Leuven Scale/POMS

We understand learning as a process mediated by the child's emotional well-being, and which can be assessed particularly well in terms of the child's involvement in self-chosen activities. These two interrelated indicators of quality in the educational process have been defined within the Process Oriented Monitoring System (or POMS) developed by Ferre Laevers:

• Well-being is “feeling at home”, “being oneself” and/or “feeling happy”. Signs of well-being are openness and receptivity, flexibility, self-confidence and self-esteem, assertiveness, vitality, relaxation and inner peace, enjoyment without restraints, and being in touch with one's self. Well-being encompasses four domains of social activity: relationships with facilitators, relationships with other children, relationships within their play-, class-, and school-world, and relationships with members of the family and close friends.

• Involvement reveals itself in the intensity of the activity, the amount of concentration, the extent to which one is “absorbed” and the ability to give oneself completely, to be enthusiastic, to find pleasure in exploration; all of which allow the child to further her development. Signs of involvement are concentration, energy, complexity and creativity, facial expression of composure, persistence, precision, reaction time, verbal expression, and satisfaction.

If there is a lack of well-being and/or involvement, chances are that the child's development may be threatened (socially/emotionally and/or with regard to important developmental areas). And the higher the level of well-being and involvement, the more we contribute to a child's general development.

We aim to screen all children three times a year, with a five point scale for each of the dimensions. For children falling below level 4, we should proceed with further observations and analyses.

As an extension of the Process Oriented Monitoring System, the levels of development are assessed in 8 domains with a 5-point scale: gross and fine motor development, representation through language, representation through visual arts, understanding the physical world, social competence, mathematical and logical thinking, and self-organisation. The paradigm behind this instrument is “holistic” in this sense that the assessments are based on observation in real life situations.

This assessment takes into account each child's unique development pattern. It may happen that, while a child may be well behind her peers in some areas, she may not require extra care because she is still developing at her own innate pace. And likewise, a child may be performing “reasonably” well and still need extra help because she is performing below her capacities.

Following assessment, we can design different interventions such as restructuring the learning spaces and their content, modifying the activities and materials on offer, supporting children's initiative, improving relationships, and allowing children to explore their behaviours, feelings, relationships and values. Specific interventions in relation to children with socio-emotional problems are also recommended.

Please check out the Leuven Scale documentation available at the school.