To test or not to test

There is a debate over whether India has done right in showing the traditional end-of-the-year exam the door and,under the Right to Education Act

There is a debate over whether India has done right in showing the traditional end-of-the-year exam the door and,under the Right to Education Act,ushering in two other policiesContinuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) and no-detention,or automatic promotion,up till Class 8.

A look at the system of evaluation in most developed countries shows that they follow a combination of continuous evaluation in school and an aptitude examination for admission into college level of education.

United states

Children assessed through the year,and report cards issued at varying intervals

No Child Left Behind Act 2002: Schools must test students annually in reading and mathematics in grades 3 through 8 and at least once in grades 10 through 12. Students must also be tested in science in at least one grade in elementary,middle and high school.

No detention policy:

* US doesnt follow it. Debate over standardised tests

* The effectiveness of standardised tests like SAT is widely critiqued,since US children still lag behind countries like Finland and South Korea in basic skills.

United kingdom

Highly centralised education system,which relies on a system of periodic tests and examination to evaluate students at school level

Evaluation

* Most students take the GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) only after Key Stage 4.

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No detention policy: Lower achieving students are taught in different classes,but are kept in their own age group,rendering detention unnecessary.

Japan

While Japans system of education borrows from other models,it is one of the few countries that follows no detention very strictly and has a unique system of screening at the end of school.

Automatic promotion based on age

During compulsory (elementary and lower secondary level) schooling,students move on to the next grade based on age every year,irrespective of their educational achievements.

Unique screening function of entrance examinations

There is no general certificate of secondary education,applicants to higher education have to take a selective,school-specific entrance examination.

Criticism

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The screening mechanism has faced harsh criticism for leading to overheated competition and hindering the potential for diversification in education.

South korea

Education (only academic) is considered the only path to success. Physical education is largely ignored

Methods of evaluation

* Testing and examinations are central to the culture of education in S Korea. The curriculum is effectively defined by what is examined.

* Exams are taken so seriously that cities shut down on days of public examinations as traffic is stopped and planes are diverted to minimise noise.

No detention policy: South Korea follows it

Finland

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Highly decentralised and unorthodox system of education. Along with South Korea,Finland is considered the global leader in standards of education offered.

Structure

* Municipalities and schools have a lot of power to localise national core curriculum.

* Teachers given a lot of freedom and responsibility to tailor learning according to the needs of every child.

* Equal importance given to core subjectsliteracy,numeracy and scienceand co-curricular activities such as art,physical education,woodwork and entrepreneurial education.

Method of Evaluation

* No national examinations or rankings

No detention policy

Finland doesnt follow it

COMPILED BY SHREYA SENGUPTA