1. Washington State SEL Development - Update
Presenters
Ron Hertel, OSPI
(360)
Sarah Butcher, SEL for Washington
(425)

2. Outcomes for the Day Define Social Emotional Learning
Build a shared understanding of how WA SEL Standards provide the foundation for improving school climate, student learning and school connectedness
Discuss how equity, relationships, and trauma informed practices intersect with Social Emotional Learning
Provide an update on SEL resources and policies for Washington Schools
Understanding your SEL needs

3. Defining SEL
SEL is broadly understood as a process through which people build awareness and skills in managing emotions, setting goals, establishing relationships, and making responsible decisions that supports success in school and in life.
As an educational approach, SEL recognizes students are complex human beings whose learning and behavior are just as impacted by their emotions—and their control over those emotions—as they are by the quality of instruction and discipline.
OSPI SEL Professional Development Module
Segment 1, 2a RH

4. Why Social Emotional Learning MattersSB

5. True or False? SEL is synonymous with behavior management.
Social/emotional skills are multifaceted and complex.
Children who are academically and developmentally on track don’t need social and emotional skill development.
After we learn a social/emotional skill, we use it consistently across contexts.
Social/emotional skills are consistent across cultures.
Social/emotional skills are only taught in preschool and early elementary.
SEL aligns well with a multi- tiered system of support (MTSS).
SEL is focused only on skills that make children better students.
SEL should only be taught in school.
Choosing an SEL curriculum is the first step in implementing SEL.
SEL should be taught year round.
Family engagement is a key component of SEL.

6. What SEL is NOT SEL is not a way to “grade.”
SEL is not a way to identify deficits.
While some will argue that SEL can be accomplished by a curriculum that may miss the point.
There are great curriculums—Second Step, RULER, PBIS, Restorative Practices, CHAMPS—but we shouldn’t forget that SEL is really about school climate and culture and individual relationships. RH

7. SEL in the Daily Life of Students
Consider:
Why is SEL important for schools and classrooms?
How does SEL support employability skills?
How does SEL relate to public health concerns?
Individuals may be highly skilled in some SEL areas and less skilled in others.
The ways in which we interact and express emotions differ. We must check our own assumptions as we work to help others become increasingly skilled in SEL. RH

8. Social and Emotional development depends on Context
Context includes:
Environment in which we live
How different settings we live, learn, play and work in are safe and supportive
Our culture
Our cultural responsiveness
Our characteristics– class, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, status, etc. RH

9. Why Does Context Matter?
Small Group Discussion RH

10. SEL and Positive School Climate
“A more positive school climate is related to improved academic achievement, beyond the expected level of achievement based on student and school socioeconomic status backgrounds,” and can mitigate the negative effects of poverty on academic achievement.
Berkowitz, R., Moore, H., Astor, R. A., & Benbenishty, R. (2016). A research synthesis of the associations between socioeconomic background, inequality, school climate, and academic achievement. Review of Educational Research, 87(2), 425–469. SB

11. “School climate has been conceptualized to include the physical, academic, social, and disciplinary environment... A positive school climate creates the conditions for SEL; the social and emotional competence of each member of the school community, both individually and collectively, affects school climate.”
School Climate and Social and Emotional Learning: The Integration of Two Approaches, Pennsylvania State University, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, January 2018 SB

12. When classrooms are safe and engaging, and learning is both supported and rewarding, students feel connected and successful.
When students are fearful, traumatized or overcome with emotion, learning is impaired.
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2010). Persistent fear and anxiety can affect young children’s learning and development. Working paper no (accessed 3/27/17); Vogel, S., & Schwabe, L. (2016). Learning and memory under stress: Implications for the classroom. Science of Learning, 1, SB

13. The Heart-Brain Connection
What is the relationship between SEL and the brain?
What does research say about the impact of trauma on brain development?
Why is it important to understand the neurobiological basis of SEL? RH

14. ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES IN WASHINGTON SCHOOLS
SOPHOMORES AND SENIORS
(2010) RH

15. Relationships Matter Based on everything we know about
brain chemistry,
the impacts of trauma
understanding how students learn
If we are going to be successful
with our kids, we must
CONNECT before we CORRECT RH

16. How We Connect
Preserve the relationship to the maximum extent possible
Be present – hold space
Give the benefit of the doubt - listen
Help students/staff develop a social/emotional vocabulary
Be willing to give up power and empower the student
Reframe and feedback
Be willing to make repairs
Work as a team with colleagues and students
Avoid transactional agreements
Understand the student’s culture and respond accordingly RH

17. Applying an Equity Lens to Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, Key Findings:
The authors identify five barriers that contribute to inequitable access to a high-quality SEL education:
Poverty,
Exclusionary discipline practices and policies in school,
Lack of trauma-informed practices in school,
Implicit bias in school staff, and
Educator stress and burnout.
They also identify five opportunities for overcoming those barriers:
School racial and socioeconomic integration initiatives,
Restorative justice practices for school discipline,
Trauma-informed system interventions,
Culturally competent and equity-literate educators, and
SEL and mindfulness programming to support students and teachers.
Simmons DN, Brackett MA, and Alder N, Pennsylvania State University, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, June 1, 2018 SB

18. Schools Can’t Do It AloneSB

19. Background of Washington K-12 SEL Efforts
Washington state is working toward a systemic and common approach to SEL
2015 ~ OSPI directed to develop comprehensive SEL benchmarks
2016 ~ SEL Module in development, including Washington-specific standards and benchmarks
2017 ~ SEL Module released statewide
~ Development of indicators SB

20. SEL Module Outline Segment 1: Overview of SEL and the benefits of SEL.
Segment 2: Embedding SEL Schoolwide, which explores school-level policies and practices to embed SEL within the functioning of schools;
Segment 3: Creating a Professional Culture Based on SEL, which provides information about adult SEL, including implicit bias, culturally responsive practice, and ways to support school staff and engage families with SEL efforts;
Segment 4: Integrating SEL Into Culturally Responsive Classrooms, which provides tools and resources on how to embed and integrate SEL into classroom practices in a culturally responsive way; and
Segment 5: Identifying and Selecting Evidence-Based Programs, which provides strategies on how to select SEL programs in a way that meets the needs of diverse students. RH

21. SEL Module – Segment 3 Professional CultureRH

22. Conceptual Model of SEL in Educational SettingsRH

23. Adult SEL What it Looks Like in the School Setting
Self-Awareness
Self-awareness refers to the ability to recognize your strengths and limitations and how these impact teaching.
Self Management
Teachers are expected to consistently regulate their own emotions and emotional displays as well as help students regulate their own emotions.
Social Awareness
Socially and emotionally competent teachers recognize that perspectives differ according to age, gender, and social/ethnic/educational/economic background. RH

24. Adult SEL (cont.) What it Looks Like in a School Setting
Relationship skills
Socially and emotionally competent teachers establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with students, parents, and colleagues.
Responsible decision making
Socially and emotionally competent teachers use multiple forms of evidence to make decisions about instruction, classroom management, and interactions with students, students’ parents, and colleagues. RH

25. Washington’s Social Emotional Learning Framework
SELF
SOCIAL
Self Awareness
Social Awareness
Self Management
Social Management
Self Efficacy
Social Engagement
The workgroups recommended framework outlines fundamental SEL skills for life effectiveness. These standards were strategically created highlighting the need to develop awareness and understanding of both self and social competencies. SB

26. Guiding Principles Professional Learning
School/Family/Community Partnerships
Cultural Responsiveness
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING - Professionals working in the K-12 education system must receive ongoing, job-embedded professional learning. As with any statewide learning standard it is essential administrators and educators build a shared understanding, vocabulary, and vision before implementation.
SCHOOL/FAMILY/COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS - Two-way respectful and collaborative communication between schools, families and community partners is essential to the development of effective, culturally responsive SEL supports in school. These communications should include the value of SEL in schools, how students demonstrate their social emotional skills in different settings, and effective ways to teach and reinforce these skills both in school and in their homes. Families also provide vital insights that can help identify where educators can support students and how students develop and express their interpersonal and intrapersonal assets across settings.
CULTURAL RESPONSIVENESS - Recognizing there is a reflection of culture in any selection and implementation of standards requires us to be thoughtful and responsive to the many diverse cultures of the students, families, educators and staff that make up school communities. By working to understand, respect, and integrate diverse student identities and backgrounds into curricula, educators can create optimal learning opportunities for all students. Delivering a culturally responsive education requires
ongoing attention to attitudes, environments, curricula, teaching strategies, and family/community involvement efforts. Applying the SEL Framework in a culturally responsive manner is a requirement for success. SB

27. Awareness SB

28. Management SB

29. Efficacy and EngagementSB

30. Developing Indicators Example Only – Social Engagement
Instructional and Environmental Conditions
When given settings, curriculum or content, and opportunities to engage with other children, youth and/or adults, awareness of other people’s emotions, perspectives, cultures, language, history, identity, and abilities, might be demonstrated by:
Grade Bands
Early Elementary
Late Elementary
Middle School
High School
Role models/ mentorship
Identify an adult they can talk to.
Recognize qualities of positive role models.
Demonstrate awareness of where to go for support when in need.
Identify school and community resources and understand when and how to use them.
Indicator development through the following lenses
Developmentally on target
Culturally responsive
Trauma informed SB

31. DISCUSSION
Within the group you most closely identify (Teacher, Parent, Student, Advocate, etc.), what do you see as the principle benefit in the application of SEL?
RHSB

32. Get Involved…
SEL Workgroup meetings are open to the public and there is time for public comment at each meeting.
Information about the workgroup and access to the Module are available on line.
Go to and join the grassroots coalition to stay informed. Like our Facebook Page and follow us on
Spread the word. If you are a champion for SEL, please let your elected officials and school administrators know.
RH SB