May 2024

 This SEL Newsletter is compiled by the Social Emotional Learning and Restorative Practices Department of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

Competency Focus: Responsible Decision-Making

Supporting Responsible Decision-Making in the classroom 

Here are three strategies to use for strengthening students responsible decision making in the classroom. See this article for more information.

Strategy #1: Co-construct Classroom Agreements

Instead of handing students a syllabus with a set of class rules, engage your students in the process of co-constructing classroom agreements about behaviors. Students have valuable prior knowledge on this topic they can draw from. They know what makes them feel safe and supported in learning environments. They also understand what makes them feel unsafe or uncomfortable taking academic risks in a classroom. Teachers should encourage students to draw on their prior experiences in school to compile a list of behaviors and norms they believe will establish and maintain a high-functioning learning community. Have them:

• Reflect on Past Experiences

• Collaborate with Peers to Identify Key Norms

• Share Out and Create a Class Set of Agreements

Once each group has shared their norms, give students time to review them (e.g., silent gallery walk) and add dots to the five norms they think are most important. Add the 5-10 norms with the most dots to the class set of agreements.

Strategy #2: Collaborate to Create a Clear Path of Consequences

When consequences are unclear, it can create unnecessary power struggles in the classroom. If students are to accurately assess the potential consequences of their actions or choices before making a decision, the path of consequences needs to be clear.

You can articulate a clear path of consequences for missteps in the classroom and online for your students or engage the class community in this process. If you identify a path of consequences for students, make sure to review those with your class and post those consequences somewhere that students and families can see them. Again, the goal is clarity. We want students to know what will happen if they violate an expectation for behavior in your class.

Strategy #3: Use the Urgent vs. Important Matrix to Guide Decision Making

Learning to decipher between what is important and what is urgent is a critical skill for students when deciding how to use their time and focus their energy.

Important tasks are those that help students make progress toward personal and academic goals they value. By contrast, urgent tasks are those that demand immediate attention or action. Some important tasks are urgent, while others are not. Too often, people focus on urgent tasks instead of important tasks because the consequence of not completing an urgent task is immediate. The urgency of an assignment or task may make it feel important when it actually is not.

You can help students to begin to assess the tasks on their proverbial plates and think critically about which category of the “important versus urgent matrix” they fall into. This can help students prioritize tasks and make responsible decisions about how they use their time.

As adults, we can model this practice for students by narrating our decision-making process. They learn best by watching us process along with them!  

Click here to learn more about responsible decision-making and the CASEL Core Competencies.

A Continuum of integrated supports and mtss

What does SEL look like when it is implemented schoolwide? 

Let's take a look through the Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) lens.

CASEL describes a continuum of integrated supports as methodical and intentional interactive processes aimed at solving practice issues and enhancing outcomes. These processes require careful planning, executing action steps, monitoring advancements, analyzing results, and, if needed, making adjustments. All of which are structured team discussions dedicated to evaluating and improving the SEL strategy. Shorter continuous improvement cycles that allow opportunities to test new ideas or innovative approaches can also support schoolwide SEL.

A Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework, as detailed by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for districts and schools, is a school improvement framework encompassing academic, behavioral, social, and emotional instruction and support from Pre-K through 12th grade. MTSS employs a systems approach using data-driven problem-solving to promote educational equity and maximize growth for all. NC organizes these supports around the instruction, the curriculum, and the environment.

A continuum of integrated supports and Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) are both frameworks used in education to provide varying levels of assistance to students based on their individual needs. Let's break down each concept:

1. Continuum of Integrated Supports: This refers to a range of interventions and services available to support students across different areas of need, such as academic, behavioral, social-emotional, and physical health. The continuum typically includes universal supports (available to all students), targeted supports (for students who need additional assistance), and intensive supports (for students requiring more specialized interventions). The goal is to provide a seamless system of support that addresses students' diverse needs and helps them succeed academically and socially.

2. Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS): MTSS is a comprehensive framework used in schools to systematically identify and address students' academic and behavioral needs. It typically consists of three tiers:

   • Tier 1: Universal interventions provided to all students in the general education setting. This includes high-quality instruction, positive behavior supports, and universal screening to identify students who may need additional help.

   • Tier 2: Targeted interventions for students who require more support than what is provided in Tier 1. These interventions are typically delivered in small groups and may include additional instruction, interventions targeting specific skills, or more intensive behavioral supports.

   • Tier 3: Intensive interventions for students who require the most support. These interventions are highly individualized and may involve one-on-one instruction, specialized interventions, and collaboration with external support services.

MTSS is designed to be a data-driven approach, with ongoing progress monitoring to assess the effectiveness of interventions and make adjustments as needed.

In summary, both the continuum of integrated supports and MTSS aim to provide a range of services and interventions to meet students' diverse needs, but MTSS specifically focuses on academic and behavioral support within a structured tiered framework. It is about outcomes for students, but it is also about ensuring teachers have multiple layers of support needed to be successful. This is where the “system” comes into play. MTSS is an effective continuum of integrated supports by which action steps and data are monitored by teams, and decisions are reached in support of students, with the dual benefit of allowing teachers to do what they do best, teach.

Systemic social and emotional learning is one component in a Multi-Tiered System of Support, and it includes school-wide and district-wide integration to promote positive school climate (Berg & Moroney, n.d.) and authentic family, caregiver, youth, and community partnerships (Weissberg et al., 2015).

Restorative Practices connected to MTSS

Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a framework designed to address the full range of student needs, including academic, behavioral, and social-emotional, through a tiered approach. Restorative practices fit well within the MTSS framework, particularly as strategies to address behavior and improve school climate. Let's look at how restorative practices can be integrated into each tier.

Tier 1: Universal Supports

Tier 1 strategies in MTSS are preventive and proactive, aimed at all students in a school. Restorative practices at this level include:

• Community Building Circles: Regular circles can be used to foster relationships, build a sense of community, and establish norms and values. This proactive use of circles helps prevent conflicts and misunderstandings.

• Restorative Chats and Check-ins: These are informal opportunities for teachers and students to connect on a personal level, which can help in identifying and addressing potential issues early on.

• Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Integration: Teaching skills like empathy, emotional regulation, and communication as part of the curriculum supports restorative principles by preparing students to manage conflicts and relationships positively.

Tier 2: Targeted Supports

Tier 2 is focused on students who need more support than what is provided at Tier 1. These students may be at risk of academic failure or behavioral problems. Restorative practices at this level include:

• Small Group Interventions: Conducting restorative circles with small groups to address specific issues or conflicts that have arisen among a subset of students.

• Targeted Skill Building: Providing interventions that teach specific social-emotional or communication skills to students who need additional support in these areas.

• Restorative Conferencing: Facilitating meetings between students and others (like peers or teachers) to address and resolve conflicts or issues, emphasizing repairing harm and restoring relationships.

Tier 3: Intensive, Individualized Supports

Tier 3 offers intensive support and interventions for individual students who have not responded adequately to Tiers 1 and 2. This includes:

• Individualized Restorative Plans: Creating tailored plans that address the specific needs and circumstances of a student, which might include frequent one-on-one restorative sessions.

• Intensive Restorative Practices: Utilizing more intensive strategies, such as formal restorative justice conferences involving victims, offenders, and community members, to address serious conflicts or behavioral issues.

• Crisis Response: Implementing restorative practices as part of a response to critical incidents, helping to manage and mitigate the impact of the event on students and the school community.

Integrating restorative practices within the MTSS framework provides a holistic approach to addressing and managing student needs at various levels of intensity. This integration promotes a positive school culture and climate that is conducive to learning and growth for all students.

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