Evaluating the student’s performance at school just by academic scores is obsolete now. Schools today look after the overall growth of an individual student. After all, it is the prime goal of every school, i.e., to ensure their students acquire all the necessary skills and wisdom to survive and flourish in the world. An objective way forward in this regard is the Holistic Progress Card. This new student progress assessment model was devised under the reforms suggested by the Ministry of Education in the National Education Policy, 2020. Schools are implementing this to track the progress of students from multiple perspectives. The model of HPC is extensive, including various aspects of a student’s personality, strengths, weaknesses, and scope for improvement.
Three Stages of Holistic Progress Card
The Holistic Progress Card was launched in February 2023 and made mandatory for every school registered under the national government. It assesses the student based on comprehensive domains, which include cognitive, affective, socio-emotional, and psychomotor skills. It has evolved from the limited scope of evaluation by traditional methods.
HPC is divided into three stages, from classes 1- 8. These stages are foundational (classes 1-3), preparatory (classes 3-5), and middle stage (classes 6-8). Let’s understand the assessment process by HPC at each stage in school:
1. Foundational Stage
At the foundational stage, the focus is on qualitative observation of the child’s interests, needs, preferences, learning styles, and possible scope of improvement. The right pedagogical approach is framed for the child based on the assessment tools. Examination and tests are excluded since the goal is to qualitatively analyze the student’s progress and determine the best roadmap for growth.
Physical development, the ability to regulate, understand, and manage emotions, developing conceptual and mathematical understanding, effective communication skills, and the ability to freely and creatively express themselves are the goals of the foundational stage of the Holistic Progress Card.
2. Preparatory Stage
At the preparatory stage, diverse methods of assessment are used to engage the students in complex problems, enhance their unique abilities, and nourish their overall basics. They are given application-based problems such as projects, quizzes, role-plays, and group work, and their performance is closely observed. They are motivated to self-reflect and foster confidence. Besides teachers, friends, and parents also give reviews on the individual’s performance, fostering all-around collaboration in their progress. With this collaboration, the most suitable roadmap for students’ progress is created.
3. Middle Stage
In this stage, self-assessment, self-reflection, and goal-setting are emphasized. Students are evaluated throughout the course rather than just at the end. Future goals are set, and necessary skills are nourished for provocation before secondary schooling begins. A more focused learning approach is adopted rather than a broad scope. Parents and peers share feedback, and students are encouraged to self-reflect and improve on the skills they lack.
Final Words: Role of Technology
Paving the way for a revolution in the education system, this advanced model of progress tracking is nuanced, formative, and more practical. Though only in its initial years, HPC has shown immense promise, and many schools have expressed appreciation for this model. Technology is playing a huge role in the implementation of the Holistic Progress Card in schools. Online automation software like the UDTeschool app assists teachers in tracking progress, sharing observations, and giving feedback. Additionally, parents can also collaborate with teachers by accessing this software. In a nutshell, a Holistic Progress Card, combined with automation, is a revolution that is reshaping the way students learn.
