Why Competencies Cannot Be Measured in Isolation

Conversations around competencies such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and socio-emotional learning (SEL) often focus on how to measure whether children possess these skills. But an equally important question is: what conditions need to exist for children to develop and demonstrate them in the first place?

For learning to happen, certain conditions need to exist — children need to feel safe, included, heard, and supported. In many ways, these conditions themselves are linked to SEL. At the same time, children also require opportunities to practice SEL competencies: to ask questions without fear, work with peers, solve problems together, and express their ideas openly. This means that assessments of SEL and competencies cannot only focus on outcomes. They must also help us understand the opportunities and environments available to children.

Assessing Opportunity Alongside Learning

In our work across primary government school classrooms in Delhi and Uttarakhand, we have been exploring ways to assess competencies while also examining the ecology around learning. Two principles guided this work. First, we wanted to understand what opportunities for participation and interaction were present in classrooms. Second, we wanted to measure competencies in ways that reflected children’s real-world contexts and extended naturally from classroom learning instead of interrupting it.

To do this, we used a combination of performance tasks, student surveys and interviews. Performance tasks are age-appropriate, collaborative activities aligned with the National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT)  learning outcomes, allowing us to observe competencies such as critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration in action. For example, in Grade 5 classrooms, one Environmental Studies (EVS) performance task asked children to think through a water scarcity crisis. Students worked together to ideate solutions and action steps at individual, community, and systemic levels. The task assessed their understanding of governing bodies and public goods, while simultaneously creating opportunities to communicate ideas, negotiate solutions, and collaborate with peers.

Student surveys and interviews complemented these tasks by helping us understand children’s lived experiences of classrooms. We asked students whether they felt safe asking questions, whether they experienced opportunities for collaboration, whether teachers supported them when they made mistakes, and whether they felt like an important part of their school and classroom. These responses often revealed dimensions of learning that assessments that only aim to capture competence miss.

What the Data Helped Us See

Together, these tools generated nuanced insights into the relationship between classroom conditions, participation, and competency development. For instance, in Multi-Grade Multi-Level (MGML) classrooms, i.e. classrooms where students across multiple grades and learning levels study in the same classroom, often taught by a single teacher, students reported relatively fewer structured opportunities for group work, yet collaboration indicators remained high. This aligned with findings from our earlier research, where over 60% of children assigned a shared task immediately began working collaboratively without explicit instruction to do so. In such classrooms, collaboration already existed as part of the classroom culture and peer-learning structure. This suggests that teachers may not always need to “build” collaborative behaviour from scratch; instead, they can focus on leveraging and strengthening existing peer interactions.

At the same time, some patterns revealed how participation opportunities shape the development of competencies. In classrooms where children reported that they did not feel comfortable asking questions, we also observed fewer indicators of critical thinking during classroom interactions and performance tasks. Similarly, while several students reported enjoying collaborative activities, some also shared that they “never” received meaningful opportunities for group work in regular classroom settings, despite often sitting in groups. Children themselves were able to distinguish between simply sitting together and genuinely collaborating with peers.

Our findings also echoed broader literature linking SEL indicators with stronger academic outcomes. Students who reported stronger peer inclusion, greater comfort in asking questions, and more supportive teacher relationships often also demonstrated stronger participation and engagement during learning activities. 

At the same time, some findings highlighted important contextual differences in how children experience inclusion and support.

For example, peer inclusion appeared lower in Grade 5 across some contexts, prompting deeper conversations about what inclusion actually means to children. In one discussion in Delhi, a Grade 4 student shared that he felt like an important part of his class because he “gets good marks” and is given responsibilities by the teacher. Other children in the group agreed with him. This raised important questions about how recognition and belonging are constructed within classrooms, and whether academic performance becomes tied to children’s sense of value and participation.

We also observed differences linked to gender and home support. More boys in Delhi reported that they felt heard by their teachers, while fewer girls in Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, shared that they had someone at home who supported their learning. These findings remind us that competencies are shaped not only within classrooms, but also through broader social and relational contexts that influence how children participate and engage in school.

Towards More Contextual and Responsive Assessments 

Looking at opportunity and access alongside competency helps us move beyond seeing SEL competencies such as collaboration, creativity and critical thinking as traits that children either possess or lack. Instead, it allows us to understand the ecology that shapes children’s learning experiences and realities. It also helps educators and programme teams design more contextual and responsive solutions — ones that recognise that the responsibility for building these competencies is shared across classrooms, schools, families, and systems.

Ultimately, assessments can do more than measure learning. When designed thoughtfully, they can help us understand whether classrooms are creating the conditions children need to participate, express themselves, collaborate, and grow. After all, can we expect children to demonstrate competencies that our classroom environments do not actively nurture? 

Sharvari Karandikar is the Manager of Research and Learning at the Simple Education Foundation (SEF), where she leads work on assessment design, teacher capacity building, and evidence-informed programme development. With a focus on making learning visible and meaningful, she works closely with government school classrooms in Delhi and Uttarakhand to understand what conditions help children and teachers truly thrive.