After Supreme Court's Green Signal, How CBSE Plans to Assess Class 10, 12 Students Without Board Exams

New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has prepared an assessment scheme a day after the Supreme Court asked it to offer more clarity on the options given to Class 12 students between internal assessment marks and taking the exams at a later date after the board cancelled the exams scheduled between July 1 and 15. The ICSE Board too has come up with similar plans. However, for class X optional exams, it has a different scheme.

The CBSE said that results based upon the aforesaid assessment scheme will be declared by July 15, so that the candidates "can apply and seek admissions in higher education institutions in India and abroad, based thereon".

"For the students of both classes X and XII, who have completed all their examinations, their results will be declared based on their performance in the examinations. For students who have appeared in more than three subjects, the average of the marks obtained in the best three performing subjects will be awarded in the subjects whose examinations have not been conducted," read the proposed CBSE assessment scheme.

It further said that for students who have appeared in the examinations in only three subjects, the average of the marks obtained in the best two performing subjects will be awarded in the subjects whose examinations have not been conducted.

"There are very few students of class XII, mainly from Delhi, who have appeared in the examinations in only one or two subjects. Their results will be declared based on performance in the appeared subjects and performance in internal/practical/project assessment. These students will also be allowed to appear in the optional examinations conducted by CBSE to improve their performance, if they desire to do so. Results of these students will be declared along with other students," the proposed assessment scheme further read.

During the hearing on Friday, the Supreme Court refused to fix a deadline for Class 12 students to decide whether they want to sit in the optional exams. CBSE may even decide not to hold the optional exams if the situation is not normal.

The Council for Indian School Certificate Examination, CISCE (ICSE Board), however, said that it may conduct optional exams even for Class X students since their marking criteria is a bit different from CBSE.

The Central Board of Secondary Education's notification in expected to be uploaded in an hour, while ICSE has got a week's time to notify with slight changes on optional exams for Class X.

The apex court wrapped up the matter, saying the similar matters in high courts too will be disposed of in terms of this order.

The court, on Thursday, had asked the board to issue for a redrafted notification for students to get better clarity on aspects of optional exams, publication of results and the new academic session, and the matter was fixed for Friday.

The Class 12 students, the CBSE told the court, will be given an option to accept the scores on the basis of their last three internal assessments conducted in their schools, or sit in the remaining exams at a future date, which will be conducted as and when the situations are conducive.

The option to sit for the exams is only available to Class 12 students, the CBSE said, and exams for Class 10 have been scrapped completely.

The central board decided to postpone the pending exams as a precautionary measure on March 18 due to the coronavirus crisis, and had scheduled the remaining exams in the first half of July.

But since the pandemic shows no signs of slowing and cases have crossed the 4.7 lakh mark, worried parents had moved the Supreme Court against the exam schedule.