Question

What is PSA not the full form but any other thing?

Answer 1

The board has decided to replace one of the four formative assessments (FA) with a problem solving assessment.The test will  involve questions to test a student’s problem-solving ability.

The PSA is not a new test but it will replace the already existing pen-paper test in the FA. The only difference will be that PSA will be conducted by the Board in the respective schools and the evaluation will be done by the Board. The exam will be conducted on the same day and the question paper will be provided by the Board. This 90-minute test will have nothing from the textbooks. It will comprise of questions from mathematics and an English passage from old essays or contemporary fiction.

The new criterion will fit into the third and fourth formative assessments. The fourth assessment includes multiple choice questions, projects and unit tests. All these will be replaced by a PSA that tests a student’s knowledge on co-scholastic situations.

It is a widely acknowledged fact that research and analytical skills, ability to apply basic concepts of different subjects, solve application based problems in Mathematics and Science, comprehend and analyse written text and effective communication are the skills which ensure success in Higher Studies and Professional areas. These dimensions of 21st Century life skills will greatly assist  learners in acquiring higher order thinking skills such as Problem Solving and Decision Making.

the tests aim to assess the students in the areas of quantitative reasoning, qualitative reasoning and language conventions. The questions in these tests will incorporate aspects like creative thinking, decision making, critical thinking, problem soving and communication. It is believed that these tests will aid the students in acquiring generic and higher order thinking skills. Assessment of the students ability to process, interpret and use such information, is the main aim  behind these tests. In addition, the tests will also assess the language skills of the students in grammar usage, vocabulary in context and passage-completion.