Implementation of continuous and comprehensive evaluation for mathematics assessment

Abstract

Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) was introduced in the Indian education system in 2004 as an assessment scheme with an aim to refurbish the existing education system which was exam-oriented, rigid and promoted only lower order learning among students. The application of this scheme was made mandatory in all the State Board Schools of Gujarat from the year 2011. This paper is based on the findings of a survey carried out on thirty per cent of the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary State Board Schools in the city of Vadodara in January 2014. The survey dealt with an important objective of CCE: ‘the development of Higher Order Thinking Skills in students’, narrowing the spectrum only to the subject of Mathematics. Responses of fifty Mathematics teachers were analyzed to attain information on their awareness and comprehension regarding all aspects of CCE, the tools and techniques used to implement CCE, the methods used by them to inculcate and assess higher order thinking skills among students and the difficulties they faced while implementing CCE. A semi structured interview was also conducted to understand the support provided by the State Government to aid Mathematics teachers to comprehend and implement the scheme well. It was found that though teachers had theoretical understanding about CCE but the practical application was mechanical and lacked holistic conceptual understanding. The transaction of higher order thinking skills were yet to get due importance from teachers and authorities and a more intensive training highlighting the bigger perspective of CCE was required to be planned out by the Government of Gujarat.