Most schools conducted WhatsApp-based assessments for Class 8 to 10: Survey

Majority of the schools in Maharashtra have conducted assessments for Class 8 to Class 10 on WhatsApp, data shared by the state education department has revealed

Majority of the schools in Maharashtra have conducted assessments for Class 8 to Class 10 on WhatsApp, data shared by the state education department has revealed. The second-most widely used method of conducting assessments was online tests, as per the survey findings.

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Schools that used WhatAapp-based assessments either used a set of questions pre-set by them which were sent to students through a link on the social messaging app or asked students to answer questions on the app either in the text format or by sending scanned images of solved papers.

The Maharashtra State Council of Educational Research and Training (MSCERT) had asked schools across the 36 districts in the state to report on the various methods used throughout the pandemic period to assess students of higher grades. The survey was based on figures that schools reported themselves with the help of the portal created by the education department.

Schools were asked as to which method/s they used to assess students while schools remained shut all of last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown. The methods included WhatsApp-based assessments, online tests, online sessions, offline tests, home visits, with the help of workbooks and other means. Schools could record one or more than one method used by them.

A total of 12,931 schools reported their assessment methods, of which 12,298 said they used WhatsApp-based assessment. In Mumbai, too, the most popular format remained WhatsApp-based assessments with 731 schools using the method.

Schools in several parts of the state took offline sessions between November and April as the government permitted reopening of schools in places where Covid-19 cases were low or non-existent. The survey revealed that 9,930 schools conducted offline assessments of students. Similarly, around 7,352 conducted assessments through home visits.

While the data does not give the full picture, as only about 50% of the total schools in the state provided their input, it is now being studied as a representative sample by officials to gauge the formula for internal assessments for Class 10 students. With the cancellation of SSC exams, the education department is now mulling over options to mark around 1.7 million students in the state.

Teachers, however, said the department will have to be careful while considering WhatsApp-based assessments. “We do not know the validity of these assignments because there is no consistent format. Achieving equivalence will be a challenge,” said a teacher from a suburban school.

BOX: Maharashtra

Total schools surveyed: 12,931

WhatsApp assessments 12,298

Online test 9,758

Online session 8,401

Offline test 9,930

House visit test 7,352

Workbook 8,402

Other 3,643

Mumbai

Total schools surveyed: 800

WhatsApp assessments 749

Online test 731

Online session 724

Offline test 614

House visit test 325

Workbook 591

Other 402