Can a Report Card Capture Curiosity? Inquiry-Based Assessment through Holistic Progress Card

• 2026-07-15 12:00:00

• Parakh NCERT

• By Indrani Bhaduri

The central question in school assessment is not how much information a report card contains. It is what kind of learning the report card values. A redesigned card will achieve little if classrooms continue to reward only memorised answers. The larger promise of the Holistic Progress Card lies in its ability to recognise how learners observe, question, investigate, collaborate, create and reflect. The stage-wise Holistic Progress Cards create space for curiosity, investigation, evidence and reflection. Their success, however, will depend on whether schools use these spaces to examine learning rather than merely complete documentation.

Holistic Progress Cards developed by PARAKH (Para 4.41 ,NEP) reveal a developmental movement. At the Foundational Stage, inquiry is supported through observation and activity. At the Preparatory Stage, it becomes structured. At the Middle Stage, curiosity, real-life application and alternative thinking are directly reflected upon. At the Secondary Stage, inquiry is formalised through a separate Problem-based Inquiry section. Inquiry-based learning is not simply participation in an activity. It involves asking or examining a meaningful question, gathering evidence, interpreting findings and using them to construct or revise an explanation. Inquiry-based learning is woven throughout every section of the HPC, from activity planning and competency-based assessment to self-reflection, peer feedback and teacher observation. This progression is significant. Inquiry-based learning cannot look the same at every stage. A young child should not be expected to formulate a hypothesis or judge the reliability of a source. A secondary-stage learner, however, should move beyond merely following instructions. The learner should be able to frame a problem, collect evidence, evaluate information and revise a conclusion.

Each stage-wise Holistic Progress Card begins with Part A. This section gathers information about the learner’s background, family context, interests, experiences and learning environment. It is itself a form of inquiry. It helps the teacher understand the learner before assessing progress. It also shows that meaningful assessment must begin with questions about the learner’s context, needs and required support. The Foundational Stage HPC does not contain a separate section called “Inquiry-Based Learning”. Inquiry is instead supported through the structure of the card. The most relevant section is Part B: Formative Assessment Framework. The framework is organised around domains, curricular goals, competencies and learning outcomes. It then provides separate spaces for an Activity, Assessment and Assessment Rubric. This allows the teacher to assess learning through an activity rather than depending entirely on a written response. 

The structure of the HPC gives teachers space to design activities around objects, stories, natural materials or events in the child’s surroundings. The teacher can then examine how the child responds. The important evidence may not be a correct answer. It may be the child’s willingness to look carefully, try another method or communicate an observation. The Assessment Rubric records performance through Awareness, Sensitivity and Creativity. These abilities are placed across the levels of Beginner, Proficient and Advanced. This creates room to examine more than content recall. Awareness can reflect whether the child notices and understands. Sensitivity can show how the child responds to people, materials and situations. Creativity can capture experimentation and the use of new possibilities. The Teacher’s Feedback and Observational Notes sections are equally important. Inquiry in the early years is often visible through behaviour. The child may turn an object around, ask what it does or try several ways to complete a task. Such processes cannot be captured adequately through a standard written test. They require careful observation.

The Foundational Stage HPC also includes Self-Assessment and Peer Assessment. Children indicate whether they liked the activity, found it easy and required help from a classmate, teacher, book or computer. They also reflect on how a friend worked on the activity. These prompts are simple. They do not evaluate the quality of an investigation. Yet they introduce children to thinking about their own learning and the support they used. The Parents/Caregiver/Guardian’s Observation section widens the evidence base. It records the resources available at home and provides space for comments. This can help the teacher understand the child’s opportunities for exploration beyond school. It can also prevent the assessment from being separated from the child’s learning context. Finally, Part C: Summary for the Academic Year asks the teacher to provide qualitative descriptions of the learner’s development across Awareness, Sensitivity and Creativity. The summary must identify strengths as well as areas requiring improvement. This is important for inquiry-based assessment. Curiosity and exploration develop over time. They should not be judged through a single activity. HPC allows the child’s process of exploring the world to become visible. It does not require formal research. Nor should it. Its task is to protect and recognise the habits from which later inquiry will grow.

At the Preparatory Stage, the learner begins to work with more organised tasks. The HPC supports this transition through subject-wise Formative Assessment Frameworks. These frameworks are provided for Language Education, Mathematics, The World Around Us, Art Education, Physical Education and Well-being. In each case, the teacher identifies the curricular goals, competencies and learning outcomes. The teacher then enters an activity and its assessment. This structure is important. Inquiry is not treated as an activity detached from the curriculum. The investigation must be linked with what the learner is expected to understand and demonstrate. A simple inquiry about plants, water use or neighbourhood occupations can therefore be connected with a defined competency and assessed through observable evidence. The Assessment Rubric again uses Awareness, Sensitivity and Creativity. Performance is recorded at Beginner, Proficient or Advanced levels. These dimensions can help the teacher examine whether the learner understood the task, participated responsibly and used ideas in an original way. The Teacher’s Feedback section strengthens the assessment process. It records key performance level descriptors across Awareness, Sensitivity and Creativity. It also provides space for observational notes. Most importantly, it asks: What challenges did the learner face? How were the challenges overcome? This question aligns closely with inquiry-based assessment. Investigation is not always smooth. A learner may misunderstand a direction, select an unsuitable source or struggle to organise observations. The response to that difficulty is itself evidence of learning. Did the learner seek help? Did the learner try again? Did the learner change the approach? The HPC gives the teacher space to record these processes. 

The HPC takes feedback from two peers about the learner’s emotional awareness, empathy, respect for others’ views and ability to manage relationships. This provides evidence about the social side of inquiry, particularly listening, collaboration and openness to another person’s perspective. “Your Child Matters!” section gives an ample opportunity for the parents or guardian to understand their child. The Self-Assessment section introduces the learner’s voice. Children reflect on whether they followed directions, asked for help, tried their best and felt proud of their work. They also consider whether they would like to repeat the task and whether they worked comfortably with classmates. These prompts do not directly ask whether the evidence was accurate or whether the conclusion was logical. 

The Middle Stage HPC provides a more developed structure for inquiry. Part B: Formative Assessment Framework is organised separately for Languages, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, Art Education, Physical Education and Well-being, and Skill Education. The teacher identifies the curricular goals, competencies and learning outcomes. The card then asks for the Approach of the Activity. The available choices include art integration, sports integration, toy-based learning, technology integration, skill-based learning, experiential learning, cross-cutting themes and Indian Knowledge Systems. This section enables teachers to design inquiry across subject boundaries. A question about water wastage in school may involve scientific observation, mathematical estimation, social understanding and written communication. A local craft may be examined through skill education, art, history and economics. The HPC creates space for these connections rather than restricting learning to a conventional written test.The assessment framework includes an Activity, an Assessment and a subject-specific rubric. Mathematics is assessed through Mathematical Awareness, Mathematical Sensitivity and Mathematical Creativity. Science uses Scientific Awareness, Scientific Sensitivity and Scientific Creativity. The same broad structure is adapted to other curricular areas.

The card, however, does not stop with teacher assessment. Its strongest support for inquiry appears in the Student’s Self Reflection section. Learners consider whether they can apply what they learnt to real-life situations. They also indicate whether the activity has motivated them to learn more. These questions are important. Inquiry should not end when a classroom task is completed. A meaningful activity should create connections and often generate further questions. Part A (3): My Ambition Card requires learners to identify goals and develop a roadmap for achieving them. This is connected with inquiry because it develops planning, decision-making, persistence and the ability to revise a course of action.

 The My Progress Grid makes inquiry-related dispositions explicit. Learners reflect on whether they were attentive to detail and curious to explore new things. They consider whether they thought of “out-of-the-box” solutions, found new ways to complete the activity. The My Learnings section takes reflection further. Learners write what they learnt, what they found most interesting, where they need practice and where they require help. This allows them to interpret the experience rather than simply receive a score. It also helps the teacher identify whether the activity led to understanding, confusion or a new area of interest. Part A (4): Parent–Teacher Partnership Card provide information about resources available at home, challenges faced by the learner and additional support required. This matters for inquiry because all learners may not have equal access to devices, the internet, materials or adult support.

The Peer Feedback section adds another perspective. Peers consider whether the learner remained engaged, shared ideas and was curious to learn. They also record whether the learner developed new approaches, generated innovative ideas and took calculated risks. Peer assessment can reveal processes that may not be visible in the final product. A learner may have helped the group identify a better question. Another may have challenged an assumption. A third may have suggested an alternative method. These contributions deserve recognition. The Teacher’s Feedback section combines self-reflection, peer feedback and teacher observation. The Student Progress Wheel records Awareness, Sensitivity and Creativity. The teacher may also identify strengths such as independent work, collaboration, communication, creativity, organisation and solution-focused thinking. 

The Secondary Stage HPC makes the strongest and most explicit connection with inquiry-based assessment. Part B introduces Group Project Work. Learners connect a project with one or more subjects, curricular goals, competencies and learning outcomes. They identify what they already know, what they need to find out and the guiding questions that will direct the work. A project schedule is prepared, roles are distributed and possible barriers are anticipated. Inquiry at this stage is therefore collaborative. Part C is titled “Problem-based Inquiry (Individual Work)”. Inquiry is no longer only an option within a formative activity. It receives its own structured assessment process. The first section connects the inquiry with the curriculum. The teacher identifies the subject or combination of subjects, curricular goals, competencies and learning outcomes. The relevant pedagogies are selected. The card then asks for the research prompt, question, problem, challenge or planned final output. A hypothesis may also be included. Learners develop Guiding Questions. They record what they already know, what they need to do and what they need to find out. A research schedule is prepared. Separate spaces are provided for evidence collection, analysis and synthesis, discussion and conclusion. This is a major shift. The learner is not only responding to a question framed by an examiner. The learner helps unpack the problem. The learner must decide what information is needed and how it will be obtained. Assessment is conducted across three stages.

Across the three stages, the HPC assesses the complete inquiry process. In Stage 1, it examines the learner’s understanding of the problem, the suitability of the questionnaire, awareness of stakeholders and the ability to anticipate challenges. Learner reflection also records the purpose of the research, difficulties faced and support required. Stage 2 focuses on fair data collection, clear interpretation and evidence-based recommendations. It also considers confidentiality, social impact and possible unintended consequences. In Stage 3, the learner revises the work, strengthens the discussion with evidence and prepares the draft for meaningful peer review.

The Peer Feedback section examines the relationship between the research problem and the method of data collection. It also considers whether the wording is appropriate and whether the learner is open to alternative respondents, methods and interpretations. Feedback is therefore not an activity added after assessment. It becomes part of the inquiry itself. The Post-inquiry Reflections section asks what the learner learnt, which part was most enjoyable, what strengths were demonstrated and what areas require improvement. It also asks learners to record questions that remain unanswered. Inquiry therefore ends with further questioning rather than artificial closure. The Assessment Parameters for Problem-based Inquiry provide the most detailed evidence of alignment. Under Awareness, learners consider what counts as supporting evidence. They examine limitations, reliability and credibility. They are expected to ask clear questions and acknowledge results that contradict their preferred recommendation. Under Sensitivity, they consider emotional impact, diverse communication needs and their own possible biases. They avoid intrusive or emotionally loaded questions. They also examine how a proposal may affect different groups. Under Creativity, they generate new solutions and consider multiple perspectives. They may use different media for data collection. They revise strategies when the original method proves unproductive. They are also encouraged to recognise multiple, even contradictory, implications in the data.

The Secondary Stage HPC also includes Part D: Observation Template for Classroom Interactions. This covers classroom discussion, organised debate, simulation, role play, laboratory experiments and digital learning. The template links each interaction with curricular goals, competencies and learning outcomes. It then records teacher assessment and learner reflection across Awareness, Sensitivity and Creativity .This matters because inquiry does not occur only through a long research project. It can also appear when learners question a claim during a debate, revise an approach in a laboratory or consider different perspectives during a classroom discussion. Parts E and F extend this evidence by recording online courses and the number of hours learners spend on group projects, individual inquiry, classroom interactions and community-based skill learning. Projects and research also receive formal recognition within the Secondary Stage credit structure.

A school system that values only correct answers teaches learners to avoid difficult questions. Inquiry-based learning offers another possibility. It allows uncertainty to become the starting point of learning. The Holistic Progress Card provides a structure for recognising this process. It moves from activity and observation to reflection, peer feedback, evidence evaluation and independent research. Its success, however, will not be measured by the number of sections completed. It will depend on what happens behind those sections. Did the child notice something new? Did the learner ask a meaningful question? Was an alternative method considered? Was evidence examined fairly? Did feedback lead to revision? Did the activity leave the learner with a deeper understanding or a better question? A progress card can make curiosity visible. It can give inquiry a legitimate place in assessment. But it cannot create a questioning classroom on its own. That work must be done through thoughtful pedagogy, careful observation and a school culture that values how learners arrive at an answer as much as the answer itself!