Aiming at revamping engineering entrance examinations starting 2013-14 and launching a new version of the Joint Entrance Examination in 2013,a committee of IIT directors will later this month choose from six options to reform the current examination format,decide on a single entrance exam for all engineering institutes including IITs,and take the final call on the weightage to be accorded to school board exam scores,aptitude and advanced knowledge. A committee headed by T Ramasami,secretary,Department of Science & Technology,worked for months on formulating an Alternative System for admission into engineering colleges and submitted its final report to the Human Resource Development Ministry last month. The Indian Express has accessed this report that details how school marks and scores obtained on an aptitude test can help determine admissions to engineering institutes. Normalising scores Almost all experts have so far agreed on the necessity of making school board scores a determinant factor for admission to engineering institutes,not only to check the rote learning promoted by the coaching industry but also to get a more talented pool of students. Doubts,however,have been raised repeatedly if the school marks from various boards can be normalised. The Ramasami Committee concludes that this normalisation is feasible. It asked the Indian Statistical Institute to explore normalisation methodologies for school board scores by conducting pilot tests across four school boards: CBSE,the boards of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal,and ICSE The ISI selected a percentile score for all four boards,worked with actual scores over a period and then used a statistical model based on the percentile to convert a students percentile rank into a normalised one. Concluding that percentile scores are relatively stable over the periods studied for each board when aggregate percentage scores are analysed,the Ramasami Committee has concluded that it is possible to normalise percentile ranks across boards and the ISI should be encouraged to develop the methodology further and extend it to all boards. Online Survey Having conducted an online survey on the need to revamp JEE,the Ramasami report found that More than 85% supported the concept of a single entrance test for admission into engineering programmes and voted for reforms 70 % voted in favour of one test with provisions for testing both aptitude and advanced knowledge 66% favour factoring in school board scores 34% who disavoured the inclusion of school scores said this was due to fear,primarily about the problem of non-uniformity across school boards. This,the report says,can be dealt with as proven by ISI. Recommendations The report concludes that: * JEE can factor in school board scores based on ISI inputs,a national test to cover aptitude and advanced knowledge or aptitude alone,and a mix of school and national test performances. * A committee of experts from engineering institutions could be assigned the task of interacting with the ISI group for a methodology for normalisation of board scores. * IITs should help set a question paper for National Screening Test based on objective examination models and conduct the examinations for the year 2012-13 and the help of a global agency be sought for holding the aptitude examination. The Options 1 Scores as criteria based on Class XII performance only,with equal weighting of school scores,and aptitude and advanced knowledge scores. The final score is the average of four scores,two from the board (subject and aggregate) and two from entrance tests (aptitude and advanced learning). 2 Scores as criteria,based again on Class XII performance only,but with a different normalisation formula. The average of the two board scores are taken,and then this is clubbed with the aptitude and advanced knowledge scores to work out a final average. 3 Scores as criteria based on consistency of performance at Class X and Class XII levels as well as in National Level Aptitude and Advanced Tests. The formula gives a weightage of 0.1 to normalised X and XII scores (subject as well as aggregate) and one of 0.3 to aptitude and advanced knowledge scores. 4 School board performance is taken for screening,but not used as a determinant for national ranks. Specify a cutoff normalised percentile rank score for school performance,then take the average of the aptitude and advanced knowledge test scores. 5 School board subject scores and National Level Aptitude Test as a combination; advanced testing system to be avoided. Individual institutions get the freedom to select mixing proportions within specified guidelines. 6 Equal weighting of school subject scores and National Level Aptitude Test as an objective test system. Average of the two. The committee recommendation says it prefers options 2,6,5 and 4,leaving the choice to the IIT directors.
