Meaning & Benefits of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation

Continuous and comprehensive evaluation (CCE) means evaluating a student’s performance to gauge the essential domains of development. It is a continuous process planned periodically in the form of tests and assessments. Broadly, this process focuses on the development of the essential domains namely cognitive, affective, and psycho-motor.

Why was CCE needed in the Indian Education System?

The Indian education system lacked a structured system to map the learning goals with the instructional delivery. So, the need of introducing CCE was felt to make the evaluation process all-encompassing for the stakeholders.

Be it online schooling platforms or brick-and-mortar schools, this system of evaluation checks the all-around development of a child in the most comprehensive manner.

The Introduction of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation

The year 2009 marked the beginning of a new era in the history of the Indian Education System. The ‘Right to Education 2009’ safeguarded the educational rights of Indian children between the age group of 6 to 14 years. To realize the goals of this act, a structured and strong evaluation system was needed. So, this was the beginning of introducing CCE within the mainstream Indian education system. 

Because assessment in learning is of utmost importance

We all know that a good assessment system includes the scholastic and co-scholastic aspects of a student’s developmental process. The scholastic aspects are the written and oral skills of a student. And the non-scholastic aspects include performance in the co-curricular activities and life-skills etc.

What is the CCE pattern?

CCE pattern includes formative and summative assessments to keep a check on the student’s overall development. Be it digital schooling or physical school structure, without this periodic and wholesome assessment process, a teacher cannot deliver constructive feedback to the students. So, the continuous and comprehensive evaluation process highlights the strengths and addresses the pain areas of a student for constructive remedial action. 

More about Formative and Summative assessments

Formative and summative assessments are tools to detect the overall development and learning gaps post the instructional delivery. Hence, in an online learning environment, or a traditional school these assessment patterns standardize the evaluation process and improve conceptual learning at the ground level.

Formative assessments

Formative assessments include a wide variety of assessments conducted during the learning process. This qualitative feedback is based on the student’s performance that helps in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of a student.

With this in learning, a teacher can also understand the need to alter instructional delivery as per the mix of learners in a group. These engaging assessments can include random quizzes, question-answer rounds, discussions, etc.

So, regular feedback through these assessments makes students responsible for their learning during their learning process. Eventually, these along with the summative assessments showcase the student’s overall performance within an academic year.

Summative assessments

In an online school or a traditional school, summative assessments are conducted at the end of each term to map the extent of conceptual learning. These mainly focus on the evaluation of concepts learned during the term/academic year.

So, students are awarded grades basis the skills acquired and knowledge gained in the given period of time. We can also say that the summative assessments gauge the effectiveness of the instructional delivery over some time.

Therefore, it helps in understanding the need to modify teaching strategies as per the goals of learning programs.

Benefits of a Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation

Now that we know what is CCE pattern. We can understand its importance within our mainstream education system.

Through this evaluation system, the stakeholders identify learning gaps and academic deficiencies without much wastage of productive time. So, this pattern helps in focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of the students without adding to their stress levels.

In other words, the CCE pattern depicts qualitative learning and maps the performance basis the laid norms.

How is CCE an effective tool in the hands of an able teacher? 

As per the CCE guidelines, this pattern has great implications for equitable and inclusive education. It helps teachers to gauge the actual learning of students within a heterogeneous group. And allows them to alter instructions as per their unique learning needs.

Age-old theories have highlighted the importance of individual differences. Hence, no single assessment tool can succeed in bringing out the learning gaps of varied learners.

Standardized and non-standardized tests within this pattern help teachers to understand the success and failure of the selected teaching strategies. And this knowledge in turn helps in personalizing their instructional delivery as per the learners.

As per the NCERT, CCE focuses on shifting the teacher’s role to that of a facilitator. And there are a few important criteria of its assessments (as mentioned below).

Improves peer learning opportunities:

The introduction of the CCE pattern within our mainstream systems aimed at resolving the defects of one-sided teacher-driven instructions. It addresses the need of inculcating skills like collaboration. And through varied assessments teachers assess this learning.

Holistic development:

Various co-curricular activities help in understanding the level of a student’s holistic development. This pattern categorically focuses on a student’s social and emotional development other than the cognitive domain.

More student involvement:

Similar to the first point, this benefit again helps to promote interactions between the teachers and students. It creates ties of communication between them and they actively participate in their learning process. Random questioning, and asking for suggestions get the students in the communication mode.  And their participation in lesson planning and development promotes their thinking skills.

Continuous and comprehensive evaluation measures knowledge acquisition, skill-building, and overall learning. Besides, it also brings the learner to the center of the teaching and learning process.

Conclusion

The introduction of the CCE pattern is indeed a revolutionary change incorporated in online schools and traditional schools.

However, despite numerous merits, its success is subject to the teacher’s zeal and motivation for the student’s welfare. While a good teacher can make the most of it, the same system is likely to fail badly with an incompetent teacher.

So, to make this system completely fruitful, we need to upskill our teachers.

Only then we will be able to use these patterns fully for the betterment of our students, and eventually, succeed in creating a STUDENT CENTRIC FUTURISTIC EDUCATION SYSTEM FOR ALL OUR INDIAN STUDENTS!