Promote SEL for Students

Strong SEL standards or guidelines are comprehensive, developmentally appropriate, and culturally responsive, and include benchmarks for what all students should know and be able to do from PreK-grade 12. These SEL standards are aligned and integrated with the district’s academic standards and informed by staff, families, and community partners. Ongoing communication and professional learning build district and staff capacity for integrating SEL standards with instruction.

• Not yet started

• Beginning to draft standards

• Drafted standards, received feedback
• Aligning SEL standards or guidelines to academic standards
• Developing communication and professional learning strategies

• Adopted SEL standards
• SEL and academic standards aligned and integrated
• Shared standards publicly and providing ongoing professional learning

The district has adopted evidence-based SEL programs and practices that are implemented in all schools and grade levels [See CASEL Program Guide evidence-based programs]. These programs and practices explicitly address students’ SEL competencies and align with the priorities valued by stakeholders and with adopted standards or guidelines. The district provides professional learning to all staff who will implement and support the programs and practices. The district supports schools in engaging families and community partners around programs and practices, and in collecting and using data to monitor implementation and outcomes.

• Not yet started

• Reviewing programs and practices

• Adopted program(s) and implementing in some schools and/or grade levels
• Providing professional learning
• Developing strategies for engaging families and community partners
• Developing strategies for monitoring implementation and outcomes

• Implementing in all schools and grade levels
• Providing professional learning
• Supporting schools in engaging families and community partners
• Supporting schools in monitoring implementation and outcomes

The SEL team/lead collaborates with academic departments to integrate and prioritize SEL in academic and instructional frameworks, school leadership and improvement strategies, and the academic departments’ professional learning content. The district is implementing a coordinated and scaffolded professional learning plan to build teachers’ capacity to foster students’ social and emotional knowledge, skills, and attitudes through academic instruction and curriculum content, including support for culturally relevant instructional practices.

• Not yet started

• Starting to collaborate with academic departments
• Developing professional learning plan

• Starting to integrate SEL into academic priorities and strategies
• Some professional learning provided

• SEL fully integrated with academic priorities and strategies
• Implementing coordinated and scaffolded professional learning plan

The district prioritizes positive staff-family relationships and two-way communication with families at the district and school levels. The district offers meaningful opportunities for families to participate and collaborate in SEL activities, so that families understand, experience, inform, and support the SEL development of students in partnership with school and district staff.  The district gathers input from families about their preferences and needs. These data are used to improve family partnership strategies.

• Not yet started

• Gathering input from families about best strategies for engagement and partnership

• Input from families has been collected, synthesized, and is being used to inform a plan for family partnerships
• Developing a plan for family partnerships

• Implementing strategies for two-way communication and engaging families in SEL activities
• Feedback from families is regularly collected and used to inform improvement

The district and their SEL-related community partners intentionally align the language and practices they use to describe and promote SEL. These partnerships ensure that SEL is a priority during the school day and during out-of-school time, and that students and families have access to a broad range of SEL-related community services.

• Not yet started

• Collecting and reviewing information about SEL practices used by community partners
• Identifying additional community groups and service providers with whom the district may want to partner

• Starting to align language and SEL practices
• Starting to collaborate with out-of-school time providers to ensure SEL is prioritized across settings
• Engaging community groups and community-based service providers to ensure student and family access

• Aligned language and SEL practices
• SEL is prioritized during school day and out-of-school time
• Students and families have access to a broad range of SEL-related community services
• Leveraging community partners to expand professional learning opportunities and/or research support

The district’s discipline policies and practices emphasize proactive, restorative, and developmentally appropriate approaches that support school climate and address root causes of student behavior. The district supports school staff in implementing the policies and using discipline strategies that promote SEL and relationship-building. To promote an equitable approach to discipline, the district uses disaggregated discipline data to understand the effectiveness of discipline practices, review trends for different student groups, and to intervene on systemic root causes when student groups are disproportionately represented.

• Not yet started

• Reviewing policies and practices
• Building district teams’ data capacity

• Policies and practices are aligned with SEL
• Developing approach for supporting school
• District teams reviews disaggregated discipline data, and building school teams’ data capacity

• Policies and practices are aligned with SEL
• Implementing approach for supporting school staff
• Systems and structures are in place that allow district and school teams to review disaggregated discipline data regularly and use to address systemic root causes

When SEL is fully integrated with a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), evidence-based SEL instruction and practices enhance the continuum of academic and behavioral supports that meet the needs of all students.

• Not yet started

• Identified SEL instruction and practices that support academics and behavior

• SEL instruction and practices that support academics and behavior are integrated into some but not all tiers

• SEL instruction and practices that support academics and behavior are integrated into all tiers

The district engages in rapid learning cycles to monitor progress and reflect on disaggregated data to inform real-time change to implementation of strategies for promoting student SEL. These cycles follow established continuous improvement timelines. The district ensures support and tools are provided to school teams for engaging in their own rapid learning cycles around student-focused SEL goals.

• Not yet started

• Student-focused SEL goals developed
• Starting to collect formative data related to goals

• Student-focused SEL goals developed
• Data collected and disaggregated according to timelines
• At least each semester, using data reflection to make real-time improvements

• Student-focused SEL goals developed
• Data collected and disaggregated accordingto timelines
• At least quarterly, using data reflection to make real-time improvements
• Providing support and tools for school teams