As more districts begin to embed SEL into their work, they are being challenged to measure the effectiveness of their investments. Which available SEL competency assessments are right for you? How can your teams best use data from those assessments?
Nearly all (95%) U.S. principals are committed to SEL, but only 17% say they are aware of available SEL assessments. And only 16% believe their teachers know how to use data from these measures. This guide provides information to help educators address these realities. It offers seven recommendations grouped into three categories of action:
Prepare
1: Frame the overall SEL effort
2: Plan the role of assessment
3: Choose the SEL competencies to assess
Select
4: review the assessment options
5: select assessment tool(s)
Use
6: implement assessment
7: Use data
This guide complements two related resources:
- The Assessment Work Group’s SEL Assessment Guide offers guidance to educators on how to select and use assessments of students’ SEL competencies, specifically interpersonal and intrapersonal knowledge, skills, attitudes, and mindsets.
- The RAND Assessment Finder lists more than 200 assessments of interpersonal, intrapersonal, and higher-order cognitive competencies.
