CHENNAI: Besides introducing new syllabus for Plus Two classes, School Education authorities in the State are considering changes in the evaluation system.

The question paper will give different weightages for testing various learning objectives.

The State-level public examinations test the knowledge, understanding, applications and skill levels.

The State syllabus was changed in 2004-05 for class XI and now (2005-06) for Class XII and along with this change, the subject experts have prepared a draft blueprint for the final examination.

It seeks to test the student on conceptual understanding. For example, the Chemistry paper gives the following weightage: knowledge - 25 per cent; understanding - 40 per cent; application - 30 per cent and skill levels - 5 per cent. This is more akin to the pattern followed by the Central Board of Secondary Education, say subject experts. For Physics, the weightages would be 30, 40, 25 and 5 per cent.

A slight change for Mathematics ensures that 26 per cent of the paper tests the students' knowledge, 24 per cent their understanding, 36 application and 14 per cent skills.

The questions will be a mix of problems with different difficulty levels — but basically, Science and Mathematics papers would have 60 per cent easy questions, 30 per cent with average level of difficulty. Ten per cent of the questions would be very difficult.

This could mean, students can get 60 per cent comfortably, but to get to levels of great excellence required to enter top notch colleges, one would have to work real hard, especially when even one mark can a make a crucial difference, says Madhumati N of Aspire Learning, who trains students for entrance examinations.

The new question paper pattern is also set for a change. Fifty questions (one mark each) in Physics and Chemistry would be objective type.

OMR sheets proposed

Officials say they are considering introduction of optical mark reader (OMR) sheets, on which students will `shade' the correct answer from four choices, as is being done for the TNPCEE. The Mathematics paper is likely to have about 40 objective type questions.

The blueprint being discussed by the decision-makers show that the learning objectives will be evaluated using different types of questions and that too across each section or chapter of the textbook and syllabus.

For example, in Physics, a chapter on Current Electricity will test knowledge, understanding and application, while the chapter on semi-conductor devices will test also the skill levels.

Stress on concept learning

Welcoming the changes as those that make students stronger in their understanding of fundamental scientific concepts, Ms. Madhumati says she expects the objective type questions to be more on the lines of the entrance examination pattern and mostly problem-based. Unless a student is thorough in concepts, he or she will find it difficult to answer them.

For the record, officials say all these changes are only at a draft stage, and they would wait for a consensus among all district level officers. In fact, there is a thinking that some of the content is too tough for rural students and may not be evaluated in next year's Board examination.

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