SELSG+: A Comprehensive System to Support Teacher Development & Implementation of SEL Skills in the K-3 Classroom

Presenters

Gregory J. Benner, The University of AlabamaFollow
Elizabeth L. Michael, The University of AlabamaFollow
Erica O. Lee, The University of AlabamaFollow
Melissa Webb Walton, The University of AlabamaFollow
Pamela Bailey, The University of AlabamaFollow

First Presenter's Institution

The University of Alabama

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Dr. Gregory J. Benner is the Helen and Pat O’Sullivan Professor in the College of Education at The University of Alabama. He has a knack for grassroots collective impact—getting whole communities including families, child welfare, mental health, and schools on the same page to meet the needs of the whole child. In February 2018, he received the Presidents’ Award from the Northwest Positive Behavioral Supports Network for his leadership of school improvement. He is co-founder of the Tacoma Whole Child Initiative, a comprehensive blueprint for sustainable school and community transformation.

Second Presenter's Institution

The University of Alabama

Second Presenter’s Email Address

elizabeth.michael@ua.edu

Second Presenter's Brief Biography

Dr. Elizabeth Michael is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Special Education at The University of Alabama. She has over 7 years of experience working with students with disabilities across grade levels and educational settings including inclusive, resource, self-contained and residential special education settings from K-12 grade. Her background includes B.S., MAEd, and Ph.D. degrees in general and special education. Her current research focuses on equitable and trauma-informed writing interventions and supports along with social-emotional instruction for students with and at risk for emotional behavioral disorders.

Third Presenter's Institution

The University of Alabama

Third Presenter’s Email Address

eolee1@ua.edu

Third Presenter's Brief Biography

Dr. Erica Lee is a Clinical Assistant Research Professor of Special Education at The University of Alabama. Her education background includes B.S., MAEd, Ed.S., and Ph.D. degrees in various general and special education concentrations. Dr. Lee has prior experience as a special education teacher for ten years, serving in inclusive, resource, and self-contained special education settings from K-6th grade.

Fourth Presenter's Institution

The University of Alabama

Fourth Presenter’s Email Address

mawebb@ua.edu

Fourth Presenter's Brief Biography

Melissa Walton is an Associate Research Professional and instructor of early childhood methods courses at The University of Alabama. Her background includes B.S., and MAEd degrees as well as several early childhood, elementary and mathematics certifications. She is currently working towards the completion of her doctoral degree. Mrs. Walton has over two decades of teaching experience, serving in preschool, kindergarten, first and third-grade inclusive settings as well as over a decade of higher education teaching experience.

Document Type

Event

Primary Strand

Social-Emotional Learning

Relevance to Primary Strand

This presentation covers the building, development, & most current results of our quasi-experimental study focused on the Social and Emotional Learning Study Groups (SELSG+) comprehensive system to support K-3 educators in the acquisition, development, assessment, & implementation of social and emotional learning skills & content knowledge in their classroom. This falls under the strand of social-emotional learning as we focus on how a comprehensive system of support for teachers can develop further knowledge and skills related to SEL. The SELSG+ system combines teacher professional development, teacher study groups, coaching, and the tiered implementation, assessment, and progress monitoring of social and emotional learning content and strategies within the K-3 classroom.

Alignment with School Improvement Plan Topics

Student Learning and Development

Brief Program Description

Are you implementing social-emotional learning (SEL) content, skills, and strategies in your classroom but struggling with assessment, screening, and/or progress monitoring? Are you looking for a professional learning community to support development & implementation of tiered SEL content? Learn more about how our team has built a comprehensive solution providing professional development for teachers, content for students, and data for all.

Summary

Now more than ever, students need strategies to support both behavior and academics which requires educators to have the content knowledge and skills to support students in the acquisition of said strategies. Social and emotional learning strategies can be implemented daily to support student behavior and in turn support student academic skills. Research points to an 11% increase in academic skills when students demonstrate an increase in their social and emotional intelligence and strategy use. Educators point to a lack of instructional time in their pre-service education and a lack of support in their current classrooms as some of the barriers present when implementing and assessing social and emotional learning with their students. This presentation highlights a comprehensive system for supporting educators seeking a tiered system for supporting students in the acquisition and mastery of social and emotional learning skills. Social and Emotional Learning Study Groups (SELSG+) is a comprehensive system that includes evidence-based resources in a tiered framework to support student skill acquisition. Interactive training modules provide educators with the content knowledge needed to support students including planned educator study groups to further support educators implementing SEL instruction. We Have Skills and Skillstreaming are digitally delivered within SELSG+ to provide evidence-based instruction tiered to support students needing universal (tier 1) and more intensified support (tier 2). Highlighted within this presentation are the results of our in-progress quasi-experimental study involving the SELSG+ system while also providing educators with a preview of strategies presented within training modules that can be implemented across education settings with minimal planning and time committed. Our system seeks to fill a gap in social and emotional learning screening, assessment, implementation, and professional development for educators. We will highlight our system, current results of our study, and provide educators and other school support staff with positive, evidence-based strategies for supporting student academics, behavior, and mental health across education settings.

Evidence

The development of social and emotional skills is foundational to student success in both academics and life (Melnick & Martinez, 2019). Improving youth social and emotional learning (SEL) outcomes for all students requires educators equipped with knowledge and skills to deliver differentiated SEL instruction (Durlak et al., 2011; Nelson et al., 2008; Raver et al., 2009). However, teacher preparation programs in colleges do not emphasize SEL instruction in required courses (Kremenitzer, 2005; Lopes et al., 2012; Schonert-Reichl et al., 2017). Educators receive an average of eight hours of training on effective social and emotional learning strategies and even less training on how to differentiate from youth with significant behavior concerns (Greenburg et al., 2014). As a result, educators are ill-equipped and feel unprepared to provide explicit, differentiated SEL instruction, particularly for students with and at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) (Slate et al., 2019; Shapiro et al., 1999; Wong et al., 1991). While all students can benefit from improved social and emotional skills, the social and emotional difficulties students with EBD face play a significant role in their poor academic and long-term outcomes (e.g., Nelson et al., 2004; Nelson et al., 2008; Wagner et al., 2005). Eighty percent of students with EBD are served in general education classrooms (National Center for Education Statistics, 2016). These educators need a solution that meets all their students’ needs.

The majority of SEL programs in elementary schools are universal. These Tier 1 interventions fall short of providing the in-depth, differentiated support that students with various social-emotional needs and challenging behavioral issues require. Social and Emotional Learning Study Groups or SELSG+ seeks to remedy this problem by providing teachers training in evidence-based core SEL instruction for all students, support to strategically use assessment to identify students for Tier 2 intervention, and flexible, targeted, small group and individual instruction for those needing additional support including those with or at risk for EBD. The authors hypothesize that this unique tiered approach to SEL student instruction and professional development will result in multiple positive outcomes for both teachers and their students. It will develop educator effectiveness and foster knowledge and promote the development of skills that prepare students to be informed, thoughtful, and productive individuals and citizens. The project also aims to improve student academic engagement and performance through the acquisition of specific social and emotional skills.

SELSG+ is built on a firm foundation of research citing positive outcomes for both teachers and students. The theoretical justification for SELSG+ is drawn from two categories: 1) evidence on best practices in SEL instruction, assessment, and intervention, and 2) evidence about professional learning. SELSG+ links evidence-based professional learning practices with changes in educators’ knowledge, beliefs, skills, and self-efficacy that will subsequently lead to improved student distal outcomes, including social and emotional competence, behavior, and academic engagement and performance. Research demonstrates a link between SEL competencies and favorable student outcomes regarding academics, behavior, and physical and mental health (McKown, 2017). Building educator capacity to implement SEL instruction has statistically and educationally significant effects on student outcomes, particularly for those with and at risk for EBD (Cook et al., 2008; Durlak et al., 2011; Gresham, 2015). SELSG+ has the potential to improve teacher knowledge, instruction, and self-efficacy for elementary educators including those who serve students with and at risk for EBD (AUTHORS et al., in press; Garrett et al., 2018).

Learning Objective 1

Participants will be able to determine context (e.g., classroom, school, facility) for implementation of a comprehensive SEL system like Social and Emotional Learning Study Groups (SELSG+).

Learning Objective 2

Participants will be able to identify key social and emotional learning strategies to support youth.

Learning Objective 3

Participants will be able to determine social validity of a comprehensive system to assess, implement, & provide teacher professional development on SEL in their own classrooms/schools/settings.

Recommended Citation

Benner, Gregory J.; Michael, Elizabeth L.; Lee, Erica O.; Walton, Melissa Webb; and Bailey, Pamela, "SELSG+: A Comprehensive System to Support Teacher Development & Implementation of SEL Skills in the K-3 Classroom" (2023). Southeast Conference on School Climate. 50.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/secsc/2023/2023/50

Creative Commons License

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