Schemes of Study and Assessment:
The word 'school' all over the country by and large
refers to Classes I to X, extending to class XII in some
states, while in other states Classes XI and XII are
regarded as pre-university or junior college. Some
schools also include two to three years of pre-school
classes. The breaking up of schooling into four 'stages'
extends far beyond mere administrative convenience.
From the point of view of curriculum design and
teacher preparation, these stages have a developmental
validity. Seen from a stage-wise perspective, curriculum
thinking and school organisation can overcome
problems created by the current preoccupation with
'monograde' classrooms as being the norm, with rigid
application of age-based grouping of children, and
class-wise teaching and learning objectives. Single and
two- teacher primary schools could be reconceptualised
as a learning group with different abilities and learning
needs rather than as 'multigrade' classrooms requiring
time- management techniques. Assessing children for
what they have learnt could also then take place over a
longer cycle of years spent in school, rather than as
yearly requirements spelt out for each class, in hierarchical
progression. This would allow more respect for
children's pace of learning. Schemes such as the
Minimum Levels of Learning (MLL) reinforced not
only the rigid adherence to year-end outcomes, but
also allowed for these to be further narrowed to lessons.
Describing the characteristics and concerns of the
curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in stages allow
syllabi, textbooks and learning resources, and for
teachers to plan for children's development and the
gradual and cumulative deepening of abilities,
competencies and concepts.
