Assessments measure the quantum of learning among students and also help reflect on teaching potency. Thus, conducting an assessment with integrity through quizzes, tests, and assignments to evaluate students is imperative. Assessments help educators develop a firm grip on the progress record of students and set a plan in place to encourage learning and development.
The need to apply authentic assessment with integrity is more than ever since remote learning has become more commonplace.
To be globally competitive, India has made significant moves to give more importance to assessments. The Indian government is taking all the necessary steps to practise systematic inspection of the education system. A national assessment centre, the Performance Assessment Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development or PARAKH will be set up as a regulatory body under the Ministry of Education to assess India's education framework.
India's education system is undergoing a significant overhaul, spearheaded by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The NEP 2020 emphasizes board examinations and assessments to help students excel academically. The policy envisions a big shift from summative assessment to regular and formative assessment. This is a more competency-based mechanism to promote learning and development that includes testing higher-order skills, such as analysis, critical thinking, and conceptual clarity.
At the heart of accurate assessments lies academic integrity to combat unacceptable academic practices
The NEP 2020 brings a unique and holistic approach to enhance assessments and integrity by identifying the loopholes in the system, and implementing corrective practices. It also aims to transform assessments and education based on two fundamental factors - a competency-based assessment framework that introduces test exercises for core competencies to mitigate the burden of the syllabus and a National assessment centre to provide standardized assessments, offering constant actionable insights to improve quality.
This marks an important shift in the way assessments will be conducted moving forward with greater emphasis on testing higher-order skills such as analysis, critical thinking and conceptual clarity to develop well-rounded students capable of taking on decision-making and problem-solving challenges.
Ways to make assessments robust
Since face-to-face interactions are not feasible at present owing to the pandemic, educators must prioritize feedback as a channel to share knowledge to support students.
At the heart of accurate assessments lies academic integrity to combat unacceptable academic practices. Paying the utmost attention to academic integrity is the only way to proceed further with a to-the-point assessment. A few techniques in the assessment repertoire include exercises based on one's syllabus and class interactions, tests, and other forms of evaluation.
Introducing different assessment formats will encourage different learning styles and evaluations for various components of learning. MCQ-based exercises are to date effective in evaluating a slew of subjects in less time. Moreover, short and long answer questions are potent as ever in comprehending students' conceptual understanding. The NEP has clearly outlined ways that it intends to fundamentally redefine assessments through steps such as learning outcome tracking, implementation of artificial intelligence-based software, self-assessment and peer assessment, among others.
Empowering Educators with Innovative Approaches
Major advancements in technology have empowered educators with more innovative approaches to assessments. Cloud-based edtech enables teachers, for instance, to tap into learning analytics in order to deliver continuous assessments with more personalization, incorporating previous performance and learner experience principles. This is a great time saver that allows educators to focus on improving student learning outcomes. In this way, technology has become education's force multiplier to facilitate effective online learning and assessments, underpinned by academic integrity.
The growth of digital education will elevate India's education standards to challenge global benchmarks such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), in the coming years. The government of India is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that students get the best education with online learning. Bringing assessments to the forefront of the education process will empower India to gain a competitive edge in the global education landscape and provide students with every opportunity to excel and develop into successful professionals in a competitive global market.
