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Best practice and federal education policy (e.g., Every Student Succeeds Act) ask schools to routinely monitor all students’ academic, physical, social, emotional, and behavioral development. One way to accomplish this task is to engage in universal screening, which is the process of administering a brief assessment/survey to all students to gather information on experiences and skills from their perspective.
The Wachusett Regional School District will administer a student Universal Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screening Survey to all students in grades 3 through 12 at two separate points across this school year. The survey windows will occur in the Fall between October 6-24, 2025, and in the Spring between March 2-20, 2026.
The SEL Screening Survey was developed by Panorama Education and is utilized by your child’s school as a universal screener to help gather information about students’ perceptions of SEL. School staff will have the ability to explore the results with interactive reports and identify actionable strategies to build students’ SEL skills both individually and collectively. The survey is widely used in school districts nationwide to gather information about:
Self-efficacy
Self-management
SEL Competencies
Well-being
Supports and Environment
By measuring student perceptions, the Panorama Student Survey gathers feedback from students about their classroom experience. Decades of research have shown that student perceptions strongly correlate with learning outcomes and can be an important improvement tool for school systems. The survey does not measure or ask questions about engagement in risk-taking behavior (e.g., substance use), safety, or mental health diagnoses.
The information gathered through the survey will be used to review WRSD’s SEL programming and make improvements designed to increase student SEL skills, which are critical to school, career, and life success. Information gathered will not be used to evaluate your child’s eligibility for any supports or services under either a Section 504 Plan or an Individualized Education Plan. Each administration of the survey should take no more than 15 to 20 minutes to complete. Students will be provided time to complete the survey at school, and an adult will be available to answer questions and provide technical support. Most students complete the survey in 5-10 minutes.
You have the right to inspect the survey and we encourage you to do so. It is available below. You may elect that your child not participate in taking the Social-Emotional Learning Surveys this academic year. To opt out you must complete the Opt Out Form by Friday, September 26, 2025, by 5:00 p.m. The Opt Out Form is available by clicking this LINK. If you elect to opt out of having your child complete the surveys they will be provided an academic activity during the 15 to 20 minute administration time other students are completing the survey.
Please contact Ace Thompson, Director of Student Support at ace_thompson@wrsd.net or (508) 829-1670 ext. 253 with any questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT DOES SCREENING CONSIST OF?
Two times during the 2025-2026 school year (In the Fall between October 6-24, 2025, and in the Spring between March 2-20, 2026). Students will be offered the opportunity to complete the survey at school on a computer or tablet. Most students complete the survey in about 5 to 10 minutes.
WHAT WILL WRSD DO WITH THE RESULTS OF THE STUDENT SURVEYS?
After completing the survey, school staff will review the results to better understand the strengths and needs of students at the building, grade, and individual levels. This information is critical in reviewing, evaluating, and improving our SEL programming. For example, the results of the survey can inform building-level initiatives, help design whole-class practices and instruction, and/or identify targeted supports for small groups of students.
In conjunction with other sources of information, the results of the survey might be used to help identify additional strategies and supports that will benefit your child. However, it is important to highlight that the survey does not meet the psychometric standards to be diagnostic. Because of this, this information cannot be used to evaluate your child’s eligibility for supports or services under a Section 504 Plan or an Individualized Education Plan.
IS THE SURVEY ANONYMOUS?
Aggregate data that will be used for school-wide planning does not include names and includes no information that would make students specifically identifiable. Beyond that, teachers only have access to the results of their students, and do not have access to the results of students who are not in their classes.
WHAT IF I DON’T WANT MY CHILD TO COMPLETE THE UNIVERSAL SCREENING SURVEY?
Completing the universal screening is optional. If you decide that your child will not complete the survey, you may opt them out. To opt out, please complete the Opt-Out Form by Friday, September 26, 2025 by 5:00 p.m. If you elect to opt out your child from surveying, your child will be provided with an independent academic activity to engage in while students complete the surveys. So your child is aware that they will be completing an independent activity, please let them know in advance that they will not be completing the survey. Prior to completing the survey, students are also told that they may opt out on their own.
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