.svg "Logo Riverside")
Why do some students rise up to face challenges and find ways to overcome them, while others tend to give up in defeat? Much research shows ...
Welcome to
The Elevation Point
Clinical and Special Education
12.04.2025
SEL Goals for IEPs: What Are They and How to Write Them
12.04.2025
Why Self-Efficacy is Critical to Learning
12.04.2025
[Student Activity] Teach Students Problem-Solving Skills with SEL
Research, Resources & Insights
K-12 Classroom Assessments
09.29.2025
“Gaming” the System: How Gifted Education Coordinator Vanessa Hill Got Her District on Board with CogAT® Stretch or Support (SOS!)
Research, Resources & Insights
K-12 Classroom Assessments
08.25.2025
New Norms for Widely Used Iowa Assessments™ Provide Fresh Insights Into Post-Pandemic Student Achievement
Research, Resources & Insights
K-12 Classroom Assessments
08.18.2025
New Research Finds that Mental Health Screener Can Help School Psychologists Identify Student Needs Earlier
Clinical and Special Education
12.04.2025
SEL Goals for IEPs: What Are They and How to Write Them
Clinical and Special Education
11.07.2025
Using the WJ V Tests to Conduct a Targeted Evaluation Using C-SEP
Clinical and Special Education
10.15.2025
Understanding Comparison Base-Rate Procedures in the WJ V: Case Studies for Practice
2 min read
Why Self-Efficacy is Critical to Learning
![[Student Activity] Teach Students Problem-Solving Skills with SEL](https://blog.riversideinsights.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/dfdfffed3c15abbcc60fdcafa9328dfb511092d0-6250x1875-1.png?width=500&name=dfdfffed3c15abbcc60fdcafa9328dfb511092d0-6250x1875-1.png)
1 min read
[Student Activity] Teach Students Problem-Solving Skills with SEL
We make decisions every day. We set goals, encounter challenges, and find ways to work through obstacles toward a solution. Some problems ar...
3 min read
Five Activities to Reduce Bullying in Your School
October is National Bullying Prevention Month and a time to bring awareness to bullying and its harmful effects.
3 min read
Supporting Our Most Vulnerable Students with SEL
A growing population of students in the United States face increased risk due to a range of environmental factors and behaviors. These child...
1 min read
Academic Benefits of SEL
Districts and schools across the country recognize the importance of social and emotional learning (SEL). Today’s schools are comprised of a...
2 min read
What’s in a Name? 21st Century Skills vs Social and Emotional Learning
There is a lot of discussion among educators, researchers and policy makers about the importance of 21st Century Skills and Social and Emoti...
1 min read
6 Bite-Size Activities to Fill Time Between Lessons
Got five minutes before your next lesson starts? Use it to teach social-emotional skills!
2 min read
How Social-Emotional Skills Can Help Reduce Bullying
What causes bullying in schools? Research suggests that teens bully when they have insufficient self-confidence, social acceptance, respect,...
4 min read
Manage Your Stress With SEL: 10 SEL Activities Adults Can Use to De-Stress
Educators, we know last year was tough. You are truly rock stars for getting your students (and yourselves) through a difficult year. This y...
4 min read
5 Ways to Build Strong Relationships with Students
One of the strongest ways teachers can connect with students is by making them feel valued and respected. When students feel their teachers ...
3 min read
Revitalize Student Engagement With an Inclusive, Supportive School Culture
Top of mind for most educators as they head into the new school year is, “What do my students need to re-engage in their learning?”
1 min read
4 Tips for Reducing Test Anxiety in Middle School Students
For better or worse, tests — and the anxiety that comes along with them — are a normal part of our education system. Exams give students the...
1 min read
7 Videos to Help Educators Practice Mindfulness and De-Stress
We’ve all had that moment: A student is being particularly challenging or stress from the job is reaching a boiling point. For many, the nat...
2 min read
Short-term Benefits of SEL
Hundreds of studies show that social and emotional learning (SEL) works. Most teachers agree that social and emotional skills are essential ...
A super quick read.
Integrate SEL into Your RTI Framework in 9 Simple Steps
Many educators don’t realize how easy it is to embed social and emotional learning (SEL) into their Response to Intervention (RtI) plan. SEL...
2 min read
3 Lessons That Teach Students SEL Through Women’s History
March is Women’s History Month, and this is an excellent opportunity to teach social and emotional learning (SEL) through the lens of women’...
3 min read
8 Tips to Improve Teacher Retention with Social-Emotional Skills
Schools and districts are working hard to improve teacher retention. The high number of teachers and school staff leaving the education fiel...
2 min read
Is This Working? The Importance of Social-Emotional Progress Monitoring
When looking at your social-emotional behavioral skills program implementation plan at-large, do you have a plan for social-emotional progre...
1 min read
3 Ways SEL Can Improve School Safety
Many forms of violence occur in schools every day — school shootings, bullying, gang violence, and fights are all too common. A number of fa...
3 min read
12 Easy SEL Activities for High School Students
High school teachers are masters of juggling very busy schedules. Between balancing core instruction, administering assessments, grading hom...
1 min read
8 Ways to Maximize the Benefits of Your Comprehensive Education Approach
A high-quality comprehensive education approach can be transformative for both your staff and students. Immediate benefits include heightene...
1 min read
How to Support Spanish-speaking Students with SEL Assessment Data
When it comes to supporting Spanish-speaking students and English-language learners (ELLs), which is more important: academic supports, or s...
2 min read
How to Differentiate Social and Emotional Learning
Every student has a unique learning style. For example, Charlie is a visual learner and relies on images and cues to help him process inform...
2 min read
We Have Implicit Bias Toward Students. Here are 3 Ways to Reduce its Effects
Research shows that we all have implicit biases. Neuroscientists have found that our brains tend to quickly categorize others as a way to id...
2 min read
5 Ways to Build Social and Emotional Skills Through Music
Ahh … the power of music. It has so many benefits for our minds and bodies. It enhances cognition, provides comfort, and improves memory. Mu...
2 min read
Trauma-Informed Activities for Students: Strengthening the School Community
Trauma informed practices in schools can revolutionize your school community. This approach highlights that students are more than likely to...
2 min read
8 Bulletin Board Ideas for Mental Health through Social and Emotional Development
As you start thinking about back-to-school and getting your classroom ready for the new year, consider adding an SEL-themed bulletin board. ...
2 min read
How SEL Can Help ELL/Immigrant Students and Educators’ Ability to Support Them
Use SEL to Ease the Transition for ELL and Immigrant Students It’s not surprising that many educators struggle to understand and address the...
2 min read
All Students Can Benefit from SEL: The Importance of Tier I SEL Screening and Supports
SEL is important for so many reasons. It helps students work through stress, uncertainty, trauma, and fear. It gives students an outlet to t...
1 min read
Positive Teacher-Student Relationships Improve Student Achievement
On average, students attend 180 days of school each year. This comes to about 1,200 hours or 72,000 minutes. That is a lot of time spent wit...
2 min read
Boost Staff Morale in Schools with Effective Professional Learning
One of the best ways to support teachers and boost their morale is through effective, engaging professional learning opportunities. The best...
2 min read
Long-term Benefits of SEL
You may be wondering, “How long do the benefits of social and emotional learning (SEL) last?”
2 min read
3 DIY Classroom Furniture Hacks That Support SEL
You don’t have to create Feng Shui, but classroom furniture and accessories — and how you arrange them — can have a big impact on your daily...
2 min read
5 Powerful Ways Social-Emotional Skills Can Support the 9th Grade Transition
Freshman year can be an exciting time for students, with a new school, opportunities to make new friends, and increasing independence. But i...
2 min read
Promoting Equity Through PBIS
Research shows that students of color (especially African-American students) receive significantly higher rates of disciplinary action: more...
2 min read
4 Reasons to Start the School Day with Morning Meetings
Have you considered implementing morning meetings in your school or class? You should.
2 min read
10 Social-Emotional Activities for Grades K–8: Emotional development activities
Did you know that social-emotional skills can easily be taught to students K-8 right alongside core academic instruction in classrooms or af...
2 min read
MTSS in Education: Using the MTSS Triangle to Overcome Learning Loss
“Learning loss” is one of the many buzzwords that emerged from the pandemic and continues to be a top priority for district administrators. ...
2 min read
How Social-Emotional Skills Prepare High School Students for College and Careers
So much goes into college- and career-readiness. Students need to have academic knowledge, meet GPA and course requirements, and for certain...
1 min read
How Mindfulness Fits into the SEL Framework
Schools are increasingly recognizing the power of social and emotional skills and their positive impact on students’ success. As such, new p...
2 min read
Four Ideas to Integrate Social-Emotional Skills into Your Core Curricula
Teaching and reinforcing social-emotional concepts within core content helps students engage in learning and develop more meaningful connect...
3 min read
7 Strategies to Help Students and Families (and You) Cope with Grief
The pandemic has caused loss in everyone’s lives. We are all dealing with grief — whether it is the passing of a loved one, sadness from not...
2 min read
Strengthen Your MTSS and PBIS Frameworks With SEL
Social and emotional learning (SEL) can go beyond supporting interventions and instruction — social and emotional data also can be a powerfu...
2 min read
SEL and Preventative Mental Health: Fast Facts and Ideas for Maximizing Supports
Educators are always looking for ways to improve mental health services for students. They also know that social and emotional learning (SEL...
3 min read
5 Ways to Promote Equity with SEL
Educational equity means that “every student has access to the resources and educational rigor they need at the right moment in their educat...
3 min read
SEL Helps Students, Families, and Educators Persevere Through Tough Times
As we reflect on the past couple of years, and all the challenges we have faced, one thing is clear — students, their parents and caregivers...
1 min read
Three Winter-Themed Student Voice and Choice Activities
There are many benefits of incorporating voice, choice, and social-emotional skill development into the classroom, including improved learni...
3 min read
6 Ways to Boost Student Engagement with SEL
Winter break is just around the corner. Educators know that this means students may become distracted, less cooperative, and less engaged in...
2 min read
Build Relationships With 5 Back-to-School SEL Icebreaker Activities
Starting the school year with fun icebreaker activities can establish a foundation for solid relationships with your students and a strong s...
2 min read
7 Ways to Provide SEL Support to Students and Families Learning Remotely
Remote learning has shifted the responsibility of teaching to parents and caregivers. These adults are helping children learn core skills li...
2 min read
What is Classroom Culture
Social and emotional learning (SEL) plays a critical role in equipping students with life skills that will carry them beyond graduation. Edu...
2 min read
4 Ways Teachers Can Support Students After Traumatic Events
For many of us, the usual fun and excitement that comes with the end of the school year has been replaced by shock and grief over the recent...
2 min read
8 Tips to Get Started with SEL Right Now
Do you believe in social and emotional learning (SEL) but just don’t know how to get started? You’re not alone. Many administrators and educ...
2 min read
The 5 Strategic Pillars of Successful District-wide SEL Initiatives
Districts that plan to strategically integrate their Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) initiatives district-wide get the best results from...
1 min read
The ROI of SEL Might Surprise You
Most educators agree that social and emotional skills are essential for both children and adults, and much research proves these skills help...
2 min read
5-Minute Quiz: Is Your SEL Assessment Equitable?
Now more than ever, our classrooms are growing more diverse. Student populations are becoming more racially, socially, and economically vari...
2 min read
Weaving Social Skills Into the School Day
In our rapidly changing world, the field of education must adapt to continue to meet (and ideally, exceed) students’ evolving needs. Weaving...
4 min read
Build an SEL Reading List: 15 Books That Promote Growth Mindset
Growth mindset — we’ve all heard the buzzword, but what exactly does it look like in the classroom? And how do we help children develop it?
2 min read
4 Examples of How to Incorporate Student Voice, Choice, and SEL
Research shows that giving students agency and influence in their learning makes them more engaged and invested in their education. It also ...
-1.png "Riverside Insights Logo")
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}