Facilitating value-based and high-quality education has been a major goal and priority in CBSE’s developmental plans. With the declaration of sustainable development goals by 2030, the education board has devised comprehensive approaches and strategies.
However, educators, school leaders and teachers face varied challenges in terms of integrating the latest education trends and maintaining the standard of excellence in the classroom. That is where the School Quality Assessment and Assurance (SQAA) acts as an immensely beneficial source of guidance.
In fact, the SQAA is a tool that enables school leaders, teachers, and management to ensure continuous development and help fulfil the objectives of CBSE affiliation. Moreover, it helps carry out essential quality assurance procedures mentioned below:
Self-Assessment
The schools conduct self-assessments to identify their areas of strength and weaknesses, and it helps them figure out specific areas of improvement. They implement self-assessment in four broad ways.
Review
In this step, the school reviews their present state, the class methodologies, class-wise and the overall institutional performances through the following questions.
- Where are we now?
- What are we doing?
- Why are we doing what we are doing?
Reflect
In this step, the school highlights their objectives.
- Where do we want to go?
- What is working?
- What is not working?
- How did we get to where we are?
- Where do we want to be?
Respond
In this step, the school devise strategies to work on the prioritised areas of improvement and allocate roles and responsibilities. Besides, they implement plans of action by setting SMART goals (Smart, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound).
Also, they monitor the implementation at regular intervals using various tools and take and provide feedback as per the CBSE affiliation rules.
Rate
This is a crucial step in the self-assessment process, wherein schools monitor their progress and assess themselves in the developmental continuum.
Improved Scholastic Practices
The school ensures excellent scholastic practices by including student-friendly systems and operatives that make education a functional and living entity. And they put equal emphasis on three broad categories:
- Curriculum Planning
- Teaching learning processes
- Student performance, assessment of learning outcomes, and feedback.
Curriculum Planning
The school ensures that the curriculum enhances skills and abilities that prepare students for lifelong learning. The school creates opportunities for staff and students to interact with other schools or educational institutions at Regional Level, National Level and International Levels.
Furthermore, the school plans for the implementation of a curriculum that meets the desired outcome. The school provides opportunities and support resources to students to develop and enhance their skills and abilities in the domain of the cognitive, social, and emotional needs of students.
Teaching Learning Processes
Teachers understand the student’s needs and learning gaps and adopt various teaching pedagogies and strategies. Teaching practices provide opportunities for students to reflect upon their learning experiences.Teachers integrate formative assessment in the classroom with an emphasis on remediation and diagnosis of the needs of all the students.
Besides, as suggested by NEP 2020, the teacher prepares lesson plans and activity-based child-centric / experiential learning methods, thus creating a stimulating learning environment.
Student Performance, Assessment of Learning Outcomes and Feedback
Teachers conduct assessments for the purpose of diagnosis and remediation, leading to improvement in student performance and achievement. Besides, they also use assessment data to improve teaching practices, which even the colleges must do during the NBA accreditation process.
Teachers periodically design and use different assessment tools and techniques as per the needs of different types of students. Additionally, they integrate different formative assessment techniques in classroom teaching.
Teachers are aware of the student’s achievement levels and, accordingly, plan program(s) that help(s) her/his students continue to learn and develop. Teachers promote the use of self-assessment techniques by students to enable their students to monitor their own growth and achievement.
Focus on Co-scholastic Processes
Co-scholastic policies, processes and outcomes promote students’ physical, social, emotional and intellectual well-being. Students learn in parts but are able to make connections, be interconnected and learn to be responsible, caring, compassionate, and thinking individuals in a larger world.
Schools implement activities appropriate to the child’s age and ability and those that contribute to the child’s normal growth and development. Also, the school’s work education programme focuses on enabling children to learn values, basic scientific concepts, skills and creative expression, which is a crucial requirement of CBSE affiliation.
The school’s Annual Curriculum Plan reflects enhancement in life skills, values, literary skills, scientific skills, ICT skills, Health and Physical Education, Visual and Performing Arts, Work Education, Leadership Skills, Aesthetic Skills, etc.
Teachers encourage children to participate in activities that build on their cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains.
Adequate Infrastructure
A safe, secure and clean environment is essential for student learning, which the higher education institutes strive to maintain before and after attaining NBA accreditation. Similarly, the school leaders also ensure that the classrooms are suitable for various learning levels and needs.
One of the vital requirements of CBSE affiliation is adequate and spacious classrooms. Furthermore, the schools must have libraries, providing access to the internet, e-library and various digital media to both teachers and students.
Also, the school ensures that the laboratory facilities are more than adequate and there is optimal utilisation by all students.
On the other hand, they must have computer and ICT facilities for Scholastic, Co-Scholastic activities, and School Information Management available.
Finally, they ensure the availability of clean and safe drinking water; they also ensure the provision of menstrual hygiene management facilities like proper disposal facilities for menstrual waste, including an incinerator and dust bins.
Students as a Resource
Students’ involvement and participation in the school improvement plan are essential; hence the school encourage students to voice their opinions. The school and the team members use the student feedback for Action Research and to set SMART goals for setting up specific quality processes.
The school use students as a resource for sharing insights into their world which can help schools formulate Health Promoting School Policy. Besides, the school provides opportunities for students to exhibit their leadership skills and take on responsibility and accountability for age-appropriate processes in the school.
In Conclusion,
CBSE affiliation and quality assurance go hand in hand because the latter guarantees the former; schools must continuously maintain the quality of education. And CBSE affiliation indicates that the particular school follows a set of rules to achieve a benchmark of excellence.