Inspire Archives

One way SEL assessment can support school community thriving

July 1, 2020 Inspire

By Christina Cipriano, Ph.D., Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence Early in March I shared an update on the conclusion of a project- Catalyzing the Future Directions of Social and Emotional Learning Assessment. As part of that work, stakeholders from across the SEL field mobilized to embark on curating an initial set of open-source learning modules aligned to five areas identified as essential next phases of work for SEL Assessment – Leverage Existing Resources and Expertise, Promote SEL Data Literacy, Enable Equity, Engage Youth Voice, and Integrate SEL Assessment at the System Level. Just days after the report was published, the COVID-19 pandemic descended upon our country, the field of SEL rushed to the calls for action from our school communities….

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Using Stories with Numbers to Reveal Social-Emotional Impact

January 22, 2020 Inspire

By: Barry Kibel and Melinda Lackey, SEED Impact “You would not think this is the same Alicia who started our program in the fall. She’s a different person! She was angry at the world and clearly did not want to be with us. To see the smile on her face and hear her laughter these days, it warms our hearts. Alicia has grown miles in all aspects of our program. She is quick to volunteer. She is a positive role model. She helps her peers to take perspective and be respectful to each other…” What difference do stories make in out-of-school program evaluations? The best evidence of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is found in stories. Stories confirm how well young people…

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Data + SEL = Big Growth for Kids

January 15, 2020 Inspire

By: Anne Childers Guide students to be agents of their own learning through data analysis and SEL There is tremendous power in coupling school data and social and emotional learning. While most schools have access to a surplus of student data, figuring out how to use it to drive learning remains a mystery. One innovation I have been developing as a district data coach and now as a classroom teacher is a process to teach kids how to look at their own data. More specifically, the process helps kids employ SEL strategies to look at their NWEA growth data. NWEA is an assessment that measures growth over time and norms scores to 10.2 million students- giving both growth and achievement…

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How much do schools and educators impact students’ social-emotional learning?

December 4, 2019 Inspire SEL Assessment in Action

By: Libby Pier (Education Analytics) & Heather Hough (Policy Analysis for California Education) In 2014, the CORE Districts—a consortium of eight of the largest school districts in California serving more than one million students—began measuring students’ social-emotional learning (SEL) as part of a No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waiver enabling CORE to develop a holistic school quality measurement system. In collaboration with researchers and SEL content experts, CORE curated items to measure four social-emotional competencies: growth mindset, self-efficacy, self-management, and social awareness. Although the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) nullified the NCLB waiver, CORE has continued to measure students’ SEL annually since 2014 and reports school-level averages for informational purposes. Before CORE began administering annual SEL surveys…

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My Lessons Learned Working with a Diverse Set of School Leaders Deeply Committed to Taking a Data-Informed Approach to Whole Child Development

October 30, 2019 Inspire SEL Assessment in Action

By: DJ Cervantes Since 2016, Transforming Education has worked closely with NewSchools Venture Fund to collaborate with a growing portfolio of innovative school leaders across the nation. This collaboration supports the efforts of these schools in expanding the definition of student success by integrating an intentional and data-informed focus on the mindsets, habits, and skills needed for success in college, career, and life as well as the positive school environment conditions that promote them. Collectively, it is our belief that when these skills and conditions are coupled with strong academic outcomes, students are better positioned to graduate from high school prepared and inspired to lead a good life full of opportunity, connections, choices, and meaning. A core element in this pursuit…

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One way SEL assessment can support school community thriving

Using Stories with Numbers to Reveal Social-Emotional Impact

Data + SEL = Big Growth for Kids

How much do schools and educators impact students’ social-emotional learning?

My Lessons Learned Working with a Diverse Set of School Leaders Deeply Committed to Taking a Data-Informed Approach to Whole Child Development

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