For too long, we have measured learning with letters and numbers, as though a child’s growth could be captured in a single mark on a page. The traditional A–E grading system was designed for an industrial model of schooling—sorting students into categories, rewarding compliance, and discouraging divergence. But children are not products, and learning is not linear.

We are now entering a new paradigm—one that calls for conscious, holistic, and sovereign learning. It asks us to move beyond judgment, and toward understanding. To see learning as a dynamic process of unfolding potential, not a competition or checklist.

Why Move Beyond Grades?

Grades reduce learning to performance. They can:

• Create anxiety and shame
• Encourage comparison instead of self-discovery
• Miss the richness of creative, emotional, and intuitive intelligence

In contrast, conscious learning focuses on:

• Progress over perfection
• Reflection over ranking
• Skills, values, and growth over rote memorization

When we shift our attention from What grade did you get? to What did you learn? How do you feel about your growth?—we unlock the power of internal motivation and lifelong curiosity.

What Are the Alternatives?

Across the world, forward-thinking educators and parents are embracing tools that honor the whole child. Models like Montessori, Forest Schools, and Schetinin Schools use:

• Narrative feedback
• Observations
• Portfolios
• Peer and self-assessment
• Real-world projects
• Skill-based tracking
• Learner-led reflections and conferences

Tools like the Leuven Scale help educators assess not just what a child knows, but how they feel—how deeply they are engaged, how secure they are in their environment. These approaches ask: Is the learner thriving? Are they connected? Do they feel seen and empowered?

What You Can Do

Whether you're an educator, parent, or mentor, you are part of a new learning story. Consider:

• Replacing grades with personalized reflections
• Holding student-led conferences instead of teacher reports
• Co-creating skills maps or learning portfolios
• Observing engagement and joy—not just outcomes

You don’t have to change everything overnight. Try one new tool. Watch what happens. Children often rise to the invitation of agency and voice.

The Invitation

This is a call to return learning to its roots: curiosity, connection, and courage. Let’s trust the natural rhythm of development. Let’s honor the child as a whole being. Let’s walk beside them, not above them. Because when we move beyond grades, we begin to see the true gold in each learner—and the journey becomes richer for us all.

 

If you are interested in hearing more, check out the All Learning Reimagined Podcast 14 June.

Enjoy! Teresa 2025

 

Examples of ways to capture evidence of learning and track progress:

1. Narrative Reports

• Descriptive, personalized feedback.
• Comments on strengths, challenges, attitude, and progress—not numbers.

 

2. Learning Portfolios

• Collections of student work, photos, audio clips, and reflections.
• Shows growth over time and captures voice and creativity.

 

3. Self-Assessment & Reflection

• Use prompts like:
  
  • “What was I proud of this term?”
  • “What challenged me?”
  • “What do I want to explore next?”
• Children can use color scales, drawing, journaling, or voice memos.

 

4. Skills-Based Progress Tracking

• Create a skills map (e.g., communication, resilience, problem-solving, collaboration).
• Learners assess where they are and set goals.
• Can be visual (like a skills tree or garden) instead of numerical.

 

5. Peer Feedback & Group Reflection

• Build in circle time reflections or buddy reviews.
• Encourages active listening, empathy, and accountability.

 

6. Project-Based Exhibitions

• Children present their learning to families/community.
• Assessed based on authentic criteria (clarity, creativity, effort, contribution).

 

7. Mastery-Based or Competency-Based Learning

• Students advance only when they’ve demonstrated mastery of a concept.
• Focus on skills + application over time.
• Often uses rubrics or checklists with clear, co-created criteria.
• Encourages perseverance and resilience, rather than performance.

Example: A learner shows mastery in communication by giving a community talk, not by taking a test.

 

8. Learner-Led Conferences

• Students present their own learning journey to educators, parents, or peers.
• Includes goals, challenges, projects, and next steps.
• Builds metacognition, confidence, and communication.
• A beautiful shift from “parent-teacher interviews” to whole-being reflection.

Bonus: Add a “celebration circle” where students receive affirmations from others.

 

9. Micro-Credentials & Badging

• Digital or physical badges that recognize specific skills, milestones, or achievements.
• Encourages personalized pathways, not age-locked benchmarks.
• Skills can include: kindness, collaboration, coding, storytelling, bushcraft, or emotional regulation.

Example: A “Nature Steward” badge for helping maintain a garden.

 

10. Visual or Artistic Reflection Tools

• Children use drawing, collage, or symbols to reflect on their growth.
• Ideal for neurodiverse learners or those who express better through images than text.
• Can be scaffolded with questions like:
  
  • “Draw a path showing where you started and where you are now.”
  • “Create an image of a challenge you overcame.”

11. 360° Feedback

• A holistic practice involving input from:
  
  • Self
  • Peer group
  • Mentor/teacher
  • (Optionally) parents or community members
• Encourages community connection, multiple perspectives, and shared accountability.

 

12. Learning Journals or Voice Diaries

• Children regularly write, draw, or record short voice memos about what they’ve learned and how they feel.
• Builds emotional intelligence, storytelling, and memory consolidation.

Can be audio-recorded for non-writers or emerging literacy learners.

 

13. Unschooling-Style Narratives

• Used in many unschooling families and self-directed learning communities.
• Parents and mentors write narrative snapshots of the learner’s growth across life domains: curiosity, practical skills, emotional maturity, etc.
• Focuses on who the child is becoming, not what they’ve memorized.

 

14. Seasonal Check-ins or Cycles

• Assessment is linked to natural rhythms, not school terms.
• Reflection days may align with solstices, equinoxes, or moon cycles (if aligned with your framework).
• Emphasizes cyclical, regenerative learning.

 

15. Project Rubrics Co-Created with Learners

• Instead of top-down marking, the learner helps define:
  
  • What success looks like
  • What skills they want to develop
• Rubrics include self-rating and optional peer/mentor feedback.

 

16. Appreciative Inquiry Model

• Based on a strengths-based lens.
• Asks:
  
  • What’s working well?
  • When did you feel most alive while learning?
  • What would you love to explore next?
• Turns assessment into a conversation of possibility.

Leuven Scale

The Leuven Scale of Emotional Wellbeing and Involvement is a powerful, heart-centered observation tool developed by Professor Ferre Laevers at the University of Leuven (Belgium). It's widely used in alternative and early childhood education settings—like Forest Schools and Reggio Emilia—to track how deeply children are engaging with their learning and how secure they feel in their environment.

 What Are the Two Scales?

1. Emotional Wellbeing – How a child feels: Are they safe, confident, and emotionally secure?
2. Involvement – How engaged a child is in an activity: Are they curious, focused, and absorbed?

Each scale is ranked from 1 (low) to 5 (high) and is based on what the educator observes, not tests or asks.

 

1. Emotional Wellbeing Scale

Score	Description
1	Child seems anxious, withdrawn, or distressed
2	Mostly uneasy, doesn't smile or connect much
3	Neutral: not unhappy, but not fully at ease either
4	Generally content, shows pleasure and confidence
5	Radiates happiness, smiles often, emotionally secure

 

2. Involvement Scale

Score	Description
1	Passive, disengaged, not interested
2	Limited attention, distracted easily
3	On-task but not deeply engaged
4	Motivated, shows interest and persistence
5	Fully absorbed, creative, losing track of time (a “flow” state)

Example from a Forest School

Child: Maya, age 6
Activity: Building a stick shelter in the bush with two friends.

• Emotional Wellbeing = 5
  Maya laughs, shares sticks, and moves confidently. She looks at ease and joyful in the group.
• Involvement = 5
  She’s laser-focused, negotiating with friends, solving design challenges, and adding creative touches. Time flies for her.

Observation note: "Maya showed deep social connection and creative focus during shelter building. She led her group with joy and stayed immersed for over 30 minutes."

Why It Matters

• It highlights internal states that traditional grades overlook.
• It helps educators adjust the environment or activity to meet the child’s emotional and cognitive needs.
• It can track wellbeing over time, spotting when a child is thriving—or may need support.

Leuven Scale Observation Sheet

This tool supports educators in assessing children's emotional wellbeing and involvement during learning activities. Observations are based on a scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high).

1. Emotional Wellbeing Scale

1 – Child appears distressed, anxious, or withdrawn
2 – Child shows signs of unease; minimal interaction or expression
3 – Child seems neutral; neither unhappy nor visibly joyful
4 – Child is content, confident, and generally positive
5 – Child radiates happiness, feels secure and emotionally expressive

2. Involvement Scale

1 – Child is passive, unengaged, or distracted
2 – Child participates briefly but with low focus
3 – Child is involved but not deeply absorbed
4 – Child shows clear interest, motivation, and persistence
5 – Child is fully engaged, focused, and in a ‘flow’ state

3. Observation Template

Child Name	Activity	Emotional Wellbeing (1–5)	Involvement (1–5)	Date	Notes / Observations

 

What is a Capacity Matrix?

A capacity matrix is a learner-friendly chart that breaks down a larger learning goal or skill set into clear, visible components—so students can:

• Track their own progress
• Reflect on their level of understanding
• Set goals and celebrate growth

It usually includes:

• Learning goals or competencies
• Success criteria or indicators
• A scale such as: “Not yet”, “Emerging”, “Developing”, “Proficient”, “Mastery”
• Sometimes evidence/examples to support the learner's rating
• Support self-direction and reflection
• Make learning transparent and accessible
• Focus on progress, not perfection
• Allow learners to celebrate their own journey

Why They Matter - Capacity matrices align beautifully with sovereignty-based education because they:

Life Skills Capacity Matrix – Sample (Learner: Barbara)

Skill Area	Description	Not Yet	Developing	Proficient	Example/Evidence
Building	Constructs or sets up garden beds and supports		✓		Barbara helped build a raised garden bed using recycled timber.
Planting	Chooses seeds and plants them with care			✓	Planted tomatoes, basil, and marigolds using companion planting principles.
Growing	Waters, weeds, and tends plants regularly			✓	Maintains a weekly routine for checking moisture and removing pests naturally.
Harvesting	Knows when and how to harvest different crops		✓		Picked ripe beans and herbs and explained signs of readiness to others.
Preserving	Preserves harvested food (drying, freezing, fermenting, etc.)		✓		Assisted with drying herbs and preparing lemon balm for tea.
Cooking	Prepares meals using fresh ingredients from the garden			✓	Made a vegetable stir-fry with produce she helped grow and harvest.

Life Skills Capacity Matrix – Sample (Eco-Building)

Skill Area	Description	Not Yet	Developing	Proficient	Example/Evidence
Designing	Understands and sketches eco-friendly structures		✓		Sketched a simple shelter design using natural materials and solar orientation.
Material Sourcing	Chooses sustainable or local natural building materials			✓	Collected clay, straw, and reclaimed wood for a cob wall.
Foundation Work	Assists in preparing a level base or foundation		✓		Helped dig and level a trench for a small earth bench project.
Construction	Builds with cob, earthbags, or timber			✓	Formed cob bricks and constructed part of a small earthen bench.
Insulation & Ventilation	Understands airflow, warmth, and insulation		✓		Explained how straw in walls keeps structures cool in summer and warm in winter.
Tool Use & Safety	Uses hand tools safely and effectively			✓	Used a hand saw and mallet responsibly during timber framing.

Soft Skills Capacity Matrix – Sample (Learner: Ethel)

Skill	Description	Not Yet	Developing	Confident	Example/Evidence
Teamwork	Works effectively with others		✓		Ethel helped plan a group nature walk and made sure everyone had a role.
Communication	Expresses thoughts clearly			✓	Ethel shared her story in circle time and asked thoughtful questions.
Resilience	Keeps going when tasks are hard		✓		She persisted through building a tricky shelter structure outdoors.
Creativity	Thinks of new ideas or solutions			✓	Created a nature sculpture using fallen leaves and feathers.
Empathy	Understands and cares about others			✓	Comforted a classmate who was upset and offered to help them.
Self-awareness	Recognizes own emotions and actions		✓		Identified that she needed quiet time after feeling overwhelmed.

 

Toby and the Unseen Mark (story)

Toby was a boy who saw the world through different eyes. His heart belonged to the bush—the wild, untamed beauty of nature. From a young age, his family had instilled in him a deep respect for the land and its creatures. He was a gifted tracker, able to read the faintest signs left by animals. He knew the rhythm of the wind, the language of the birds, and the whispers of the earth beneath his feet. His family often spent weekends camping, teaching him about bush tucker, the shifting skies, and how the animals behaved with the seasons.

When school started, Toby was a quiet, observant boy, often lost in the world of nature’s wonders. But when the research assignment about animals was announced, something inside him sparked. He felt like he was in his element. He could already see the patterns of the animals’ movements, their behaviors, and their connections to the land. This assignment was his chance to share the world he loved so much.

Toby poured everything he knew into his work. He spent hours writing about the local wildlife, the habits of the birds, the way kangaroos hopped in the early morning mist, how dingoes followed the scent of the wind. He illustrated each animal, carefully labelling their tracks and features. He was excited to share what he had learned, knowing he was different from the other students. While they relied on AI and asked adults for help, Toby knew his work had to come from his own heart and hands. His knowledge wasn’t just facts—it was a living, breathing connection to the earth.

But when the feedback came back, Toby’s heart sank. The teacher had marked his work with a lot of corrections and suggestions: "More references from experts," "Sentence structure needs improvement," "Paragraphing is incomplete," and "Word count not met." His teacher had even circled the word "D" in bright red ink, the letters standing out like a sharp slap.

Toby stared at the paper, his mind struggling to comprehend what he was seeing. A "D"? After all the hours he had spent improving his spelling, learning new things, and putting in so much effort? Toby couldn’t understand. Why didn’t the teacher see how much he had learned, how far he had come from where he started? He had tried—he really had. He had poured his heart into the assignment, but it seemed that none of that mattered.

Tears welled up in his eyes. “What’s the point?” he whispered, his voice thick with confusion and frustration. He felt crushed. The marks were all that mattered, not the effort or the growth he had achieved. And in that moment, a seed of doubt began to take root in Toby’s heart.

“I’m not enough,” he thought.

That feeling stayed with him for years, a quiet whisper that echoed in the back of his mind. It grew louder over time, shaping the way he saw himself. He would always remember that moment when his hard work hadn’t been enough, when the hours spent learning and growing didn’t add up to the grade he had wanted. The world of grades and judgment had told him he was lacking, and Toby had believed it.

This story of Toby is not an isolated one. It’s a story that reflects a larger issue in our educational systems—a system that values measurable outcomes over the intangible progress that students make. Where growth is reduced to letters and numbers, and emotional well-being, effort, and self-reflection are dismissed as secondary. At what point did we decide that a child’s worth could be defined by their ability to meet arbitrary standards, to fit into a mold that doesn’t always honor their uniqueness?

It’s a tragedy that many children, like Toby, learn to doubt themselves because the world is more focused on results than on the process of learning. In a world where external judgment is so powerful, the internal growth of a child—how far they’ve come, what they’ve learned, the obstacles they’ve overcome—can go unnoticed.

So, what can be done?

First, we must recognize that learning is not a linear path. It’s not about fitting into predefined boxes but about nurturing a child’s unique gifts. The emotional, spiritual, and intellectual growth of a child should be just as important as any grade on a paper. Reflection, effort, perseverance, and progress must be honored, not just the final product.

Second, we need to create spaces for students to learn without the fear of judgment. Schools should be places where curiosity, passion, and self-discovery are valued. Teachers need to move beyond the constraints of grades and embrace individualized learning that recognizes each child’s journey.

Lastly, we must shift our societal focus. We need to redefine success not by how well a student fits into a pre-determined system, but by how much they grow, how they contribute, and how they develop as compassionate, curious, and self-aware human beings.

Toby never forgot that moment of defeat. It would shape much of his life, but it didn’t have to be the end of his story. It could be a turning point—a chance for all of us to reflect on what truly matters in education.

It’s time for us to ask, what would the world look like if we gave every Toby the space to grow, the room to make mistakes, and the freedom to be enough, no matter what grade they received?