In order to meet the needs of the whole child, the Illinois State Board of Education developed social-emotional learning standards, which must be implemented in all schools. These standards are designed to explicitly teach the skills students need to develop self-awareness, self-management, social-awareness, responsible decision making, and positive relationships with adults and peers.
The social emotional learning standards prepare students to be college and career ready upon graduation. These skills reach beyond preparing students to engage within the learning environment, to increasing overall academic gains. Research has found students who have received explicit instruction in the SEL competencies, have seen an average increase of 11 percentile points on standardized assessments when compared to students who did not receive the additional instruction (Durlak et al., 2011).
D203 SEL Vision Statement:
All students will utilize social, emotional and academic skills in order to become resourceful and resilient life-long learners.
D203 SEL Mission Statement:
We cultivate resourceful, resilient citizens by teaching social emotional and academic skills in a nurturing learning environment.
D203 Beliefs about Social & Emotional Learning:
- All students need a balance of academic and social-emotional learning.
- Students learn and apply SEL skills when they are explicitly and intentionally integrated into daily lessons.
- A positive school culture and climate is the foundation for all social & emotional learning.
- All stakeholders are responsible for contributing to the ongoing development of SEL skills.
Durlak, JA, RP Weissberg, AB Dymnicki, RD Taylor, and KB Shellinger. "The Impact of Enhancing Students' Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-analysis of School-based Universal Interventions." Child Development 82.1 (2011): 405-32. Print.
