The Kadam Program for Children at Primary School Level

No child is left behind - Quality education to every child and an upward mobility of communities.

Kadam addresses to the needs of a large number of out-of-school children, and much larger population of children in schools who have learning gaps. The rationale behind the program’s philosophy is to create a platform which could provide children with a complete system to work their way up towards their own learning needs and bridge their learning gaps with personalised and holistic learning.

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Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Web presence

2014

Established

419K

Children

1

Countries

Target group

Students basic

Updated

April 2024

Kadam's theory of change aims for inclusive, equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for children. Addressing the key challenges of poor learning levels in children and lack of ownership of new initiatives, the need is for experienced NGOs to collaborate with States to expand child-centred educational models that are evidence-based, cost-effective & sustainable.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

Kadam works towards improving the quality of life of children by providing a platform on the foundation of engaging pedagogy, targeted curriculum and teaching practices. The focus is on children who are out-of-school and need to be brought into mainstream education system, and also, on those who are in the schools and need to enhance their foundational learning to meet age appropriateness.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

Kadam is an accelerated learning program designed on outlines of national frameworks. The targeted Kadam curriculum is a blend of cognitive development through enhancement of subject-based competencies and development of socio-emotional skills through real-life experiences in Thematic Learning, which caters to an all-round development of child. To address both the domains, the program has been designed as an amalgamation of 10 Steps of foundational learning outcomes, and 11 theme headlines for experiential learning activities. Connecting with the community and generating experiences through social interactions considerably add to children’s learning. An emphasis is made on peer learning and teamwork by encouraging children to work in small groups and, collectively as whole class. Kadam has been found effective in multi-graded learning environments wherein children learn progressively from one concept to the next, by steering their individual learning requirements at their own pace.

How has it been spreading?

Since 2014, the Kadam program has been implemented in 11 States of India - Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Delhi, J&K, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. Until Mar 2023, Kadam has enrolled 189,021 out-of-school children in bridge education, of which 155,095 children have been successfully mainstreamed in schools at age-appropriate level. Kadam has also been instrumental in successfully plugging the learning gaps of 100,108 primary school children in, until Mar 2023. The goal of Kadam has been defined for the next 6 years. By 2030, the aim is reaching scale in more than 80 districts in 8 States of India and directly impacting, at least, 2 million children with improved learning levels. Hence, justification to tag line - No Child is Left Behind!

If I want to try it, what should I do?

Kadam has 3 Operational Models. Model-1 is CSR/Foundation funded & our team identifies target population, provides on-ground support and supervises. In Model-2, our team provides a hand-holding approach to the State where the scope of work is defined & cost is borne by the State. In Model-3, we work as advisory, providing program module and capacity building. Reach out to us at HPPI, New Delhi.

Implementation steps

1. Identify the target population.

This is the first step in the Kadam program implementation. The target population includes 2 different sets of children - one, who are out-of-school (those who have either never been to a school or those who have dropped out of school) and the other set is that of children who are studying in primary schools but do not have age-appropriate learning levels, and hence, have weak foundational literacy and numeracy with learning gaps.

2. Conduct a baseline assessment.

A baseline assessment is conducted to determine learning levels of the children enrolled in the program at the beginning of the intervention. The baseline assessment helps to assess the learning gaps in children, place them at an appropriate step in Kadam and determine their entry and exit level in the program.
For out-of-school children, the baseline is conducted individually, while for children studying in schools, the baseline is conducted collectively for the whole class.

3. Provide Kadam learning books to children.

Based on their entry learning level, Kadam learning books are distributed to children. The Kadam class reflects a picture of a multi-graded classroom wherein each child is at his/her own learning level working towards his/her own goal at his/her own pace.
These learning books comprise of exercises children based on selected foundational learning outcomes that help in building progressive learning in all subject areas, catering to continuous cognitive development & bridging their learning gaps.

4. Provide experiential learning.

To bring about holistic development in children, the curriculum blends formal learning with experiential learning through theme-based activities. It brings enjoyment into the classroom wherein children are involved in activities which enhance their physical and mental skills, bringing them close to real life situations with hands-on activities.
The Theme Book helps to roll out themes. For each month, 1 theme headline is taken up and activities are planned according to the level of the children.

4. Create a peer learning atmosphere in the class

Peer learning is an important element of the Kadam methodology. Children in a Kadam class are grouped in trios (groups of 3). Trio is formed in such a way that at least one child is at a higher learning level. It is an effective 2-way learning process wherein learning flows from one child to another. It involves teamwork engaging children through cooperative learning. Direct interaction between children promotes an active learning environment in the class and develops a strong social bond.

6. Ensure responsible, personalised learning.

The children manage with their own learning at their own pace, and thereby, taking the responsibility of their learning. It provides children with an opportunity to self-evaluate by judging their own abilities and performance. It is not a skill that is taught but an inbuilt component of Kadam and a methodology to follow with the help of tools.
Meri Checklist (checklist on learning outcomes) & Tracking my Progress card (based on checklist) are 2 tools that bring learning ownership in children.

7. Conduct continuous, adaptive assessments.

Adaptive assessments determine learning progress of each child in the program. Apart from the self-assessment that happens on continuous basis, each child is assessed at the end of completion of a grade level in the program. The continuous self-assessment is visible from the completion of MeriChecklist & updating TmP card on daily/weekly basis, while the grade-end test reflects formative assessment after each grade.
End-line assessment is conducted at end of the program for learning progression.

8. Monitor, record and report.

All the activities in Kadam - whether related to progressive learning in subject areas or through experiential learning are monitored and recorded, both on MIS and in written record books. Reports are generated on the learning progression of children on monthly basis and are shared with all the stakeholders on quarterly basis.
Regular monitoring helps to track each child in the program and creates a scope for any subsequent action, if need be.