SEL assessment to support effective social emotional learning practices at scale

Clark McKown, Ph.D., Rush University Medical Center

Beth Herman, Educational Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Instruction

Efforts to support student social and emotional learning (SEL) in schools are at an all-time high. We know that programs and educational practices to foster SEL, when done well, can produce substantial benefits to students. However, as programs and practices “go to scale,” there is considerable risk that they may be implemented poorly or inconsistently and therefore become less effective.

In this brief, we explore the role of assessment—of student competencies, adult practices, and climate—in supporting high-quality SEL at scale. We argue that the wise and targeted use of SEL assessment data should inform what educators do, and should help them learn whether their efforts are benefiting students. SEL assessment data can help the field evolve and grow while maintaining effectiveness. We discuss the key role of state education agencies and federal and state policy in encouraging the wise use of SEL assessment data to support teaching, learning, and student outcomes as SEL goes to scale.

• State education agencies, and federal and state policy, can support the use of SEL assessment in schools to ensure that as SEL goes to scale, practices remain rooted in data. In so doing, ongoing improvements can be made to the effectiveness of SEL programs and practices.
• As large numbers of school districts adopt social and emotional learning programs, educators must grapple with how to maintain program effectiveness at scale.
• To maintain quality at scale, educators should integrate SEL assessment and data review as part of a continuous improvement process.

• XSEL LABS
• SEL and Assessment / CASEL

• Test Scores Give Only a Partial Picture of How a School Is Doing. School Quality Reviews Can Help Fill the Gap
  The 74

• The association between teachers’ use of formative assessment practices and students’ use of self-regulated learning strategies
  U.S. Department of Education / IES

• Catalyzing future directions of social and emotional learning assessment
  CASEL

• Student social and emotional competence assessment: The current state of the field and a vision for its future
  CASEL

• “How do we measure SEL?”
  Elias, M., Edutopia

• Blogs from XSEL LABS

• “How to Reinforce SEL using Assessment”
  McKown, C., XSEL LABS

• Videos from XSEL LABS