ASSESSMENT POLICY FOR FOUNDATIONAL STAGE

“Assessment should support and celebrate the process of learning, not just outcomes.”
— NCF 2023

As per National Curriculum Framework 2023 the foundational stage is conceived as five years of flexible, multi-level, activity-based learning for the students in the age group of 3–8 years. The overall aim at this stage is to attain optimal outcomes in the domain of physical and motor development; cognitive development; socio-emotional and ethical development; cultural and artistic development; and development of communication and early language literacy and numeracy.

Assessment is a part of the teaching-learning process. It involves the systematic gathering of information from different sources regarding children’s learning. While content and pedagogy help to organize learning experiences for children, it is assessments that help provide information to the Teacher, parents, and children themselves about their achievements. Teachers can use information from regular ongoing assessments for planning and organizing learning experiences for children. All children are unique and have different ways and a different pace of learning. Assessment should be designed to accommodate such diversity.

Assessment has two purposes — measuring achievement of student learning and gauging effectiveness of classroom processes and teaching materials used for teaching and learning.

In the everyday classroom, assessment refers to any process of gathering information about student learning that can be interpreted, analyzed, and used by the Teacher (and others, where relevant) for guiding the teaching-learning process, aggregating student learning at relevant junctures, and reporting student progress over time. Educational assessment thus plays a critical role in continually improving teaching and learning.

We use age-appropriate, play-based tools like observations, checklists, conversations, portfolios, and artwork. There will be no formal exams or marks. Teachers will maintain developmental profiles and share progress through Holistic Progress Cards in each term and Parent-Educator Conferences.

For Grades I and II, children will receive Reinforcement of Concept Worksheets designed to assess understanding. These are non-evaluative and carry no marks. Their sole purpose is to identify areas for support.

As per National Curriculum Framework 2023:

• Assessment tools and processes are designed such that they are a natural extension of the learning experience for the child. Assessment should not contribute to any additional burden for the child.

• Assessments allow for diversity among children and in their learning. Children learn differently and express their learning differently too.

• Assessment enables recording and documentation. Children’s progress should be described and analyzed through systematic collection of evidence.

• At the Foundational Stage, two primary methods of assessment are appropriate: observations of the child and analyzing artefacts that the child has created as part of their learning experience.

• Continuous Internal assessments will be taken for the students, records will be maintained for the same and will be discussed with the parents during Parent Educator Conference.