Time for a Tune-Up: Maintaining Alignment Between SEL Systems and Measures

Key Points

• The third post in our blog series on the importance of and practices for continuous measure improvement emphasizes how and why to re-assess your measures from time to time.
• Beginning the SEL journey knowing which “gauges” or measures to attend to will help you feel prepared for any roadblock or challenge you might face along the way!
• Regular tune-up checks help ensure your SEL system and measures stay aligned and produce accurate, actionable insights.

The authors of “Using Social and Emotional Competency Assessments for the Continuous Improvement of SEL,” a chapter within the second edition of the Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning, are sharing a blog series that extends their chapter to include additional examples of how to engage in continuous measure improvement. This third post continues the metaphor of a road trip, offering tips on a regular “tune-up” through checking alignment between the SEL systems and measures. These blogs are authored by Laura Davidson, Rachel Gordon, and Marisa Crowder.

So far in our SEL adventure, we have discussed the importance of continuous systems and measure improvement (CSI-CMI) and key considerations for plotting your SEL journey. Continuing our road trip metaphor, this blog begins in the middle of our SEL journey, when our instruments indicate we need to tune up the alignment between our SEL systems and measures.

Tune-Ups for System Improvement

On road trips, you have many gauges in your car informing your progress. You have a gas gauge notifying you when your car needs gas. Maybe you have a child in the backseat providing very loud data that it’s time for a stretch break or a snack!

Similarly, as you implement SEL, you should have several key data points informing you about the health of your SEL system, from behavior data, to student self-assessment surveys, or classroom walk-through forms. CASEL provides many helpful guidance documents about data sources to help assess SEL implementation and outcomes. Beginning the SEL journey knowing which “gauges” or measures to attend to will help you feel prepared for any roadblock or challenge you might face along the way!

Tune-Ups for Measure Improvement

You might also think about checking whether your “gauges” (the measures themselves) are working properly. To inform these checks, ask two key questions:

Why and how are you using the measure? This may seem obvious, but it’s important to be explicit. The consequences of a “faulty gauge” or lower-quality measure differ depending on its intended use. In our road trip metaphor, an unreliable gas gauge matters less on a short trip across town with many gas stations than on a rural trip with long stretches between stations. So, the time and resources we invest in tune-ups should vary by context. Using our road trip metaphor, when driving in the city, we might delay checking a faulty gauge. When driving in the country, we’d make sure to see a good mechanic!

Extending to real-life SEL applications, the stakes vary if we’re using a measure in more formative or summative ways. For example, consider these two examples of how staff might use student social and emotional competency assessment data (Figure 1):

• Low Stakes, Formative: Are we offering supportive feedback that helps students reflect on their strengths and areas for growth, reassuring them that these skills can improve with support?
• High Stakes, Summative: Are we assigning scores that determine access to opportunities or label students for intervention?

Figure 1. Questions About Measure Use

In both cases, the quality of your measure is important, yet the consequences differ.

What is the quality of the measure? Figure 2 describes some questions to ask about the quality of the measure you’re using.

• In lower-stakes uses, saying “no” to some of these questions might be okay because it offers the opportunity to identify and talk through the reasons why there were discrepencies with the student.
• In higher-stakes uses, if we were using an “off-the-shelf” measure, we’d want to be sure the test developer had produced solid evidence that different students interpreted the questions in similar ways and to verify that our local students did so when we started to use the measure. Otherwise, scores might not accurately reflect student abilities, leading us to overlook students who could benefit from support or enrichment.

Figure 2. Questions About Measure Quality

Examples of Interrelated SEL System and Measure Tune-Ups

Regular tune-up “checks” help ensure your SEL system and measures stay aligned and produce accurate, actionable insights. Here are some examples:

Measure Check: When SEL system changes lead to SEL measure changes

• Student Survey Example: Your district updates its SEL standards. You notice some new standards aren’t reflected in your student social and emotional competency (SEC) survey, while some existing items no longer align with the standards. To track progress towards the new standards, the survey should be realigned.
• Teacher Focus Group Example: After switching to a new SEL program, you hear teachers are frustrated by the change. To explore their experience, you conduct focus groups with teachers, which reveal burnout due to multiple initiatives. This insight leads you to schedule regular focus groups to gather feedback about your communication strategy and implementation support.

System Check: When SEL measure changes lead to SEL system changes

• SEL Curriculum Example: You are teaching outside of the United States and observe students having difficulty with an SEL lesson that teaches students assertiveness and making good eye contact with teachers. You interview students and they tell you that these behaviors are not culturally appropriate. You work with your colleagues to identify a culturally relevant SEL curriculum.
• SEL Policy/Practice Example: Student responses on the district SEC survey show high school students are less comfortable sharing their feelings than students in elementary school, which contradicts your SEL standards. Your district: (a) revises the SEL standards to reflect developmental trajectories or (b) identifies a high school SEL program that supports students with this SEC.            

If you make these kinds of tune-ups, not only will you reach your destination on your current SEL journey, you’ll be well equipped to embark on the travels to come!

The views in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of CASEL.

Laura Davidson, Ph.D., has been the director of research and evaluation for the Washoe County School District in Reno, Nevada, for the past 14 years. Her team focuses on the use of innovative data tools, program evaluation, and user-friendly research to drive continuous improvement and informed decision-making.

Rachel Gordon, Ph.D., is associate dean for research and administration and professor of health studies in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Northern Illinois University. An engaged policy scholar, throughout her career, Dr. Gordon has worked at the intersection of academic research and social policy. Her most recent projects aim to advance understanding regarding the cost, quality, adaptability and ownership of educational products whose creation and use are publicly funded, as well as the ways in which snap judgments of appearance shape social constructions, identities and experiences.

Marisa Crowder, Ph.D., is a researcher and co-owner of  . She has expertise in leading partnerships that center and elevate local voices in the development and implementation of educational initiatives and measurement. She specializes in social and emotional learning, academic engagement, contextualization, and school-based mental health.

Related Posts:

• Planning for a Great SEL Road Trip Through SEL Measure Improvement: An Introduction
• Plotting the Course: What Should You Plan for as You Start Your SEL Journey?
• What Does Evidence-Based Mean? Why Is It Important?

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