve students' learning through the diagnosis of their performance, identifying specific inadequacies in mastering one or more competencies or sub-competencies and taking appropriate remedial measures to enable all learners to reach the mastery level. This is a kind of formative or supportive evaluation and is to be carried out by the teacher or NFE instructor as part of the process of teaching and learning.

(ii) To carry out summative assessment for various other types of decision-making by policy-makers and planners, administrators and community members besides teachers. These decisions may be related to promotion; comparison of performance between schools, blocks, districts or states; maintaining or raising the overall levels of learning, etc.

2.3. In view of these twin purposes, a sound evaluation programme should include, among other things, the following common components as indicated earlier:

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(i) Continuous informal evaluation integrated with teaching-learning process

(ii) Periodical evaluation through unit testing for academic monitoring and improvement of performance to reach mastery

(iii) Periodical appraisal of non-cognitive aspects of development

(iv) Summative and comprehensive evaluation for checking the attainment of actual standards of performance especially at the end of Classes HI and V through achievement surveys and other techniques for various types of decision-making including quality, equity, accountability and efficiency.

(v) Pre-testing and post-testing in different classes during the period when the MLL approach is first introduced and also when an intermediary level of learning is further raised to reach the minimum level proposed.

3. Assisting Teachers and Supervisors in Strengthening Evaluation Procedures

3.1 Development and Supply of Test Items and Unit Tests to Teachers

Normally all teachers prepare their own tests and other evaluation instruments. However, under the MLL programme it is suggested that they should be helped by supplying a pool of competency-based test items, unit tests, observation criteria for non-cognitive aspects of evaluation, criterion-referenced tests and other evaluation material in order to encourage them in practising an effective and comprehensive evaluation system. For this purpose, an item bank may be created at the state or district level, either through SCERTs or DIETs as appropriate, utilizing the services of experienced teachers, teacher-educators and evaluation specialists. Teachers should also continue producing their own evaluation material to supplement the common pool. What is equally important is that teachers should use individual test items for continuous evaluation integrated with teaching besides using unit tests for diagnostic purposes. In addition, they may compile summative tests as and when needed utilizing the item pool.

3.2. Supervisors and district-level personnel should also use item pools for academic monitoring during their visits to schools and for constructing criterion-referenced tests or parallel tests for summative evaluation in selected subjects at the end of Classes III and V. When an item pool is established and extensively used, it is simultaneously necessary to introduce the practice of constructing parallel tests based on a common blue-print. This is particularly needed for establishing comparability of results over years as well as across districts or state level (when the time of testing is not the same).

3.3 School Clusters for Cooperating Work in Evaluation

Where feasible, school clusters or school complexes may be established to help teachers further by creating conditions for them to work together on common issues relating to teaching as well as testing, and sharing their

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evaluation materials, teaching-learning aids, remedial exercises, etc. There may be micro-clusters of 4 to 8 schools for certain functions and also macro-level networks of all schools in a block or neighbouring blocks for certain other functions such as conducting a common achievement test at the end of Class V, or organizing large- scale inservice training programmes.

3.4. Districtwise and statewise achievement surveys may be conducted from time to time in different subjects and for different classes. The evaluation results should be fed back to the teachers concerned so that they can carry out necessary modifications in their instructional programmes with a view to improving the performance of their respective schools and classes. When the National Evaluation Organization is established such results should be made available to teachers for inter-state as well as national comparisons. This should also help individual schools, districts and states to revise and raise expected levels of achievement in relation to MLLs.

3.5. As a further support to teachers and learners, it is proposed that competency-based textual materials be produced by integrating learning material with evaluation exercises, unit tests and comprehensive tests, and supplied to teachers for their use in the classroom. This may be developed on the pattern of the IPCL textbooks produced by State Resource Centres for adult literacy. The minimum learning competencies given here for the subjects of language, mathematics and environmental studies are formulated in such a way that they have horizontal sequencing within grade and vertical articulation across grades where feasible. These competencies can be conveniently utilized for producing graded textbooks having different types of evaluation exercises, remedial exercises, unit tests, etc. integrated with the text itself. They can also promote a good deal of self-learning and self-evaluation in the upper classes of the primary stage. There are other similar advantages offered by integrated and graded textbooks of the type stated above. In brief, such teaching- learning material intertwined with evaluation material should provide significant help to teachers and learners in reaching the mastery level of achievement

4.The Issue of Equivalence

4.1. For various practical reasons it appears inescapable that some basic equivalence will have to be established between the products of formal primary schools and NFE centres. The stigma of treating the non-formal mode of acquiring primary education as inferior to the formal one can be removed only when the quality of education achieved through the former is highly comparable with that acquired through the latter especially in key areas of learning. Such comparability will ensure the possibility of lateral as well as vertical transfer of students particularly from non-formal to the formal system.

4.2. The equivalence issue should not be seen just as an administrative measure. While an administrative equivalence will be necessary, what is more significant in terms of quality and equity is to establish academic equivalence

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as well. The MLL statements provide the first major operational step in this direction because they have been prepared by keeping both formal and nonformal learning systems in view and by involving NFE instructors and other functionaries in non-formal primary education together with teachers and others working in formal primary education.

4.3 Holding Achievement as Constant and Programme Parameters as Variable

For establishing equivalence between the products of formal and non- formal primary education and also for raising the standard of non- formal education, it is proposed that the level of achievement of NFE students should be expected at the mastery level in respect of MLL competencies and no compromise should be made regarding the expected standard of attainment. The MLL statements suggest the minimum competencies to be mastered by all learners, be they in the formal stream or the non-formal one. Of course, one or more intermediate levels of achievement can be specified before finally reaching MLL by both formal and non-formal systems in certain educationally backward areas as stated in Chapter 2 of this report. But mastery of the levels of achievement indicated by the MLL specification should be the target to reach for ensuring equivalence. Accordingly, various programme parameters of non-formal primary education should be examined and modified as necessary to achieve the target. These parameters may include time and duration of study, nature and quality of learning materials, styles of teaching and learning, competency and training of teachers, evaluation procedures and the like.

4.4. As regards time and duration of learning it is necessary to exercise the principle of flexibility. Time and duration of learning being one of the major programme parameters, it should be allowed to vary within a given range (which is feasible in the NFE system as well as in the formal one), while the level of expected achievement should be held constant and should not be diluted. Also, a radical change will be needed in the nature of learning materials and style of learning. For example, it is important to practise a system of self- paced learning in the NFE programme. Towards this end, the textbooks and other teaching-learning materials should undergo a radical change. Integrated textbooks having in them the competency-based texts, competency-based and improvement-oriented evaluation exercises and unit tests, and materials for self-learning to ensure mastery should be designed and provided to NFE learners and instructors. The graded textbooks prepared under IPCL programme for adult literacy provides a good example of a pattern along which effective and well-tested textbooks and supplementary learning materials could be produced. Where feasible, the use of new educational technology should also be made for both group learning and individualized learning in order to assist the students of NFE programme to attain the desired level of mastery in the core competencies in language, mathematics and environmental studies as indicated in MLL statements. Likewise, there is urgent need to raise the basic competence as well as pedagogical proficiency of NFE instructors who are in essence required to follow multi-grade

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teaching, self-paced learning and competency-based evaluation. Their recruitment, training and emoluments should, therefore, be reviewed in the fight of their responsibilities and innovative and cost-effective alternatives be thought out. Without having a cadre of professionally competent and dedicated teachers, supervisors and other functionaries of the NFE programme, sufficient justice cannot be done to the millions of out-of-school children who are deprived and disadvantaged and to whom this alternative educational service is offered. These and other pertinent parameters of the NFE programmes should be modified and strengthened with the goal of achieving mastery of MLLs which in turn will result in genuine equivalence between the formal and non-formal streams of primary education. If this is accomplished various technical issues such as holding common or parallel examinations at the end of the primary stage for the students of the nonformal and formal streams, issuance of common certificates and the admission and grade placement of students of the non-formal stream to the formal system would be much easier to resolve.