Five Principles of Assessment at Foundational Stage-ECCE

Children in the Foundational Stage are very young, and any unnecessary emotional strain caused
due to the process of assessment is antithetical to any good teaching-learning process.

The following considerations need to be kept in mind:

Assessment should not contribute to any additional burden for the child. Assessment tools and processes should be designed such that they are a natural extension of the learning experience for the child. Explicit tests and examinations are completely inappropriate assessment tools for this Stage.

Assessment should be a reliable source of information. Since it is such crucial evidence of the learning of the child, the assessment should accurately reflect the intent of evaluating the achievement of a Competency or Learning Outcome. The connection between the intended Learning Outcome and the assessment should be clear and precise.

Assessment should enable recording and documentation. Children’s progress should be described and analysed through systematic collection of evidence.(NCFFS-172)

Assessment should not overly burden the Teacher. The Teacher should have the autonomy to judiciously choose the appropriate tool for assessment and the periodicity in which assessment-related record keeping is maintained. While such autonomy is important, systematic record keeping of children’s assessment should be seen as an important part of a Teacher’s professional responsibilities.(NCFFS-172)