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What鈥檚 the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word assessment? If you鈥檙e like the average parent, you鈥檙e most likely thinking about formal assessments such as those standardized tests, evaluations, and screenings used to measure your child鈥檚 learning and development at school. The truth is that there are many types of assessment tools and some of them don鈥檛 involve number 2 pencils, scores, and that dreaded test anxiety. In fact, assessments are not limited to subjects like math and reading and can be used to measure areas of non-academic growth as well.

Social-emotional learning, or SEL for short, is a developmental process in which your child will learn about expressing and managing their own emotions, understanding the thoughts and feelings of others, and many other important social skills. Like academic subjects, your child鈥檚 SEL development can be assessed to measure progress and possible areas of improvement. This may involve formal testing and evaluation, but can also be as simple as getting to know your child, their personality, and the way they interact with friends.

Methods for measuring SEL

Questionnaires

Although some tools, such as the , are often used to conduct formal assessments, they are designed to be parent-friendly. You may have already filled out an ASQ or two during your child鈥檚 pediatrician visits or at a child care center. If so, you know that these questions are designed to get a clear picture of your child鈥檚 growth and development.

Questions range from asking about your child鈥檚 first words to possible concerns about their hearing and vision. In addition to developmental areas, such as communication and motor skills, you鈥檒l also answer questions about your child鈥檚 social skills (e.g. Does your preschooler share toys?).

No need for pre-test jitters when it comes to ASQs and other SEL questionnaires, as there are no right or wrong answers. Assessments may include both simple survey questions and prompts for you to engage in hands-on activities and games with your child. For example, an assessment tool might ask you to hide a small toy under a piece of paper, and then answer questions about your child鈥檚 response (e.g. Does your child help you find it?).

Learning standards

Similar to learning standards (such as Common Core) that are often used to measure your child鈥檚 academic progress, SEL standards can be helpful when it comes to understanding social-emotional learning expectations for your child.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning () has developed a set of SEL standards that focus on five main areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. These areas, also known as the CASEL 5, are outlined in the and further detailed in their . Unlike academic subjects, CASEL standards are not meant to prepare your child for performance-based tasks or formal testing. Instead, you can use these standards as a guide to help support your child鈥檚 SEL development. Keep in mind that a perfect score is not the ultimate goal. (Read more about CASEL and the CASEL wheel here.)

Scoring simulated scenarios

Many educators conduct SEL assessments by setting tasks or establishing scenarios to observe and record the way children respond. Teachers might use a game, video, or worksheet to describe a situation and the characters involved, then ask students questions about the characters鈥� feelings and intentions. Kids might also be asked to predict what the characters will do next and what the consequences of different actions might be. Another type of assessment involves showing children faces and asking them to assess the emotions behind the expressions.

Observation

One of the best ways to evaluate a child鈥檚 SEL is to simply watch them in action. In the world of education, this is called . Teachers observe kids both as they learn and when interacting with other kids in social environments.

Many educators assess SEL as part of an observational system known as CLASS, an acronym for Classroom Assessment Scoring System. Teachers are trained in domains and expectations as they prepare for certified experts to come in and assess students鈥� behavior. The results are then scored and discussed with teachers for feedback and possible improvements.

Outside of school, you can use informal observation strategies to evaluate your child鈥檚 SEL skills without tests or scores. And because these developmental milestones often happen in real time, you can observe your child in their natural settings. Some strategies may include eavesdropping on your toddler鈥檚 conversation with a friend in the sandbox or standing by to take note of how your preschooler resolves a spilled milk snafu on their own. How well does my child interact with peers? Can she solve minor problems independently? These are some questions to explore as you observe your child at home and in social environments. When asking your school-age child how their day went, listen for clues about how they鈥檙e doing socially. Do they feel like they 鈥渇it in鈥� and have friends to hang out with, or do they need help finding their place in a group? Observation and careful listening can give you a great deal of feedback about your child鈥檚 feelings, peer relationships, participation in activities, and other areas of their social lives.

Using SEL assessment tools

Regardless of how you decide to assess your child鈥檚 social-emotional development, all of these tools have a common goal, which is to help them learn, grow, and improve socially. As you explore various assessment tools, you may find some to be more user-friendly and effective than others. Observation is a good place to start as it doesn鈥檛 require any complicated tools and can be used during your child鈥檚 regular daily routines.

On the other hand, when utilizing tools such as questionnaires or learning standard framework, you might need a helping hand from your child鈥檚 teacher, pediatrician, and/or other child development experts. This is particularly true if your child鈥檚 SEL assessments reveal any or possible delays.

For example, the Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) is often used by early childhood professionals to screen for developmental red flags. If a child鈥檚 score suggests further evaluation may be necessary, additional tests might be conducted by experts who specialize in areas such as , , and . That鈥檚 because SEL delays and disabilities can be connected to other areas of development and learning such as verbal communication and cognitive reasoning.

If your child is referred for additional assessments, remember that this can be an opportunity for you to ask further questions. You may also be asked to bring documents, such as medical records and previous assessment results, so make sure to prepare these documents before the evaluation. Anticipating formal testing can be stressful and even a bit scary, but remind yourself that you鈥檙e doing the right thing for your child by getting more information.

can prevent further delays and also pinpoint the best type of support your child needs for healthy SEL and overall development.

Interpreting SEL survey data

After your child鈥檚 assessment is completed, the next (and most important) step is to interpret the data. Don鈥檛 worry — a child development professional will most likely assist with this process as well.

For instance, if you filled out an ASQ at a child care center, both a parent and a teacher copy will be scored. This helps to get a bigger picture of your child鈥檚 development both at home and in a school setting. Each ASQ question is scored based on these three responses: yes (10 points), sometimes (5 points), not yet (0 points). If your child鈥檚 accumulated points are below a certain number, further evaluation may be needed. If your child’s overall scores fall in the 鈥済ray area鈥� between healthy development and possible causes for concern, a teacher or pediatrician might suggest more and observation instead of a formal evaluation.

ASQs are only used to assess children between the ages of 1 month to 5 years, so SEL assessment and data will look a bit different for your school-aged child.

Many schools rely on SEL programs to teach and assess social-emotional development. , a popular choice for K-12 curriculum, recommends using various for SEL assessment. This includes both formative and summative assessment. In simpler terms, this means that kids will be assessed periodically while they learn a specific SEL skill and again at the end of the lesson or unit.

Teachers often use tools such as rubrics, a set of scoring guidelines with specific growth expectations, for this type of ongoing SEL assessment. Your child might also fill out pre-assessment/post-assessment tools called entry and exit tickets to record their thoughts and feelings at the beginning and end of a set period of time. For example, students may be asked to complete a survey about their social-emotional goals (e.g. managing emotions, staying on task in class, etc.) in the morning, and then reflect on whether they accomplished these goals in a follow-up survey at the end of the school day. As teachers continually review this data, they鈥檒l learn more about your child鈥檚 emotions, peer relationships, and other areas of their social lives to determine the best way to support them in class.

The importance of SEL statistics

SEL data helps educators, child development professionals, and even parents gain insight into how they can best meet the social-emotional needs of students and identify areas for improvement. These statistics also help companies and organizations that develop SEL curriculum and assessment tools identify a program鈥檚 strengths and weaknesses. This is especially important as SEL education has grown rapidly in popularity over the past decade and education experts are still exploring its full potential. It鈥檚 also important for SEL curricula to keep up with social changes. Most importantly, SEL statistics present a detailed picture of how children are learning, growing, and developing healthy social skills with support and guidance.

SEL statistics also help educators make a case for the strong connection between social skills and academics. (Read more about key social skills in preschool, elementary school, middle school, and high school.) CASEL that students who actively engage in SEL programs have been linked to higher grades, higher test scores, better attendance, and higher overall school performance. This is big news for SEL proponents because there is currently no requirement for schools to implement SEL programs and some districts (and parents) are even . The availability of hard data helps educators prove the value of these programs and urges schools to invest resources to implement them.

While our instincts may tell us when our child needs more help with social and emotional learning, assessments take us one step further in understanding where they鈥檙e struggling and how we can help. Assessments also help parents and educators decide which concepts, tools, and activities are most effective for each child.

Measuring these skills over time is important because as kids progress in SEL, they become more comfortable and confident in their social relationships both at home and at school. As a parent, whether you choose observation at home or evaluations at a doctor鈥檚 office, there are many options to explore when it comes to assessing your child鈥檚 social-emotional development. If you need further guidance, reach out to your child鈥檚 teacher and/or pediatrician for support.