This is the second part in our blog series about how to evaluate the merits of an SEL assessment. The last post provided an overview of judging whether an assessment is up to the task. Upcoming blog posts will demystify …
A Consumer’s Guide to Social and Emotional Assessment Before getting into the business of assessing student social and emotional competence, most people would agree that it is wise to critically evaluate assessment options. Here’s the catch: Most people don’t have …
Why, How, and When to Get Help with SEL Program Evaluation Most of us want to know if what we’re doing is making a difference. It’s human nature. In the world of school-based social and emotional learning, there are other …
Read MoreEvaluating Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Program Impact
Well-intended colleagues in the SEL community sometimes encourage school districts to create their own social and emotional competence assessments. They do so, as far as I can tell, with the intention of encouraging educators to create SEL competence assessments that …
Read MoreSocial Emotional Learning (SEL) Assessment: Build or Buy?
(Spoiler Alert: The Answer is, Carefully) I just attended a terrific meeting with educational leaders and educational innovators. It was inspirational to engage attendees as we all struggled with important questions about how best to support student academic, …
If you’ve been following my posts over the past year, you probably know that I believe in the power of SEL skill assessment to improve outcomes by helping educators understand their students’ social-emotional strengths and needs. This is an aspirational …
Read MoreIs your District Ready to Assess Social Emotional Learning (SEL)?
In my conversations with educators, the issue of assessment time has come up a lot lately. Here’s the issue: On the one hand, many educators like the idea of directly assessing student social and emotional skills; and those who do …
Read MoreWhy Invest Time in Social Emotional (SEL) Assessment?
As you know, I spend a lot of my time thinking and talking about how to assess student social and emotional learning skills. Among the many reasons for this singular focus, one rises to the top: it matters. I do …
Read MoreSocial and Emotional Learning (SEL) Assessment in Action
What the $#&^!@* is Direct Assessment of Student Social and Emotional Learning Skill? I think you’ll agree with me that terminology is, well… boring. But let’s also admit that not understanding terminology can cause problems, like, for example, leading you …
People often have very strong opinions about student assessment, particularly when it comes to social and emotional learning assessment. This is especially true when discussing the use of SEL assessment for screening. One colleague is adamant that SEL assessment should …
