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 varied. We must ensure our schools are delivering high-quality education to all students, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, income, disability, or learning style.

Social and emotional learning (SEL) can promote equity in schools. SEL professional development for teachers can foster equity in the classroom. Through SEL and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), schools can create more equitable disciplinary practices. And with SEL assessments, educators can identify students’ unique strengths and needs and provide tailored supports to help them succeed.

Is your SEL assessment equitable? Take this five-minute quiz to find out.

When selecting an SEL assessment, choose one that was designed with equity in mind. Answer these questions to determine if your SEL assessment provides accurate insight into students' diverse needs and guides you toward the right supports.

1. Does the assessment measure widely accepted social-emotional constructs, such as CASEL's five competencies?

It is important to measure social-emotional skills that have been carefully researched and defined. CASEL's constructs were derived from more than two decades of research and are widely considered to be the standard set of social-emotional skills students need to thrive in school and in life.

2. Are educators able to use the SEL data to adjust their instructional practices to better meet the needs of their students?

The SEL assessment should provide insight into students' social and emotional competence so you are able to adjust instruction to focus on specific areas that need improvement.

3. Can the assessment data be used to develop interventions that are tailored to each student's needs?

Some students need additional support to fully develop their social and emotional competence. The SEL assessment should help you create an intervention plan that is tailored to each student's needs.

4. Are the assessment reporting norms and comparisons comprised of racially, demographically, and geographically diverse populations?

Well-defined national norms increase data accuracy and provide a clearer, more reliable, picture of where students should be in their social-emotional development.

5. Does the assessment measure students' social-emotional growth and development over time?

Assessing students' social and emotional skills is like taking a snapshot in time. Social-emotional skills change and develop, and it is important to be able to measure how students are improving to identify and focus on areas that need additional growth.

How did your SEL assessment measure up?

If you answered “no” to any of the five questions, you may want to consider a more equitable method of assessing students’ social and emotional needs. The DESSA System, for example, includes an SEL assessment designed around equitable best practices.

Interested in learning more about SEL and equity? Watch our Advancing Equity with the DESSA webinar or contact us to learn more.