As part of Plymouth-Canton Community Schools’ multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), middle school administrators and counselors use a variety of data to schedule students in support courses that best meet their learning needs. In the past, these additional supports focused only on improving students’ academic skills. This year, however, we have created an opportunity to support students in the development of social and emotional competencies for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in a course named Skills for Success.
In recent years there has been a heightened awareness and increased focus on the mental health needs of our students. As schools and communities work together to support students, the teaching of social and emotional competencies has emerged as an important topic in education. This is often challenging because, while school districts have a lot of expertise supporting students who struggle academically, many do not have the capacity to create and maintain structures that support students’ social and emotional learning (SEL).
Social science, however, tells us that we can no longer neglect equipping students with these critical skills. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), has compiled a wealth of research demonstrating that students who participate in research-based SEL programming exhibit reductions in school-based behavior issues, improved emotional health, increased academic achievement, and improved long-term outcomes as adults (CASEL, 2018). From the research, CASEL developed an SEL framework that identifies the following five core social and emotional competencies; Self-awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills and Responsible Decision Making.
Within its Top 10 in 10 Plan, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) has committed to a focus on educating the whole child. This commitment recognizes the importance of facilitating the cognitive, physical, behavioral, social and emotional growth of all students. As a component of this commitment, MDE developed the Early Childhood to Grade 12 Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Competencies and Indicators (MDE, 2017). This document, grounded firmly in the CASEL framework and MDE’s whole child approach, explicitly defines specific social and emotional competencies, presents grade-level expectation benchmarks, and describes strategies that staff can use to support students meeting and exceeding expectations.
In Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, we have been researching and developing structures for supporting students’ development of social and emotional competencies. While our goal is to develop a strong Tier 1 foundation for all students, we recognize that we currently have students who need a greater level of support due to weaknesses in executive function skills, emotional regulation, interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, and decision making. At the middle level, our five building principals spent much of the 2018-19 school year brainstorming structures to support these students at a Tier 2 level.
To meet this need, we decided to support the development of a course that teaches executive function skills and social and emotional competencies in the context of middle school life. We believe that providing “real-time” social and emotional learning in the context of student reflection, class discussion, and structured activities will equip students to navigate the many social and academic challenges adolescents face each day.
Our pilot program was developed this summer by a select group of middle school teachers. This team consisted of general education and special education teachers across all grade levels and multiple content areas. They examined the latest trends, data, and research available on teaching social and emotional competencies, were provided a variety of resources, and a sample social-emotional learning curriculum. Over the course of multiple meetings, this group was able to transform the previously existing academic support class, Skills for Success, into a more holistic course by infusing weekly lessons on specific social and emotional competencies. These lessons are reinforced throughout the week with additional SEL activities and alongside teachers’ provision of academic support. Student progress is being evaluated through the monitoring of disciplinary referrals, attendance, grades, and student perception surveys. Not only are we interested to know if students’ behaviors change, we are also interested in students’ beliefs in their ability to put the social and emotional competencies into practice.
Our initiative began when we identified a specific gap in our middle school MTSS framework. After looking at our data and how we were serving students, we concluded that we needed more comprehensive support for our students with social and emotional needs. We believe that our “re-booted” Skills for Success course will provide the support these students need to maximize their middle school experience in preparation for life-long success. Long term, we expect to be able to apply what we have learned from this Tier 2 pilot to inform the development of stronger Tier 1 SEL programming.
Works Cited
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (2019). Retrieved from https://casel.org
MDE. (2017). Michigan Early Childhood to Grade 12 Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Competencies and Indicators. Retrieved from https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/SEL_Competencies-_ADA_Compliant_FINAL_605109_7.pdf
MDE. (2016). Top 10 in 10. Retrieved from https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/_MDE_Goals_and_Strategies_2-8-16_514042_7.pdf
Kevin Rhein is the Principal of Pioneer Middle School in Plymouth, Michigan and the MASSP 2018 Middle School Principal of the Year.
Anthony Ruela is the Executive Director of Middle Schools, Data, and School Improvement for Plymouth-Canton Community Schools.