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Education Dive
Study: SEL program's impact on state test scores mixed
Linda Jacobson
Jan. 22, 2020
Dive Brief:
A social-emotional learning program focusing on skills such as
cooperation, self-control and empathy was associated with some positive
results on state tests in reading and math, but the findings don’t
match the large gains found in other research on the connections
between SEL and students’ academic performance, a new study finds.
In a randomized trial, researchers at Pennsylvania State University
examined state test scores in grades 3-5 for 2nd graders who
participated in the Social Skills Improvement System-Classwide
Intervention Program, which includes 10 lesson units over a 12-week
period. While scores on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment
were higher in some grade levels for students who participated in the
program, the findings in general were not statistically significant.
The program, the authors write, may have “lacked sufficient dosage to
substantially move the needle on student achievement,” but they add the
results also “address potential concerns about possible negative state
test outcomes resulting from reallocation of academic instructional
time.”
Dive Insight:
After two years of study, a top takeaway from the Aspen Institute’s
National Commission on Social, Emotional and Academic Development was
that SEL is the process through which students learn and is important
for all students, not just those with behavior problems or who have
experienced trauma. And since that time in 2018, interest in weaving
social-emotional skills through academics has grown.
But evaluating students’ test scores in core subjects is still
important when accountability systems are primarily based on academic
growth and proficiency levels. “State test performance not only has the
potential to shed light on the impact of SEL on distal student outcomes
but also represents an area of emphasis for educators across the
country,” write the authors, led by Susan Crandall Hart.
They note a few differences between their study and others that have
found larger positive effects from SEL. In addition to randomly
assigning students to classrooms with the SSIS lessons and those
without, their study also considered students’ baseline reading and
math skills. When they removed that data, the impact of the
intervention looked more positive.
A widely cited review of more than 200 SEL studies, on the other hand,
pointed to strong academic gains, but the authors of the Penn State
study note many of the studies included in that review did not use
random assignment — considered the most rigorous type of research.
Other studies used different measures of academic achievement, such as
GPAs and grades, and didn’t consider students’ baseline skills.
Still, the authors say the value of SEL is not only in whether state
test scores increase. That’s why research on SEL should expand to look
not only at specific SEL skills and test scores, but also “broad
indicators of student success,” such as peer relationships, attendance
and degree attainment.
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