The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 recommends pedagogical and curricular restructuring of school education as 5+3+3+4, to make it more responsive and relevant to the developmental needs and interest of learners at different stages of the development. The age group 3 to 8 years comprises the Foundational Stage. The National curriculum NCFFS (National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage), 2022 recommends age-appropriate pedagogy, curriculum and assessment.
The para 6.4.3 of NCFFS recommends Holistic Progress Card (HPC) which is an individualized and comprehensive reporting of a child’s progress based on evidence gathered through classroom activities over a period of time. HPC aims to mark shift in assessment from one that primarily tests rote memorization skills, to one that is more regular and formative. Focus is now on the assessment which is competency-based, promoting learning and development of our students and evaluating higher-order skills, such as, analysis, critical thinking and conceptual clarity. The primary purpose of assessment will indeed be for learning so that the teachers and the entire schooling system can continuously revise the teaching-learning process for the holistic progress of students.
In March 2023, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has adopted the National Curricular Framework Foundational Stage (NCF-FS), 2022 in all schools affiliated with the Board. NCERT/PARAKH has shared the prototype of HPC for Foundational Stage. Accordingly, CBSE has developed two HPC prototypes for the Foundational Stage – Holistic Progress Card Foundational Stage (Age group 3-6 years), and Holistic Progress Card Grades 1 and 2 that will help to document the child’s progress in a regular and formative manner with a focus on age-appropriate competencies.
The present document provides details about the concept, scope, structure, assessment and strategies related to the HPC. This document will also facilitate teachers to conduct competency-based assessment in their class for a holistic view of a child’s progress. It is important for teachers to go through these guidelines before they plan activities for children. These guidelines will help them to understand the importance of the HPC and their role in its implementation.
The card also gives space for inputs on various aspects from the child, his/her peer as well as the parents, giving scope for a 360-degree assessment. The schools affiliated to the Board may adopt / adapt the HPC Prototypes for their institution. Further, the Board has developed an Implementation Guide to equip teachers with the technical knowledge and practical strategies for undertaking assessment and documenting the same through Holistic Progress Cards.
All these documents are available for schools at the CBSE website cbseacademic.nic.in/manual.html. Teachers are expected to read these documents for greater understanding of the nuances of assessments. A webinar series will be organised for the better understanding of HPC. The schedule of the webinar series will be shared shortly.
