These resources have been developed to support the work of school counselors, social workers, school psychologists and other student service providers.
Within the structure of the Multi Tiered Systems of Support [MTSS] model, students’ social emotional learning should be supported at Tier I in the classroom and school setting. When Tier I prevention is in place in a school, approximately 15% of students will require additional Tier II targeted instruction and approximately 1-5% of students will require Tier III individualized instruction (e.g. individualized Behavior Support Plan and social emotional skills instruction).
Small Tier II instructional groups promote wellness through opportunities to nurture resilience and growth and develop social emotional skills including cognitive flexibility, social skills, executive functioning, and emotional regulation. Teaching these skills should also be integrated into Tier I activities. This may look like supporting students during recess, lunch time, during transition time, or in the classroom, to name a few examples. Staff should support generalization of skills across environments. Tier I school wide climate and culture strategies are supported by the Climate Team (also see linked Tier I Classroom Resources). Tier II social emotional learning skill groups should align to Tier I SEL, core counseling and health standards to support generalization of skills and schoolwide instruction.
Tier II SES groups are typically facilitated by the School Counselor, Social Worker, Qualified Mental Health Professionals (QMHP) or Comprehensive School Psychologist. Below is a description of the two primary types of Tier II SEL groups. Student service providers support positive student outcomes and students’ skill building by prioritizing access to evidence-based Tier II Skill Building Small Groups.
Skill building groups focus on teaching skills (i.e. cognitive flexibility, social skills, executive functioning, emotional regulation). Tier II social emotional skill building groups are offered as an intervention for students with lagging skills in the areas of cognitive flexibility, social skills, executive functioning, and emotional regulation.
In general, students who participate in Tier II skill building groups should be progress monitored through SIT and participate in a data collection process to explore whether the skills are being generalized across the student’s day. Progress monitoring tools include Check in Check Out (CICO), Check and Connect, Breaks are Better (BrB), Meaningful Work, Affirmations (see MTSS Tier II Behavior Support webpage). An exception to monitoring through SIT would be a student included in a group as a peer model.
Process & Support Groups
Typically Not Supported by SIT
Tier II process and support small groups focus on similar life situations (e.g. grief, deportation, new student, divorce, incarceration). It is important to note that just because a student is experiencing a life circumstance doesn’t necessarily mean they need a group.
Additionally, it is important to ensure the readiness and training of student service providers in providing culturally affirming and trauma informed groups, especially white student service providers serving youth and caregivers of color.
Process and support groups focus on maintaining mental wellness, validating experiences, thoughts, and emotions. They can also include normalizing experiences, supporting one another, identifying that a student is not alone in their experience, understanding the grief cycle, identifying coping skills, expressing feelings, processing what happened, reflecting on both negative and positive changes and how students have learned and grown.
In general, students who participate in Tier II process and support groups are not progress monitored through SIT. An exception would be when a student also demonstrates a lagging skill and the process and support group incorporates skill building instruction in this area. In this circumstance, the student would be progress monitored through SIT and participate in a data collection process to explore whether the skills are being generalized across the student’s day. This includes CICO, Check and Connect, BrB, Meaningful Work, Affirmations, and Positive Behavior Data Tracking.
Students should only be identified for Tier II groups after team review of the building Tier I supports (e.g. class SEL, Climate Team, PLC Grade Level Team) including “exploration of root causes” which includes review of student data including family, student and current and former teacher perspectives, attendance, behavior, and grades.
Teams should ensure that Black, Indigenous, and Students of Color students’ and families’ perspectives are centered in the needs assessment process. This may include student centered student/family surveys, exploration of school data (e.g Successful Schools Survey, Youth Risk Behavior Screening Survey/HS, or other strengths and asset based universal screening), and reviewing data on which groups have been successful in meeting student and family needs in the past. Identification of student and family needs, especially for students who have been historically underserved, is an integral part of deciding which Tier II groups to offer in addition to other Tier II interventions (i.e. CICO, Check and Connect, BrB, Meaningful Work, Affirmations).
Information about Tier II group offerings should be made available to all school stakeholders including caregivers, students, and educators. Tier II group offerings can be shared through school newsletters, webpages, flyers etc. Referral to Tier II groups may be made through student request, family and teacher/staff referral, or through the Student Intervention Team (SIT). Student selection for Tier II groups should be informed by multiple sources of data review including: review of caregiver, student and teacher referrals, Tier I strategies provided, attendance, behavior, grades, and student and caregiver perspectives.
Student service providers should also ensure that students who are highlighted as having support needs through this data review are prioritized for intervention including Tier II SELS groups.
Teams should use the following Referral/Screening Tips. Once students have been referred to a SES group, teams should use the following student selection tips to narrow down students referred and to select students for groups.
Student Selection Tools:
While both passive and active permission slips can be used, these are both active (meaning you need parents to opt-in) as this is best practice.
Sample Opt-in permission slip that can be used at the beginning of the year for future groups.
Sample SPANISH Opt-in permission slip that can be used at the beginning of the year for future groups.
Sample Opt-in permission slip for a specific group offering.
Sample SPANISH Opt-in permission slip for a specific group offering.
Group Caregiver Permission Form This consent form will be used across grade levels. Please note, the name of the pre/post assessment tool must be listed. In addition, each small group will create a flier (example provided) explaining more about the group goals, general group information, and any additional information.
Sample Teacher Letter/Information - use this to share lesson objectives of your group and how teachers can support the skills students are learning in the classroom setting.
General Scheduling Tips:
Pre scheduled and calendar to minimize impact to classroom routines
Consider the impact on access to academic instruction. Where could you pull students out where they miss the least intensive core curriculum?
Consider impact on access to enrichment and social opportunities
Schedule prep time for group facilitator(s) and debrief time when possible
Mondays and Fridays may not be ideal for groups that meet weekly, due to many holidays/PD days that fall on these days
K-5 Scheduling Tips:
WIN block is a potential time. Teams should ensure students in need of Tier III academic and other WIN support have equitable access to Tier II SES groups
Open lunch bunch-students can self select to go
Consider scheduling groups at same time all year to simplify process
Ensure adequate prep time
MS Scheduling Tips
Aim for groups that are at least 45-60 minutes (builds in time for transitions)
Try to utilize FLEX period/intervention block/homeroom/study hall/advisory
Consider scheduling groups during electives if the above options are not available
Use a scheduling grid to see all students’ schedules at same time and look for periods that are “missable” for most/all
Offer incentives
Use gift card loopholes (student store, get them donated)
Ask for swag donations from local businesses (McDonalds, Burgerville, Dutch Bros, etc)
HS Scheduling Tips
Don’t schedule groups on Fridays, right before a holiday weekend/break
Be wary of flex (kids may need it to complete work or they’ll just leave)
Be mindful of early release times for students involved in after school activities.
Be mindful of the ebb and flow of the year
As seniors near the end of the year, attendance in group can be more tricky
Right around holiday breaks, attendance gets wonky as kids go on vacation
Use a scheduling grid to see all students’ schedules at same time and look for periods that are “missable” for most/all
Can schedule groups for last 20 of one period, first 20 of next or something like that
Offer incentives
Use gift card loopholes (student store, get them donated)
Ask for swag donations from local businesses (McDonalds, Burgerville, Dutch Bros, etc)
Built in prep time for providers
Sending reminders
Getting supplies ready
Shared planning time for co-facilitators
Groups hall pass - 3 min early dismissal for lunch + multiple sessions schedule
Small groups calendar - Students fill in their schedule for rotating groups. Counselor keeps one copy, student keeps the other. Counselor emails teachers weekly to remind them that students have a group that week.
These are K-12 Tier II curricula resources available at your school or available to be checked out from the PPS Library.
DBT Skills Group is an evidence-based practice for adolescents including youth of color. Facilitating DBT Tier II Skills groups requires DBT training.
Social emotional skills Tier II groups include a variety of data collection methods that serve different purposes. We must obtain caregiver consent for pre and post assessments by listing assessments on the small group participation consent form.
Program evaluation using student outcome data should be completed to inform the effectiveness of Tier II SES groups in supporting students. When students are referred to SES groups through the SIT process, they should also participate in progress monitoring that is recorded in Synergy MTSS to explore whether the skills are being generalized across the student’s day. This includes CICO, Check and Connect, BrB, Meaningful Work or Positive Behavior Data Tracking.
Group Attendance Tracking (required for all students/groups):
Progress Monitoring (required for students being supported by SIT): Determining if a student is generalizing skills taught in Tier II groups throughout their school day.
To ensure students are generalizing the skills being taught throughout the day, teams should fully utilize CICO, BrB, or Check & Connect as a Tier II intervention and progress monitoring tool. Choose the intervention that is aligned to the function of the behavior.
Choose observable goal(s) tied to what is being targeted in the small group
In some cases, not all students participating in groups will be progress monitored by SIT. The team should consider progress monitoring students through SIT if there is an impact on their wellbeing and access to education. For example, if a student has severe absenteeism, has discipline incidents/exclusions, has a safety or behavior support plan, is on an abbreviated schedule, and/or is being considered for a special education referral, progress monitoring via SIT is recommended.
Progress Monitoring Tools:
BrB Daily Points
CICO Daily Points
Student Formative Assessment and Feedback, Pre & Post (required for all students groups): Student formative assessment to inform continuous improvement of instruction and to assess growth in skills taught in Tier II groups.
End of group measure that assesses students’ knowledge of the material taught (e.g., “What are 3 distress tolerance skills?”) and also gathers student feedback regarding the group
Exit Ticket (ACORN example from the therapy world) use scaling questions 1- 5
I felt included in group today
I felt that the facilitator was responsive to me and my needs
The space was comfortable and calm
The snacks were adequate'
Student Formative Assessment and Feedback & Pre Post Tools
Student Outcome Data (required for all students/groups): Examples of student outcome data include Attendance, Behavior, and Course Completion/Academic growth data. Student outcome data is used to determine the impact of the Tier II group on overall growth in students’ demonstration of skills taught, attendance, reduction in discipline incidents, and academic outcomes disaggregated by race and other factors. Student outcome data is also used as a part of program evaluation to determine efficacy of instruction and to inform continuous improvement.
Student Outcome Data Tools
Skill inventory form on social skills - caregiver, staff, or student (make a copy, add email notification)
Skill inventory form on Emotional Regulation - caregiver, staff, or student (make a copy, add email notification)
Skill inventory form on Executive Function - caregiver, staff, or student (make a copy, add email notification)
Skill inventory form on Flexible Thinking - caregiver, staff, or student (make a copy, add email notification)
Caregiver General Feedback Form- questions could be added on to one of the above skill inventories for more broad feedback (make a copy, add email notification)
Dashboard Student Groups - to monitor attendance, discipline, and academic data
BASC-3, SSIS SEL parent, teacher, student rating
Fidelity Data (required annual SIT review): Review fidelity of implementation of intervention to inform continuous improvement.
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