SEL in a PBIS Framework

Both school-wide SEL and PBIS focus on creating safe and supportive environments, teaching students new skills, and using data to make informed decisions. Their explicit goals, however, differ in that PBIS seeks to ultimately increase positive behavior, while school-wide SEL seeks to empower students and promote more equitable outcomes by helping them build skills and competencies that help students learn and navigate the world more effectively.  School-wide SEL offers an opportunity for schools to enhance or refine existing systems of support.  

(CASEL)

The following sections describe how the four recommendations above may be incorporated into existing PBiS/RJ structures and practices, as outlined through the Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI).

Incorporating SEL into the PBIS Framework provides the Tier 1 Climate & Culture Team the opportunity to expand staff conversations and discussions to support staff well-being and growth.  This will most likely start by creating spaces/forums where staff feel emotionally safe enough to reflect on:

a) their own identities, cultures, experiences and SEL development (Self-Awareness)

b) how effectively they are managing their own stress and anxiety (Self-Management)

c) how well their lessons affirm the experiences and identities of others  (Social-Awareness)

d) additional steps they could take to strengthen their own relationships (Relationship Skills)

(Three Keys for Infusing SEL Into What You Already Teach)

As defined by the Tiered Fidelity Inventory in TFI 1.7 & TFI 1.8, the Tier 1 Climate & Culture Team is responsible to develop systems to support staff development and coaching.  Embedding SEL into staff development provides an opportunity to promote staff wellness by addressing anxiety, practicing mindfulness, building trust, facilitating collaborative conversations, etc.  This will also allow staff the opportunity to experience what effective SEL instruction/activities look like, sound like and feel like.

As defined by the Tiered Fidelity Inventory in TFI 1.13, the Tier 1 Climate & Culture Teams is responsible to routinely review data in order to develop systems and practices which, in turn,  support social-behavioral outcomes.  Historically, the Tier 1 Climate & Culture Team has analyzed discipline data in the form of office referrals, suspensions and expulsions in order to identify concerns, develop action plans, and modify school-wide instructional schedules.  These additional data sets will enrich team discussions and allow for a variety of targeted school-wide interventions and supports to be built.

In addition to the expanded data sets outlined above, the Tier 1 Climate & Culture Team may also choose to create focus groups/forums with representatives from the community or business partners to gain a broader understanding of which SEL competencies should be emphasized and/or explicitly taught school-wide, TFI 1.11.

Research has shown there are multiple ways for schools to support the development of Social-Emotional Learning; they range from isolated direct instruction all the way to full immersion in a culture that demonstrates high levels of Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills and Responsible Decision-Making.  The more approaches schools are able to implement, the more likely students will benefit from the SEL initiative. (CASEL)

The first level of teaching SEL is explicit instruction.  This type of instruction occurs at a dedicated time and taught by dedicated staff.  It is here where students are introduced to key SEL concepts/vocabulary, provided examples/non-examples, given time for practice, and encouraged to discuss the concept.  

Schools who commit to providing explicit SEL instruction may choose to:

1) Develop an SEL curriculum - staff can unpack the SBCUSD SEL Standards & Grade-level Benchmarks in order to develop age-appropriate acquisition and fluency lessons, utilizing a process similar to the unpacking common core standards.  

2) Select a pre-packaged SEL curriculum - adoption of a curriculum should include input from staff and families.

SEL Curricular Options - Review

Navigating SEL from the Inside Out: Looking Inside and Across 25 Leading SEL programs (Harvard Grad. School of Ed., 2017)

Durlak et al. (2011) identified four features that make social-emotional curricula more effective: Sequenced - uses a coordinated set of structured activities, Active  - students are actively learning targeted skills, Focused - the intervention concentrates on developing personal/social skills, and Explicit - skills are explicitly taught.

As defined by the Tiered Fidelity Inventory in TFI 1.4, the Tier 1 Climate & Culture Team is responsible to develop and implement social-behavioral curriculum.  Historically, the Tier 1 Climate & Culture Team has led this instruction by utilizing the Expectations by Location and 16 Classroom Survival Skills. Incorporating SEL into the PBIS/RJ initiative provides the Tier 1 Climate & Culture Team the opportunity to expand their school-wide curricular scope to include the five SEL competencies.  

For additional information review the SWSS PDS Step 5 - SEL Direct Instruction resource page.

The second level of SEL instruction/support occurs in real-time, as students are encouraged to use/practice SEL skills in the context of classroom routines.  Because SEL skills are reinforced in an authentic situation, the likelihood they will be learned increases. 

By implementing Proactive, Instructive, and Restorative Practices in the context of Social-Emotional Learning, staff are encouraged to support the development of Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social-Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making in real-time.  Below is an example of how PBIS/RJ enriches the practice and then how SEL further enriches the practices.

As defined by the Tiered Fidelity Inventory in TFI 1.6 & TFI 1.8, the Tier 1 Climate & Culture Team is responsible to select and support staff to implement evidence-based classroom practices.  Incorporating SEL into the PBIS/RJ initiative provides the Tier 1 Climate & Culture Team the opportunity to show staff how the use of thes practices also support development of the five SEL competencies.  

The third level of SEL instruction/support occurs within the context of academic instruction, where SEL connections are made to academic standards and content.  Because SEL skills are being transferred across academic subjects, the likelihood they will be generalized increases. 

"Social and emotional competencies serve as a foundation for achieving academic goals, while academic instruction also provides a ripe opportunity for teaching and practicing SEL.  Through school-wide SEL, your team can ensure that SEL is woven throughout academic instructional time to support and deepen learning." (Integration of SEL and Academic Instruction).   

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, Emotional Learning (CASEL) recommends integrating SEL and academic instruction in the following three ways.  (Click on the links below to view voiceover PPTs created through the collaborative efforts of Elementary Instruction, Secondary Education & the SWSS Departments.)

1) Fostering Academic Mindsets 

'Consciously or not, students come to school with beliefs about who they are as learners.  These beliefs are influenced by parents, peers, past classroom experiences, and the wider culture and can either support or undermine school success.' (Farrington et al).  Fortunately, research shows teachers have a strong influence over what students believe about their ability to learn and succeed at school.   Farrington  identified four academic mindsets that have a positive  impact on academic performance: Growth Mindset, Sense of Self-Efficacy, Sense of Relevance, and a Sense of Belonging.  Learn ways the SEL competencies can be utilized to support this important work.  

2) Aligning SEL & Academic Objectives - slide deck

This slide deck provides an understanding of how SEL standards support and sustain deep learning, so educators will be able to determine interconnections of SEL and academic content standards.

3) Using Interactive Pedagogy

Interactive Pedagogies are instructional strategies that are inclusive, engaging, and relevant.  They put students at the center of the learning by giving them opportunities to articulate their ideas, consider the perspectives of others, respectfully disagree, advocate for their position, and reflect on their own learning.  Interactive Pedagogies are a great way to increase engagement and keep students motivated to learn. 

CASEL identifies Cooperative Learning and Classroom Discussions as two evidence-based Interactive Pedagogies.  Both of the strategies provide students opportunities to deepen their content knowledge while also practicing their SEL skills.

Visit the SWSS PDS Step 5 - SEL Embedded Into Academics page to access resources which have been collaboratively created by Elementary Instruction, Secondary Education and SWSS Departments to support the CASEL framework. 

When viewed through the lens of SBCUSD's SEL Standards, academic content standards become a rich context in which to make connections and reinforce SEL skills. By making a commitment to integrate SEL into the academic curriculum, schools have the opportunity to blur the lines between academic and social-behavioral instruction.

Additional Readings:  

Social-Emotional Learning Can Boost Common Core Implementation

Integrating SEL and Common Core Math

The fourth level of SEL instruction/support occurs indirectly as students navigate through the school culture.  In an environment where SEL skills are consistently modeled by staff, students experience what SEL competencies look like, feel like, and sound like within authentic interactions.   Because students are immersed in an SEL culture, where display of the competencies are apparent in every location, the likelihood of skills being internalized greatly increases.

Schools who commit to SEL intentionally cultivate a caring, participatory, and equitable learning environment and evidence-based practices that actively involve all students in their social, emotional, and academic growth. This approach infuses social and emotional learning into every part of students’ daily lives—across all of their classrooms, during all times of the school day, and when they are in their homes and communities.  SEL is a deeply ingrained part of the way students and adults interact both in the classroom and out of it, and helps provide children with equitable, supportive, and welcoming learning environments. (CASEL)

Positive climate/cultures promote understanding, examine biases, reflect on and address the impact of racism, build cross-cultural relationships, and adopt school-wide practices that emphasize equitable engagement and support.  SEL can be used to drive systemic change, uplift marginalized voices, and promote belonging and equity.  (CASEL)

When building a positive climate/culture, it will be critical to ensure:

a) the voices, opinions, and perspectives of the students, families, community, and staff are included, and 

b) the lived experiences of the students and their families are reflected

(Integrating Social, Emotional, Academic Development)

The Tier 1 Climate & Culture Team, by definition, is responsible to understand the school climate and support the building of positive school-wide (cultural) practices. Involving the perspectives of the school community will be especially important as the Tier 1 Climate & Culture Team establishes SEL informed policies in TFI 1.5 & TFI 1.9.  It is in the defining and responding to both "Problem Behaviors" and "Appropriate" behaviors where the majority of  inequities become most apparent.

SWSS Department: S. Johns, J. Patrick - 2020