Grading or 'compete' : is an essential part of improvement..

Grading or 'compete' : is an essential part of improvement..
or even 'readyness'...
how do you enable compete on a scale : for a skill?
there are different skills / games?

it should be 'scalable'...
realistic...
and .... somewhat : not discouraging...

I think fighting game community : solved that 'beautifully'...

consider 'double elimination tournaments'

the beauty is scale and the 'ambiguity'...

after top 1,2,3....u can scale it up to as much granularity as needed..

or not scale it at all....3 kids can be winners in pool of 10..
those 3, compete or do not with other pools..
depending on skill level needed at an age/class.

this is slightly complicated, but would make sense if 1 watches any fighting game tournaments - time tested and easy.

further thoughts...

double elimination format :

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-elimination_tournament

video explain :

the way i see it : few kids would get A/Grade 1 in few 'skills'...and some in more than 1 skill..
and many 2s or 3s or similar patterns...
being a generalist : is a good thing...
current education : misses that out : rounding it up in % : shadowing any abberation or neo in a skill.

frankly : there is no 'fail' in this... skills are age independent...and the concept of classes : is just like skill/vocational colleges.
a kid may qualify law grade 1 : early as 8 years..
and science at 14 :.. doesnt really matter..
as long as 1 skill is there : he can earn and live a happy dignified life...ai is there for all.
i think this would cut down the age bias of 'achievement' or the rush to mug/compete... coz the skill speaks for itself : coz the target is a 'practical' : a demonstrable skill/product