NCERT launches holistic progress card for classes 8 and below

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has directed states and Union territories to implement the Holistic Progress Card (HPC) for students up to class VIII as part of the National Education Policy 2020. The HPC, developed by PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) under NCERT, aims for multidimensional progress monitoring across Foundational (classes I-II), Preparatory (classes III-V), and Middle stages (classes VI-VIII).

The HPC incorporates feedback from peers, parents, and self-assessments to evaluate student progress in various domains, including physical, socio-emotional, literacy, and academic areas, throughout the year. A pilot programme was conducted in select schools last year, demonstrating the card’s effectiveness.

The HPC will also enhance home-school communication, supported by parent-teacher meetings to engage parents in their children’s holistic education. PARAKH has trained faculty from state councils of educational research and training, district institutes of education and training, and 100 teachers per state as master trainers to facilitate the rollout. Reaching all ten million teachers will be gradual, with states responsible for further training using these master trainers.

Efforts are underway to digitise the progress cards, and PARAKH is developing a framework for classes IX to XII. States, including Haryana, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra, have started translating the HPC into regional languages.

Implementing HPC is recognised as a progressive move, though it requires extensive teacher training and parental awareness.