Social Emotional Learning as an Accountability Measure
October 9, 2017
ESSA’s “notorious fifth indicator left the door wide open for states to measure student achievement in ways other than academic, but when it came time to choose, social-emotional learning skills were largely ignored,” writes Kate Stringer at The 74 in response to an analysis by Education Week. But “just because states don’t include social-emotional learning as an accountability measure doesn’t mean they haven’t incorporated it into their ESSA plans,” she notes. According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), “Massachusetts will include SEL training in its professional development for teachers, Connecticut will use federal funds to improve learning environments in schools, and South Carolina incorporates skills like ‘self-direction’ and ‘perseverance’ in its graduate framework.”