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SEL Assessment in Action

The SEL Assessment in Action series is an ongoing effort to collect stories from educators who are using measures of SEL competencies. These vignettes are the product of written testimonies and qualitative interviews, conducted by the guide team, of educators who are using SEL competence assessments in practice.

Over time, this series will represent an increasing variety of contexts and uses of assessment to help illustrate for other practitioners how assessments can be used to improve the social and emotional skills of students.

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

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

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 […]

New Report Examines State of SEL Assessments, Calls for Greater Coordination with School Policies, Programs, and Professional Learning

New Report Examines State of SEL Assessments, Calls for Greater Coordination with School Policies, Programs, and Professional Learning

Inform SEL Assessment in Action

A leading group of scholars, test developers, and educators has just released a landmark report that describes the evolving field of social and emotional learning (SEL) assessments and recommends steps for continued improvements.   The 53-page report, Student Social and Emotional Competence Assessment: The Current State of the Field and a Vision for Its Future, was developed over the past three years by the Assessment Work Group, managed by CASEL with leaders from the RAND Corporation, Harvard University, the California CORE Districts, Transforming Education, xSEL Labs, and several universities, nonprofit organizations, and school districts across the country. Clark McKown served as the lead author.   Key findings include: Social and emotional competencies can not only be taught—they can also be measured. […]

Assessing SEL in School-Community Partnerships

Assessing SEL in School-Community Partnerships

Inspire SEL Assessment in Action

By: Saskia Traill, Senior Vice President, ExpandED Schools ExpandED Schools helps schools and partnering after-school providers create a shared vision for working with young people. The schools and community-based organizations (CBOs) bring together their resources and expertise to give youth more opportunities to develop their talents and develop as a whole child—including socially, emotionally and academically. The result is a holistic and coherent learning day with a range of educators, including certified teachers, teaching artists, and youth development professionals. Over the past three years, with a generous grant from the New York Life Foundation, we focused on the depth and integration of SEL to reach all young people in participating middle schools along with their after-school providers. We found that a more intentional […]

Nyack Public Schools Use Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Survey to Move Our Equity Agenda Forward

Nyack Public Schools Use Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Survey to Move Our Equity Agenda Forward

Inspire SEL Assessment in Action

By: James Montesano, Nyack Public Schools, with Sara Stoutland, Independent Consultant   The Nyack Public Schools have been working to close achievement gaps for years. We are a racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse district, located about 30 miles north of New York City. As a community, we are proud of our diversity, and we are also deeply troubled by persistent racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps. We have disproportionate outcomes by race/ethnicity and socio-economic status in AP classes, suspensions, and special education identification.   In the past, we addressed these gaps by establishing targeted programs aimed at students who were not performing up to their potential— students of color and those from low-income backgrounds. Through these efforts, we saw some improvement in graduation […]

SEL Learning Through a Continuous Improvement Cycle

SEL Learning Through a Continuous Improvement Cycle

Inspire SEL Assessment in Action

By: Stan Masters, Coordinator of Instructional Data Services, Lenawee ISD, Adrian, MI   How could a continuous improvement process for social-emotional learning (SEL) increase measurable educational outcomes for students?  That was the question asked by the Lenawee Cradle to Career Partnership when it began utilizing the CASEL Framework with schools throughout Lenawee County, Michigan.   Working with the superintendents and local community partners, the partnership utilized resources from CASEL and Panorama Education, to implement a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle, a scientific method used when engaged in action-oriented learning.   New work targeted to student SEL started at a small scale:  one school with students from three grades.  The school had seen an increase in inappropriate student behaviors and believed that more direct […]

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Stories about how people are using assessment in practice

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