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Role Of A Speech Pathologist In Special Education | Special Education Decoded

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To: [see distribution list below]

From: Johanna Duncan-Poitier, Deputy Commissioner, Office for the Professions (OP) and Office of Higher Education (OHE) Rebecca Cort, Deputy Commissioner, Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID)

Subject: Clarification of the Use of Teachers of the Speech and Hearing Handicapped [Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities (TSSLD)] Working for §4410 Programs

This policy memorandum is intended to clarify what services can be provided by a teacher of the speech and hearing handicapped (TSHH) [Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities (TSSLD)] to preschool students with disabilities through a special education program approved pursuant to §4410 of the Education Law, and which services require that the provider be fully licensed as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) pursuant to Article 159 of the Education Law. This clarification is intended to supplement previous policy memoranda issued by the State Education Department in July and November of 1995 related to this matter, and to respond to recent inquiries received by the Department. Copies of the July and November 1995 memoranda are available here.

Section 8202 of the Education Law requires that all persons who practice speech-language pathology be licensed as speech-language pathologists or be otherwise authorized to practice under Article 159. Section 8207(2) provides an exemption that would enable those who are employed by a government or in a school to practice without a license. That section states that the licensure requirement shall not be construed as prohibiting:

Any person employed by the federal, state or local government or by a public or non-public elementary or secondary school or an institution of higher learning from performing the duties of a speech-language pathologist, an audiologist, a teacher of the speech and hearing handicapped, or a teacher of the deaf in the course of such employment.

The central issues addressed below respond to recent inquiries from the field, and are provided in a question and answer format, similar to the Department's November 1995 memorandum.

1. Is it permissible for a teacher of the speech and hearing handicapped (TSHH) [Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities (TSSLD)] who does not hold a professional license as a speech-language pathologist to provide speech-language pathology services to preschool students with disabilities while working for a special education program approved under §4410 of the Education Law? Yes, under certain circumstances. The intent of the §8207 exemption, as it applies to schools, supports an interpretation that a TSHH/TSSLD who is employed by an approved §4410 program may be exempt from licensure under certain conditions. Accordingly, the Department reaffirms the guidance provided in the July and November memoranda on this subject that a TSHH/TSSLD, employed by a center-based §4410 provider who is providing services in the course of such employment, is exempt from the licensure requirement set out in Article 159 of the Education Law, but only under the following conditions:

1. To be a school as intended by the §8207 exemption, the approved §4410 program must be a center-based program, in that it must operate special education classes and/or special education classes in an integrated setting.

2. The speech-language pathology services must be provided in the course of such employment in the center-based §4410 program. Therefore, to meet the §8207 conditions of an "employee of a school" who provides services "in the course of such employment," the approved §4410 provider may only employ the TSHH/TSSLD to provide speech-language pathology services to students pursuant to a contract for services between the §4410 provider and the municipality, as defined in §4410. That is, services may only be provided to students enrolled in that §4410 program. This exemption does not allow for any form of subcontracting of services or leasing of employees to other programs, even to other programs that are approved §4410 providers or to any other entity that is eligible for the "school" exemption in §8207.

3. The §4410 center-based provider must actually employ the TSHH/TSSLD, with all of the commonly accepted indicators of an employment relationship, including adequate supervision and oversight similar to the supervision provided to TSHHs/TSSLDs who are employed in traditional school settings. The existence of an employment relationship depends on the factual context of the particular situation or setting. To demonstrate this, the individual must be a W-2 employee such that the employer is subject to federal social security and withholding taxes and other factors must indicate the existence of an employment relationship. Additional relevant factors, recited in federal court decisions in determining the existence of an employment relationship, include:

The degree of the employer's dominion and control over the autonomy of the employee, such as, is the individual required to follow the instructions of the provider relating to when, where, and how he or she is to work;

Whether the employer requires the submission of written reports and provides training;

The degree of oversight the employer has over the employee's work product, such as, does the employer set the order of work to be performed; and

Whether the employer establishes the hours of work.

2. May services provided in conformance with the conditions of #1, above, be provided at the "center" only, or may they be also be provided at "off-site" settings? They may also be provided at off-site settings. A TSHH/TSSLD employed by an approved center-based §4410 program, as defined above, is able to provide speech-language pathology services to students in that program at any site indicated on the student's Individualized Education Plan (IEP), including, but not limited to an approved or licensed pre-kindergarten, the student's home, a hospital, or a state or municipal facility. This interpretation is informed by the fact that TSHHs/TSSLDs employed by a traditional pre-kindergarten or elementary school may provide such services "off-site," with attendant oversight and supervision by those designated within the school system. Accordingly, there is an expectation that employees of §4410 programs eligible for the §8207 exemption will have similar degrees of training, supervision, and oversight.

3. Are employees of §4410 programs that are approved to provide only Special Education Itinerant Teacher services (SEIT) and/or multidisciplinary evaluations under §200.16 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education exempt from Article 159 licensure under §8207 of the Education Law?

1. No. The exemption applies only to those individuals employed by approved programs providing special education classes or special classes in an integrated setting. Accordingly, §4410 programs approved to provide SEIT and/or multidisciplinary evaluations, are not eligible for this exemption since they are not "center"-based programs, and are not "schools" as interpreted under §8207(2) of the Education Law.

2. However, the Department reaffirms the guidance provided in the November 1995 memorandum relating to TSHHs/TSSLDs contracting to provide services. That guidance held that it is permissible for TSHHs/TSSLDs to provide specialized instruction (special education speech and language instruction, where the goals and objectives will focus on communication development to promote the child's learning) through contractual arrangement between the §4410 SEIT only provider and a municipality that administers a SEIT program. In contrast, it is not permissible for a TSHH/TSSLD who is not also licensed as a speech-language pathologist under Article 159 of the Education Law to provide, as an independent contractor, speech-language pathology as a related service (where the goals and objectives will focus on preventing, correcting or remediating a communication disorder).
The TSHH/TSSLD who contracts to provide specialized instruction services as described above cannot provide services identified as related services under the relevant IEP. The distinctions between specialized instruction and related services, which involve the provision of speech-language pathology services for which a license is required, are further described in Part 200.1 of the Regulations of the Commissioner, relevant sections of which are reflected below:

(qq) Related services means developmental, corrective, and other supportive services as are required to assist a student with a disability and includes speech-language pathology, audiology services, psychological services, physical therapy, occupational therapy, counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling services, orientation and mobility services, medical services as defined in this section, parent counseling and training, school health services, school social work, assistive technology services, other appropriate developmental or corrective support services, appropriate access to recreation and other appropriate support services.

(ww) Special education means specially designed individualized or group instruction or special services or programs, as defined in subdivision 2 of §4401 of the Education Law...

For additional information, please contact VESID's Special Education Quality Assurance Office or the State Board for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, at 518-474-3817 x 100, speechbd@nysed.gov.

Distribution:

District Superintendents
Presidents of Boards of Education
Superintendents of Schools
Organizations, Parents and Individuals Concerned with Special Education
Superintendents of State-Operated and State-Supported Schools
Nonpublic School Administrators and Educators
State and Local Teacher Associations
New York City Board of Education
Executive Directors of Approved Private Schools
Directors of Special Education
Chairpersons of Committees on Special Education
Chairpersons of Committees on Preschool Special Education
Directors of Pupil Personnel Services
Directors of Approved Preschool Programs and Preschool Educators
Municipality Preschool Special Education Coordinators
Early Childhood Direction Centers
Colleges with Special Education Teacher Training
Commissioner's Advisory Panel for Special Education Services
Preschool Special Education Advisory Committee
Impartial Hearing Officers
SETRC Project Directors and Training Specialists
Head Start Directors
Chief Elected Officials of Counties
Independent Living Centers
Att: Special Education Quality Assurance Offices

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NYS Speech-Language Pathologists & Audiologists:Practice Settings & Credentials Use:Memo

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SLP services offered within the school systems

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SLP services offered within the school systems

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Speech and language problems can make it hard for your child to learn in school. Speech-language pathologists, or SLPs, can help your child succeed.

Here you will learn about:

Communication Problems in School

Effect of Speech and Language Problems on Learning

Role of the Speech-Language Pathologist

Communication Problems in School

Your child may have gotten help for speech or language problems before he started school. Or, you may notice problems when he starts school. Your child may have trouble with:

Speech sounds. He may have trouble saying sounds. He may not speak clearly and be hard to understand.

Language and literacy. Your child may have trouble understanding what she hears. She may not follow directions or answer questions well. It may be hard for her to tell others about her thoughts. She may not say the correct words or say only short sentences. Language problems can also make reading and writing harder.

Social communication. Your child may have trouble talking with other children. He may not make friends easily. He may not understand what others think or how they feel.

Cognitive communication. These are the thinking skills your child needs to remember, solve problems, and use her imagination. Learning disabilities and brain damage can cause these types of problems.

Feeding and swallowing. It may sound strange to think of eating as a school problem, but it can be. Feeding and swallowing problems can make it hard for your child to eat and drink enough during the day. This can make it hard to learn. It can also make social times, like lunch or snack, harder for your child.

Stuttering. Your child may have trouble speaking smoothly. She may repeat sounds or words or have long pauses when she talks. Stuttering can make it hard to answer questions or give speeches in class. It can also make it hard to talk to friends.

Voice. Your child may sound hoarse or lose his voice. He may sound like he talks through his nose, called nasality. His voice may be too loud or too soft. Voice problems can make it hard to talk in class or with friends.

Effect of Speech and Language Problems on Learning

You need language skills to communicate. And you need to communicate to learn. Reading, writing, gesturing, listening, and speaking are all forms of language. The better your communication skills, the better you will do in school.

Does your child have speech or language problems? He may not be able to do grade-level work. He may have trouble reading, writing, and spelling. He may not understand social cues, like what a person means when he nods or looks away as you speak. He may have trouble taking tests and may not want to go to school.

The school SLP should see your child. Each school has a process you need to follow to have your child seen. Your child may get referred to a child study team for testing. The SLP may be a part of this team, along with teachers, special education teachers, a psychologist, or others.

Role of the SLP

The SLP will test your child's speech and language skills and decide if your child needs treatment. Each school has a process to get services started. The SLP or others in the school will help you follow this process.

Your child may get speech and language services alone or in a small group. The SLP may go into your child's classroom and work with his teacher. The SLP will work with your child on what she is learning in class. The goal of speech and language services is to help your child do well in school. The SLP will work as part of a team that makes sure that your child gets the services she needs.

Speech and language problems do not have to keep your child from doing well in school. SLPs can help.

Related Resources

To find a speech-language pathologist near you, visit ProFind.

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Speech and language problems can make it hard for your child to learn in school. Speech-language pathologists, or SLPs, can help your child succeed. Here you will learn about: Communication Problems in School Effect of Speech and Language Problems on Learning Role of the Speech-Language Pathologist Your child may have gotten help for speech or language problems before he started school.

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Get help supporting your student with speech therapy tips and activities to do at home.

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Differentiated Instruction Defined and How to Implement It

Engage the most students and create the best outcomes for entire classrooms with differentiated instruction. It's a teaching method that helps bring struggling students up to speed, enables gifted students to learn at a faster pace, and makes teacher's lives easier because learning is more effective. When you use differentiated instruction, you're steering all your students toward the same learning objectives, while giving students the freedom to choose how they get there.

What Is Differentiated Instruction and Why Is It Important?

Differentiated instruction is the process of tailoring lessons to meet each student's individual interests, needs, and strengths. Teaching this way gives students choice and flexibility in how they learn, and helps teachers personalize learning. This method also requires instructional clarity and clearly defined goals for learning, better enabling students to meet those goals.

What Are Some Differentiated Instruction Strategies?

You can differentiate instruction across four main areas: content, process, product, and environment.

To differentiate content, teachers consider the objective of a lesson, then provide students with flexible options about the content they study to meet the objective, from subject or topic to approach or presentation.

With process differentiation, teachers differentiate how students learn. Grouping students based on their individual readiness or to complement each other is one way to accomplish process differentiation. Another is varying the way concepts are taught: through visual, auditory, or kinesthetic lessons, for example.

Product differentiation applies to the types of assignments students create. A teacher might ask students to explain a concept; the product could be a written report, a story, a song, a speech, or an art project. Varying the types of assessments you give students is also an example of product differentiation.

The classroom environment also affects learning. Changing physical things in the classroom, like how desks are set up or arranged, or where students can sit (on beanbags, for example), serves as classroom environment differentiation, which can also include changes to routines and habits.

What Are the Benefits of Differentiated Instruction?

Differentiated instruction is beneficial because it helps educators connect with different learning styles. Not all students will respond to a class lecture; a game or a video may work better with other students. Some students may learn better by reading than they do using a computer. Giving students choices about how they learn enables them to meet learning objectives in the best way for them.

In some classrooms, differentiation will be required for students with disabilities and for English language learners. Differentiating instruction gives all students the opportunity to keep pace with learning objectives.

No matter what you're teaching, some students will find certain material engaging, while others won't, and students will learn the same material in varying amounts of time. Want to make whatever you're teaching more likely to resonate with each one of your students? Differentiated instruction motivates them to learn the material in a way conducive to their own interests and unique learning styles.

What Do Experts Say About Differentiated Instruction?

"We differentiate instruction to honor the reality of the students we teach. They are energetic and outgoing. They are quiet and curious. They are confident and self-doubting. They are interested in a thousand things and deeply immersed in a particular topic. They are academically advanced and 'kids in the middle' and struggling due to cognitive, emotional, economic, or sociological challenges. Many of them speak a different language at home. They learn at different rates and in different ways. And they all come together in our academically diverse classrooms." - Carol Ann Tomlinson (William Clay Parrish, Jr. Professor and Chair of Educational Leadership, Foundations, and Policy)

"Differentiating instruction is really a way of thinking, not a preplanned list of strategies. Oftentimes, it is making decisions in the moment based on this mindset. It's recognizing that 'fair' doesn't always mean treating everyone equally. It's recognizing that all of our students bring different gifts and challenges, and that as educators, we need to recognize those differences and use our professional judgment to flexibly respond to them in our teaching." - Larry Ferlazzo (award-winning teacher at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California, who writes a teacher advice column for Education Week)

"All teachers want their students to succeed, and all teachers try to make this happen. That is all differentiation is. We complicate differentiation by not allowing ourselves to be provisional with how we apply the foundational pieces of differentiated instruction. Instead, if we address these four questions in our instructional planning, differentiation will always be the result: What do my students need? How do I know? What will I do to meet their needs? How do I know if what I'm doing is working?" - Lisa Westman (instructional coaching, differentiation, and standards-based grading consultant and professional development facilitator)

"Differentiated instruction is dynamic and organic. In a differentiated learning space, teachers and students learn together. Students focus on learning the course content, while teachers tailor their instructional strategies to student learning styles." - Alexa Epitropoulous (media and author relations specialist at ASCD)

How to Implement Differentiated Instruction

To ensure that the same objectives are being pursued by all students (though they each take their own path to get there), differentiated instruction must be standards-based.

First steps for teachers should include diagnostic testing and learning inventories. Your goal is to set baselines for individual students. Then you can identify tactics to help each student achieve the objectives and deliver custom-tailored content.

Differentiated instruction is evident when teachers:

Offer students options to choose from in assignments or lesson plans.

Provide multiple texts and types of learning materials.

Utilize a variety of personalized learning methods and student assessments.

Customize teaching to suit multiple forms of intelligence.

For differentiated instruction to be successful, teachers must clearly explain the learning goals and the criteria for success. Differentiated learning thrives in a classroom environment where students are working toward shared goals with a growth mindset. Teachers must identify and be responsive to student needs, creating a supportive classroom culture where students embrace differentiation for themselves and their peers.

Knowing the unique needs of your students enables you to teach them more effectively, with the goal of improving cognitive and academic outcomes. Learning A-Z provides thousands of differentiated instruction resources for all types of learners. Our products make teaching easier and more effective, giving students more flexibility and learning options.

Support Differentiated Instruction in Your Classroom

Explore our literacy solutions trusted by teachers worldwide, or start a complimentary trial with your students today.

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Differentiated Instruction and How to Implement It | Learning A-Z

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Our K-6 products help teachers differentiate literacy instruction and practice to meet each student's individual learning needs.

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Problem based learning with the use of technology

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Problem based learning with the use of technology

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Online Problem-Based Learning

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional approach that emphasizes collaborative and self-directed learning. Usually, students collaborate in teams to decide what information is needed to resolve a problem situation. Even though PBL has been around since the 1960s, online PBL is much more than a linear approach to problem-solving. It focuses on a team-led discourse centered on building the team's capabilities, knowledge, and understanding.

To achieve a successful PBL session in the online environment it is important to incorporate new tools for collaboration and interaction. Students may be working at a distance or on campus, but they will begin by working out what they need to learn to engage with the problem situation. This may take place through a shared whiteboard, conferring, or an email discussion group.

PBL And Technology

With new technology advancements, problem-based learning has been impacted. Technology innovations such as networked and immersive technologies have opened up myriad new possibilities for research and experimentation in designing PBL for digital and eLearning environments. As Moallem, et al. (2019) explain:

The emerging global challenges and the need for transforming pedagogy to better support acquisition of twenty-first-century skills demand new models of learning that are progressively changing from focusing on content knowledge to supporting and modeling process skills, problem-solving skills, and thinking skills. (p. 573)

Similarly, Ulisses F. Araújo, President of the PAN-PBL Association of Problem-Based Learning and Active Learning Methodologies writes, "The use of digital tools and technologies that promote interaction and new forms of social relations in line with new knowledge production led to different forms of course organization where the roles of students and teachers change in the learning process."

According to Araújo (2019), online PBL as well as other active learning methodologies are the core of an approach where the emphasis on teaching is replaced by an emphasis on learning-which places students at the center of the educational process. However, as Araújo continues, the introduction of technology to the classroom without an appropriate educational approach to explore it will reproduce the same thing that has been going on in the past decades in schools.

The use of computers, videos, and the internet in education doesn't necessarily imply better educational quality. Usually, its target and method are to display information on a screen to a passive student who has only to read and listen, and take exams. This model perpetuates the teacher (or the computer) in the role of a knowledge transmitter. In other words," changing only the form in which content is presented without considering the relations and the active roles of students in the content knowledge production will not lead to real changes" (Araújo, 2019, p. 586).

Free or low-cost platforms, such as Zoom, WhatsApp, and Google Drive, are examples of technologies that can be combined with PBL approaches to support collaborative work. In "Facilitating Adoption of Web Tools for Problem and Project Based Learning Activities," Khalid, Rongbutsri, and Buus (2012) suggest appropriate technology tools for common activities students perform during each PBL workgroup phase:
PBL Common Activities Mapped To Technology Tools
There are still areas that need to be explored about the way in which problem scenarios are designed for online PBL and the extent to which digital environments can be learner-centered and learner-driven. Yet despite the fears and concerns about the notions raised by both tutors and students that online PBL can serve as a disembodied identity, online PBL does seem to offer a new learning space in which technology can support new and innovative forms of interactive learning.

Conclusion

It is important to level up our teaching strategies for the new generation of learners. So, next time you design an online course, think of how you can engage your audience's learning with the use of technology for problem-based learning.

References:

Araújo, U. F. 2019. "3D Immersive Platforms and Problem-Based Learning Projects: A Search for Quality in Education." In The Wiley Handbook of Problem-Based Learning, edited by M. Moallem, W. Hung, and N. Dabbagh, 575-592. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Khalid, M. S., N. Rongbutsri, and L. Buus. 2012. "Facilitating adoption of web tools for problem and project based learning activities." In Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Networked Learning 2012, edited by V. Hodgson, C. Jones, M. de Laat, D. McConnell, T. Ryberg, and P. Sloep, 559-566. Retrieved from https://www.networkedlearningconference.org.uk/abstracts/pdf/khalid.pdf on 22 April 2022.

Moallem, M., W. Hung, and N. Dabbagh. 2019. "New Developments and Emerging Trends." In The Wiley Handbook of Problem-Based Learning, edited M. Moallem, W. Hung, and N. Dabbagh, 573-574. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

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Technology Is Changing Collaborative Learning

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This article explores problem-based learning (PBL) and how it can be used and facilitated in the online environment.

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1. Understanding Educational Theories: Teachers should have a solid understanding of various educational theories, such as constructivism, behaviorism, cognitive development, and social learning theories. These theories provide insights into how students learn and process information, which can guide the development of instructional strategies.

2. Real-world Application: Lessons should be designed to connect theoretical concepts with real-world applications. This can involve case studies, projects, experiments, or simulations that allow students to apply what they have learned in practical situations. This not only reinforces learning but also helps students see the relevance of their education.

3. Reflective Practice: Encouraging students to reflect on their learning process and the practical applications of their knowledge can deepen their understanding. Reflection activities can include journals, discussions, or portfolios where students analyze their experiences and connect them with theoretical concepts.

4. Collaboration with Industry and Community: Establishing partnerships with industry professionals, community organizations, or local businesses can provide opportunities for students to engage with real-world challenges and apply their theoretical knowledge in authentic contexts.

5. Use of Technology: Integrating technology into lesson planning can provide dynamic and interactive opportunities for applying theory to practice. This might include virtual simulations, online resources, and digital tools that allow for practical experimentation and exploration of concepts.

6. Problem-Based Learning (PBL): Designing lessons around problem-based learning can effectively integrate theory and practice. In PBL, students are presented with a problem that requires them to research, apply theoretical knowledge, and develop practical solutions, fostering a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

7. Continuous Assessment and Feedback: Implementing a system of continuous assessment and feedback allows teachers to monitor students' understanding of theoretical concepts and their ability to apply them practically. This can guide further instruction and provide opportunities for adjustments to ensure that both theory and practice are effectively integrated.

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Learning standards, such as the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and state-specific standards, are set of educational guidelines that outline what students should know and be able to do at the end of each grade level across various subjects. These standards are developed to ensure consistency in education across different regions and schools, aiming to prepare students with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in college, career, and life. They are benchmarks for educational achievement and guide curriculum development, instruction, and assessment.

Key Features of Learning Standards:

Broad and General: Learning standards are broad descriptions of the skills and knowledge expected of students. They are not tied to specific lesson plans or activities but rather describe the end goals of education in a particular subject area.

Grade-Specific: Standards are often defined for each grade level, providing a progression of learning expectations from early education through high school.

Subject-Specific: There are standards for different subject areas, including but not limited to, mathematics, English language arts, science, and social studies.

Consistent Across Locations: Standards like the Common Core are designed to be consistent across all states that adopt them, providing a uniform framework for education across different regions.

2. Learning Objectives, on the other hand, are specific, measurable goals for what students should achieve through a particular unit, lesson, or activity. They are derived from the broader learning standards and are tailored to the content of a specific lesson or course. Learning objectives are more focused and provide clear targets for instruction and assessment within the classroom.

Key Features of Learning Objectives:

Specific and Measurable: Learning objectives state what students will learn in clear, specific terms. They include verbs that specify the action students will be able to perform, making it possible to assess whether the objective has been achieved.

Short-Term Goals: Unlike standards, which are broad and long-term, learning objectives are usually short-term goals aimed at guiding daily or weekly instruction.

Directly Tied to Instruction and Assessment: Learning objectives directly inform the planning of lessons and activities, as well as the development of assessments to measure student achievement of those objectives.

Differences Between Learning Standards and Learning Objectives:

Scope and Specificity: Learning standards are broad and general, providing long-term educational goals across grade levels and subjects. Learning objectives are specific and focused, detailing the expected outcomes of specific lessons or units.

Purpose and Application: Standards serve as a framework for ensuring consistency in education and setting long-term goals for student achievement. Objectives provide immediate, actionable targets for teaching and learning, guiding lesson planning, instruction, and assessment.

Level of Detail: Standards describe general competencies and knowledge areas, while objectives define precise skills and knowledge students should acquire in the short term, often including criteria for measuring success.

Learning objectives are specific, clear, and measurable statements that define what learners will be able to know, do, or demonstrate after completing a learning activity, lesson, course, or program. They serve as the foundation for educational planning, instruction, and assessment, guiding both teachers and students in the learning process. Learning objectives focus on student outcomes and are framed in a way that allows for the measurement of learning progress and achievement.

Key components of learning objectives include:

1. Action Verb: Specifies the observable action or behavior that students should be able to perform. These verbs are often derived from Bloom's Taxonomy and may include terms like "describe," "analyze," "create," or "evaluate," indicating the level and type of thinking required.

2. Content or Concept: Identifies the subject matter or skills that the students will be learning. This component specifies what the students will be working with or upon to achieve the objective.

3. Criterion or Standard: Sometimes included to specify the level of performance required for achieving the objective. This might indicate how well a task must be completed, how much information should be correctly recalled, or the conditions under which the performance will be assessed.

Learning objectives aim to:

Provide clarity to students about what is expected of them, helping to focus their study efforts.

Guide teachers in selecting and organizing content, instructional strategies, and resources.

Serve as a basis for evaluating student performance and the effectiveness of the instructional design.

Effective learning objectives are student-centered, achievable, relevant to the course or program goals, and aligned with assessment strategies to ensure that what is taught can be evaluated accurately.

3. Differentiation is an educational strategy aimed at tailoring instruction, resources, and learning activities to meet the diverse needs of students within the same classroom. It recognizes that students have varied background knowledge, learning styles, abilities, and interests, and it seeks to provide appropriate challenges and support for each learner to ensure maximum growth and success. Differentiation can be applied to the content (what students learn), the process (how students learn), the product (how students demonstrate their learning), and the learning environment (where and with whom students learn).

Key aspects of differentiation include:

Content Differentiation: Adjusting what is taught or the materials used to ensure all students can access the learning objectives. This might involve simplifying text, providing background knowledge, or offering advanced resources for more capable learners.

Process Differentiation: Varying the activities and methods used to help students learn. This might include using different grouping strategies, offering choices in how to engage with the material, or varying the pace of instruction.

Product Differentiation: Allowing students to demonstrate their learning in different ways. This could involve offering options such as written assignments, presentations, projects, or tests that cater to diverse strengths and preferences.

Learning Environment Differentiation: Creating a classroom setup and culture that supports a variety of learning styles and needs. This might involve physical arrangements that allow for group work or individual study, as well as establishing norms that respect and value diversity.

Differentiation is based on continuous assessment and feedback, requiring teachers to be flexible and responsive to students' evolving needs. The goal is to challenge and support each student effectively, fostering a learning environment where all students can achieve their potential.

4. Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is a type of evaluation used by educators to monitor student learning progress and understand their strengths and weaknesses during the instructional process. It is often informal and occurs continuously throughout the teaching and learning cycle. The primary goal of formative assessment is to provide both teachers and students with feedback that can be used to improve ongoing teaching strategies and learning outcomes. It is not typically used for grading purposes but rather as a tool to guide instructional decisions and enhance student learning.

Examples of Formative Assessment:

Quizzes and in-class assignments that check for understanding

Observations and discussions that reveal student thinking

Peer reviews and self-assessments

Homework assignments that reflect on daily learning objectives

5. Summative Assessment

Summative assessment is used to evaluate student learning at the conclusion of an instructional period, such as the end of a project, unit, semester, or school year. Summative assessments are typically more formal and structured than formative assessments and are used to determine whether students have met the learning objectives of the course. The results of summative assessments are often recorded as scores or grades that contribute to a student's academic record.

Examples of Summative Assessment:

Final exams and standardized tests

End-of-unit projects or presentations

Research papers and essays that culminate a unit of study

Portfolios that compile a student's work over an extended period

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How to Use Rubrics in Speech Therapy | The Speech Bubble SLP

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I've gotten a lot of questions lately about using rubrics in speech therapy. How exactly do I make it work? Well, today I am sharing my secrets with you! I guess if I'm sharing them, I can't really call them secrets anymore.

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Many of the questions I receive from parents describe their child's learning problems and then ask if he or she might have a Learning Disability (LD). I receive similar questions about Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). These are two separate and very different problems. Students with ADHD might show hyperactive/fidgety behaviors, inattention/distractibility problems, and/or impulsivity. These behaviors, present for years, can be seen at school, at home, and with peers. Students with LD have a neurologically-based processing problem that interferes with the ability to master specific learning skills. Between 30 and 50 percent of children with LD will also have ADHD. The reverse is also true, between 30 and 50 percent of children with ADHD will also have LD. So, it is wise to look for both possibilities.

So, how would you know to suspect that your child or adolescent has a learning disability?

Students with LD have difficulty processing information in one or more of several areas of learning. They may have problems getting information into the brain (called an input problem). They may have difficulty with sound input (called an auditory perception or auditory processing disorder) or with visual input (called a visual perception disorder). This student may have difficulty integrating information once it is received in the brain. These problems may include the ability to sequence information, to infer meaning (abstract), or to organize information. Some may have problems with the storage and retrieval of information or memory. The memory problem might involve information still in the process of being learned (often called working memory or short-term memory) or material that has been learned but not retained (long-term memory).

Finally, students may have difficulty getting information out of the brain (called an output problem). This problem may impact the ability to send information to their muscles. For example, a student with this problem may have difficulty coordinating the muscles of the hand and have slow, tedious and awkward handwriting (called a grapho-motor problem). Additionally, this student may have difficulty getting thoughts onto paper (reflected by problems with spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, or organization of the thoughts). Students also may have difficulty with language output, including problems organizing their thoughts, finding the right words, and expressing themselves.

There is no one definitive characteristic found in a child or adolescent with learning disabilities. The student may show characteristics of one or more of the areas described. In fact, it is very uncommon to have only one area of difficulty. Also, how a learning disability manifests in school is based on the student's grade level and the demands for that grade level.

What are the clues of a learning disability?

In preschoolers, look for:

Communication delays, such as slow language development or difficulty with speech. Problems understanding what is being said or problems communicating thoughts.

Poor coordination and uneven motor development, such as delays in learning to sit, walk, color, and using scissors. Later watch for problems forming letters and numbers.

Problems with memory and routine; for example, not remembering specifics of daily activities and not understanding instructions. Possibly, problems remembering multiple instructions.

Delays in socialization including playing and relating interactively with other children.

In elementary school, look for:

Problems learning phonemes (individual units of sound) and graphemes (letters, numbers). Problems learning how to blend sounds and letters to sound out words. Problems remembering familiar words by sight. Later, difficulty with reading comprehension.

Problems forming letters and numbers. Later, problems with basic spelling and grammar.

Difficulties learning math skills and doing math calculations.

Difficulty with remembering facts.

Difficulty organizing materials (notebook, binder, papers), information, and/or concepts.

Not understanding oral instructions and an inability to express oneself verbally. Some types of LD are not apparent until middle school or high school. With increased responsibilities and more complex work, new areas of weakness may become apparent.

Losing or forgetting materials, or doing work and forgetting to turn it into the teacher.

An inability to plan out the steps and time lines for completing projects, especially long-term projects.

Difficulty organizing thoughts for written reports or public speaking.

If you see these clues and believe your pre-school or elementary-school aged son or daughter might have LD, contact the principal of your child's public school and request a meeting to discuss having your child evaluated for learning disabilities. If your child is in a private school, you are entitled to an evaluation at the public school your child would have attended.

The diagnostic process is called a "psycho-educational" evaluation. Today, schools use a "response to intervention" model in which students are exposed to scientific, research-based instruction and their responses are monitored. If they do not respond, they are considered for special education. More information on response to intervention is available in the article Response to Intervention (RTI): A Primer for Parents .

Under education law, public schools must provide this evaluation if requested to do so and when problems are apparent. This is true if the child is in private school as well. As a taxpayer you can go to your public school to request such an assessment. There are three parts to this evaluation:

An assessment of potential, usually done through an IQ test.

A battery of achievement tests to assess skills in reading, writing, and math.

A battery of tests to assess processing skills. These tests examine possible problems with input, integration, and output of information.

The results of these tests should clarify if the student has a learning disability. Identifying processing problems may not qualify the student for services. Most school systems use what is called a "discrepancy formula" to decide if an individual is eligible for services. That is, there must be a specific degree of difference between the student potential (IQ) and performance. Your son or daughter might have significant processing problems but not be far enough behind to qualify for services. This is the reason that many schools will not identify a child with LD until third grade or later. For more information on obtaining an evaluation for learning disabilities, please read What Do You Do If You Suspect Your Child Has a Learning Disability .

For more information, contact the Learning Disabilities Association of America .

The author Dr. Larry Silver answers questions from readers in Ask Dr. Silver

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How Do You Know If Your Child Might Have a Learning Disability?

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If you think your child might have a learning disability, this article will help. Dr. Larry Silver tells parents the clues to look for in pre-school and elementary school children. Then the article talks about how to get a "psychoeducational evaluation" to find out for sure.

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Assessments and Evaluations of language disorders in schools

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Assessments and Evaluations of language disorders in schools

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This is a guide to ASHA documents and references to consider when conducting comprehensive speech-language assessments. Speech-language assessment is a complex process. Assessing, describing, and interpreting an individual's communication ability requires the integration of a variety of information gathered in the evaluation process. ASHA's Preferred Practice Patterns for the Professions of Speech-Language Pathology (2004) indicates that comprehensive speech-language pathology assessment includes these components:

Case history, including medical status, education, socioeconomic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds and information from teachers and other related service providers

Patient/client/student and family interview

Review of auditory, visual, motor, and cognitive status

Standardized and/or non-standardized measures of specific aspects of speech, spoken and non-spoken language, cognitive-communication, and swallowing function, including observations and analysis of work samples

Identification of potential for effective intervention strategies and compensations

Selection of standardized measures for speech, language, cognitive-communication, and/or swallowing assessment with consideration for documented ecological validity and cultural sensitivity

Follow-up services to monitor communication and swallowing status and ensure appropriate intervention and support for individuals with identified speech, language, cognitive-communication, and/or swallowing disorders

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) has specific provisions concerning the assessment of students (Sections 300.301-300.305) in schools. In addition, SLPs need to follow state and local requirements for the assessments of students.

It is important to note the distinctions between the terms evaluation and assessment according to IDEA Part C Guidelines. Evaluation means the "procedures used by qualified personnel to determine a child's initial and continuing eligibility..." IDEA (2004), Part B requires that an evaluation be comprehensive and assess all areas of suspected disability. It is important for the clinician to involve other assessment staff as part of the multidisciplinary evaluation team to address educational and/or behavioral concerns for students who are not meeting the grade-level expectations (IDEA, 2004, Section 34 CFR 300.304).

Assessment means "the ongoing procedures used by qualified personnel to identify the child's unique strengths and needs and the early intervention services appropriate to meet those needs throughout the period of the child's eligibility...and includes the assessment of the child...and the assessment of the child's family..." (IDEA, Part C, Section 303.321)

ASHA Practice Policy Documents

Research and Evidence Based Practice

Language/Speech Sampling

Pediatric Swallowing and Feeding Templates

Multicultural Issues in Assessment

Resources

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Assessment and Evaluation of Speech-Language Disorders in Schools

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This is a guide to ASHA documents and references to consider when conducting comprehensive speech-language assessments. Speech-language assessment is a complex process. Assessing, describing, and interpreting an individual's communication ability requires the integration of a variety of information gathered in the evaluation process.

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1. Read the abstract: This will allow you to get a framework of the article before you dive into it. Understanding the purpose of the article will help guide you as you read it.

2. Skim the entire article: Read the article all the way through without taking notes and get the gist of the article. Get familiar with the topic.

3. Take notes: Read the article again - this time more focused and take notes. Highlight key points, jot down any questions.

4. Relevancy? Jot down anything that stands out as relevant to you and why. This will help you later if you need to utilize this information in a report, etc.

5. Identify & summarize key info: What are the key findings? How did they prove this? Did they prove this? Were there limitations? Are there lingering questions? Implications for further research?

6. Check the sources: Who does the author cite? Are they relevant to your topic? You can look up the articles' citations and utilize the research as well.

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LibGuides: How to Read Research Articles: Home

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This guide will give you pointers how to read research articles.

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Diversity recognizes the differences between people and includes different factors, such as religion, political orientation, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, race, ethnicity, language, socio-economic status, and family structure. Cultural diversity in the classroom involves celebrating those differences and creating a culture of inclusion and acceptance among students and the greater school community.

Types of Cultural Diversity in the Classroom

Teaching diversity in the classroom is a key part in establishing an overall school or district policy of cultural diversity. The schools can do their part to promote policies and procedures for equality, diversity, and inclusion in schools, but teachers can implement diversity and inclusiveness in the classroom on a daily basis with their students. Below are considerations that teachers should take into account within the classroom.

Race

Although the concept of race tends to be learned, children are still able to see skin color and the differences between them, especially in a racially diverse society like the U.S. Race acceptance and sensitivity should permeate the classroom across the board-between students and with teachers and students. It is just as important for teachers to respect and recognize the impact of race on their students as it is for students to recognize it among themselves.

Ethnicity

Aside from the differences in appearance, culture and heritage make up a significant part of individual identities. While race is limited to several categories, ethnicities span across countries, towns, villages, and tribes. By understanding your students' ethnicities, you can better recognize their unique interests and perspectives that are shaped by their ethnic backgrounds.

Language

Ethnicity could determine a student's primary or secondary language, and in some cases, students in immigrant families might speak something other than English at home exclusively. This could lead to language barriers between parents and teachers, or potential language barriers among students who may not have English proficiency.

Religion

Religions can be just as broad as ethnic backgrounds, and it's important to honor each student's religious beliefs and practices. Outside of parochial schools, religion is typically not brought into a student's school life unless that student's behavior is directly affected by their religious beliefs (e.g.,dietary restrictions, staying home for a religious holiday). Teachers should further recognize that students may have trouble understanding that the religious beliefs they were raised to believe may not fit in with the beliefs and lifestyle of their peers.

Economic

Students come from various socio-economic backgrounds that could be determined by the environment in which they were raised, the neighborhood where they reside, and their families' income levels. These differences could show up in many ways, including personal tech devices, wardrobe, transportation, and holiday gifts from families. Some students may have to take on after-school jobs or rush home to babysit a younger sibling while other students are able to participate in extracurricular activities. Keep in mind that a student with few possessions might not be from a low-income family, while a student from a low-income family might have purchased a new iPhone with their own earned income. Not everything is what it seems, and every parent has different ways of providing for their children.

LGBTQ

Sexual orientation and gender identity is a crucial aspect of a young person's journey. It is often during their time as a student that they come into their own understanding of who they are. These personal journeys may involve the support from teachers and counselors or acceptance by peers, so educators should keep an eye out if they notice students struggling in any of these areas.

Importance of Diversity in the Classroom

Why is equality, diversity, and inclusion important in schools? A lack of diversity and inclusiveness in the classroom can lead to students feeling isolated, can lead to increased stress levels for minority or otherwise marginalized students, and cause them to be victims of bullying at higher rates. Minority students, LGBTQ students, and students who engage in behavior that deviates from accepted gender norms are considered at higher risk of being bullied, which can lead to problems with academic performance, decreases in mood, and even suicide attempts. Intentionally creating learning environments in which students are empowered to acknowledge and celebrate differences is paramount to their safe education and protection.

Educators agree that teachers who are culturally responsive and proficient, and perhaps diverse themselves, can help address racial disparities in student achievement. Part of an educator's job is to help students understand the impact of each of their lives on one another and their ability to impact and shape the world at large. By encouraging and celebrating diversity in your classrooms, you can empower students to feel safe, build healthy relationships, and make meaningful impact on others. Safe learning spaces are diverse learning spaces. Below are more specific reasons that diversity should be taught in the classroom.

1. Self-acceptance and confidence

It begins with the individual. Students whose differences are accepted in a culture of inclusion can build the confidence to accept themselves.

2. Empathy

Acceptance goes beyond the self and into the community around us. Students who learn to be accepting and inclusive can develop empathy for others.

3. Reducing prejudices

The earlier values are instilled in a child, the more likely those values will carry on throughout the child's life. When adults teach empathy, through diversity-driven lessons and through modeling empathetic behavior, children can develop socially with less prejudicial attitudes.

4. Preparing students for being a world citizen

Children will inevitably interact with others around the world from different backgrounds, interests, and perspectives. Their future professions might take them into the global economy. They might even travel at some point in their young or adult lives. Having an understanding and respect for other cultures is an important aspect to being a responsible citizen of the world.

5. Collaboration and respect

When students are able to respect and celebrate the differences between people, they are better equipped to manage real-world scenarios in which varying perspectives and compromise come into play.

6. Social, cognitive, and academic benefits

Diverse classrooms have social and cognitive benefits, according to research. Students in integrated schools are more likely to have higher test scores and to enroll in college. The racial achievement gap is also smaller at these schools.

How to Incorporate Cultural Diversity in the Classroom

We want to provide our students with the safest educational environments and experiences that we can. It is a duty as much as a desire, and it includes teaching diversity in the classroom. It requires not only creating spaces that are physically safe and secure, but that also protect and promote the emotional health of students, making them feel validated, nurtured, and included. As educators, we can practice equality and diversity in teaching and how to promote inclusion among students. We can all strive to create culturally diverse safe spaces that encourage, welcome, and celebrate our differences through:

1. Getting to know students and families

The dynamics of a student's home life can impact mood, stress levels, attendance, communication styles, and more. Finding out as much as possible about your students and their families will start you off on the right track toward creating a culturally inclusive classroom. Start the school year off by inviting families to fill out questionnaires sharing important family information, such as cultural backgrounds and traditions, parent professions, and household composition. Being aware that a student comes from a military family, is in foster care, is homeless, or has a sick parent or sibling at home will allow you to partner with students and families to support them in the best ways and overcome any challenges that arise.

Tip: An intake questionnaire for families could include questions about parents' and students' preferred pronouns and names, as well as what names/nicknames students call their parents/guardians and siblings.

2. Representative media

Culturally diverse classrooms should incorporate a variety of photos, posters, books, music, flags, and media that showcase and tell stories of many ethnic, racial, and gender backgrounds, as well as reject rigid gender roles. Include media that is LGBTQ-inclusive and showcases a variety of family structures, including same-sex parent, single-parent, adoptive, and multi-generational households.

3. Role-playing

Role-playing activities help students gain cultural awareness. With younger students, this can include introducing culturally significant attire and foods into dramatic play and playing with dolls that represent different races and cultures. With older students, you can design more involved activities, such as giving students specific scenarios to act out over a week that embodies specific cultural experiences.

Ex: Have students role-play a student in foster care moving around constantly, a single parent balancing a budget to support three children, or a man who is a dancer or stay-at-home dad.

4. Inclusive language

Introduce a mixture of languages into your classroom. Label learning centers and classroom resources ("blocks," "computer," "library"), and post classroom rules in two or more languages. Review them often with students. Encourage mindfulness in students when new ideas, language, or food is introduced by discouraging the use of "weird" or "gross" to describe things that are unfamiliar. Avoid references to gender roles and norms both in the classroom and in discussions of home life.

Ex: "What do you and your family eat at home?" instead of "What does mom cook?" Encourage the use of gender neutral pronouns and terms like "family" or "parents" instead of "mom and dad."

5. Group students for learning activities

Group learning can help students learn collaboration, teamwork, and leadership skills. To take that a step further, group your students heterogeneously so that the groups reflect the diversity of the classroom. Students can learn just as much from each other as they can from the lessons you provide them, and it may open doors for interaction that they might not otherwise have with one another.

6. Host "what can we learn about you?" days

Similar to show-and-tell, these classroom sessions allow students to get up in front of the class to introduce their classmates to something new, or to simply share what makes them unique or special. The student could teach a few sentences in a second language, show the class how to make a craft that's unique to their heritage, or play a slideshow of holiday gatherings with their immigrant families.

7. Penpals

Penpals can be a great way for students to learn about people with different cultural backgrounds and experiences. Connect with teachers at a local school or a school around the world to establish a penpal program for your class. Matching students with penpals of different racial and cultural backgrounds with shared interests can promote understanding of how we can have much in common with people whose backgrounds differ from ours.

8. Include Diversity as a lesson topic

Diversity doesn't have to be limited to social studies classes. Regardless of subject, teachers can break at any point to provide a lesson in diversity, inclusion, and acceptance. Although there are many less direct ways to make students feel welcome and to help students understand each other better, sometimes a direct approach can help students get their exposure and life lessons they need to be culturally sensitive.

How GoGuardian Makes Acknowledgement of Classroom Diversity for K-12 Students Easy

GoGuardian Teacher™ lets you push out browser tabs to students' devices. One way to incorporate cultural diversity into a lesson is to push out a different link to each student to read. The link would contain information on a culture or lifestyle that's different from the student's. If you're unsure of the student's culture, now would be a great time to ask.

Another way to use this approach in a more interactive lesson is to push out the same tab two tabs to two students. Each tab would represent the culture of one of the two students. Instruct the students to find their tab partner, and have them discuss their respective cultures with each other.

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Cultural Diversity in the Classroom | GoGuardian

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Diversity recognizes the differences between people and includes different factors, such as religion, political orientation, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, race, ethnicity, language, socio-economic status, and family structure. Cultural diversity in the classroom involves celebrating those differences and creating a culture of inclusion and acceptance among students and the greater school community.

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Social Emotional Learning (SEL), what is it, and why does it matter to educators? As an educator, some of the worst things you can hear a student say is, "This is stupid," or "Why are we learning this?" Think back to when you were in school and the subjects that caused you the most frustration.

You'd likely find some common ground with your students in wishing you were given clear reasons why something was important and how learning a subject or skill would benefit you now, as well as years later. That frustration and finding constructive ways to deal with emotions and interact with one another in respectful ways are just a few of the guiding principles behind social emotional learning, or SEL.

Today, in an ever-diversifying world, the classroom is the place where students are often first exposed to people who hail from a range of different backgrounds, hold differing beliefs, and have unique capabilities. To account for these differences and help put all students on an equal footing to succeed, social and emotional learning (SEL) aims to help students better understand their thoughts and emotions, to become more self-aware, and to develop more empathy for others within their community and the world around them.

Developing these qualities in the classroom can help students become better, more productive, self-aware, and socially-aware citizens outside of the classroom in the years ahead. Learn more about the importance of social emotional learning, as well as its benefits both in and out of the classroom.

Table of contents

1. What is Social Emotional Learning (SEL)?

2. T he Five Social Emotional Learning Competencies

3. How Educators Approach SEL

4. The Benefits of SEL

5. What is Social Emotional Learning Theory?

6. Incorporate Social Emotional Learning in the Classroom

7. Measuring Social-Emotional Learning Impact

8. Why is SEL Important?

What is Social Emotional Learning (SEL)?

Social emotional learning (SEL) is a methodology that helps students of all ages to better comprehend their emotions, to feel those emotions fully, and demonstrate empathy for others. These learned behaviors are then used to help students make positive, responsible decisions; create frameworks to achieve their goals, and build positive relationships with others

The Five Social Emotional Learning Competencies

According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), an organization devoted to students and educators to help achieve positive outcomes for PreK-12 students, SEL involves five core competencies that can be applied in both the classroom, at home, and in students' communities. These five core competencies are:

Self-awareness

To recognize your emotions and how they impact your behavior; acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses to better gain confidence in your abilities.

Self-management

To take control and ownership of your thoughts, emotions, and actions in various situations, as well as setting and working toward goals.

Social awareness

The ability to put yourself in the shoes of another person who may be from a different background or culture from the one you grew up with. To act with empathy and in an ethical manner within your home, school, and community.

Relationship skills

The ability to build and maintain healthy relationships with people from a diverse range of backgrounds. This competency focuses on listening to and being able to communicate with others, peacefully resolving conflict, and knowing when to ask for or offer help.

Making responsible decisions

Choosing how to act or respond to a situation is based on learned behaviors such as ethics, safety, weighing consequences, and the well-being of others, as well as yourself.

How Educators Approach SEL

While SEL isn't a designated subject like history or math, it can be woven into the fabric of a school's curriculum. When educators make academic lessons more personal and relatable to students, students may be more inclined to participate and may be less likely to mentally check out during their subjects. By fostering a sense of empathy, self-awareness, and feelings of safety and inclusiveness in the classroom, SEL can have a positive impact that lasts a lifetime.

There are several different approaches to SEL. Some teachers have a more formally designated portion of the school day devoted to SEL - sometimes taught in homeroom. These lessons become a recurring theme throughout the rest of the school day to help make the core competencies of SEL more real to students.

Teachers may want to have students journal or write about their thoughts and feelings on a particular SEL lesson, or even have younger students partner with an older " buddy classroom " (or vice versa) to help students across different age levels bond or find common ground.

Other teachers work SEL-related lessons into more formal subjects, like math, history, or reading. For instance, examples of SEL-in-action can include assigning a group project where students self-delegate roles to work together for the good of the group, role playing as historical figures to understand the rationale behind a person's actions, or for students to conduct formal interviews with one another to take a pulse-check on current events.

Teachers can also work with students to set goals in areas where they may need improvement and help chart their progress, giving them a measurable way to show their achievement and feel a sense of accomplishment.

The Benefits of SEL

SEL is beneficial to both children and adults, increasing self-awareness, academic achievement, and positive behaviors both in and out of the classroom. From an academic standpoint, students who participated in SEL programs saw an 11 percentile increase in their overall grades and better attendance. On a more individual level, the skills learned within an SEL program have been shown to help students better cope with emotional stress, solve problems, and avoid peer pressure to engage in harmful activities.

Students who are equipped to deal with problems that affect them on a personal level are then better able to navigate the pressures of adult life. A report by the AEI/Brookings Working Group on Poverty and Opportunity noted that, "despite their importance to education, employment, and family life, the major educational and social reforms of the K-12 system over the last few decades have not focused sufficiently on the socio-emotional factors that are crucial to learning."

A study published by the American Journal of Public Health used data from the longitudinal, nonintervention subsample of the Fast Track Project, an intervention program designed to reduce aggression in children identified as at high risk for long-term behavioral problems and conduct disorders.

When educators are able to see which students do not grasp the core pillars of SEL, they can better work with them at an early age and help these students develop better self-control, empathy, and other positive qualities. Learning positive behaviors that extend beyond a purely academic level of achievement can help these students develop the "soft skills" required of many jobs, such as teamwork, and ability to understand others, and problem-solving. This can help set these students up for success throughout their school years and beyond.

What is Social Emotional Learning Theory?

Broadly speaking, social and emotional learning (SEL) refers to the process through which individuals learn and apply a set of social, emotional, and related skills, attitudes, behaviors, and values that help direct students. This includes thoughts, feelings, and actions in ways that enable them to succeed in school. However, SEL has been defined in a variety of ways ( Humphrey et al., 2011).

How Do You Incorporate Social Emotional Learning in the Classroom?

There are many ways to incorporate SEL in the classroom. The main idea is to provide an ongoing SEL influence throughout the day. In the beginning, you could start by checking in with students to see how they feel. Another great way is to provide students the opportunity to see how a tricky or troubling situation is being handled. This will give them some ideas on how to handle a tricky situation they may encounter. Utilizing students to role-play in front of the class would be a viable example. Make sure there is a place for students to calm down. This safe space will allow for the student to reflect.

Measuring Social-Emotional Learning Impact

Measuring the impact of implementing SEL inside the classroom goes way beyond just grades. As Dr. Christina Cipriano explains, "When students are struggling and school performance is poor, they are more likely to find school and learning as a source of anxiety, manifesting in diminished self-efficacy, motivation, engagement, and connectedness with school."

As a student is provided the tools associated with SEL, they will have more ownership of their actions, a sense of belonging, and will intrinsically care about their education. A student that has had consistent exposure to SEL is able to manage stress better and reduces the chance for that child to become depressed.

Why is SEL Important?

While SEL has been more formally stood up as a program in preschools throughout all 50 states, very few states have made SEL a designated part of school curriculum at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. To date, only three states have a fully-designed set of standards for SEL programs with benchmarks for students at every grade level from K-12, according to the AEI/Brookings report. These states are Illinois, Kansas, and Pennsylvania.

Because so few states have made SEL a part of their curriculum for K-12 students, statistical evidence showing the benefits of SEL has been anecdotal. However, preschool-age children who were able to participate in an SEL program and learned these principles early on in their school career were able to reap the intended benefits. As more states and schools consider weaving SEL into their curriculum, it can provide educators with more statistically significant evidence of the program's positive impact.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Becoming a teacher can be a rewarding experience that helps a new generation reach new heights and their full potential. If you've considered becoming a teacher, visit our program page to learn how National University's Sanford College of Education can help you achieve your goals. Learn more about our on-campus and online programs, including the Master of Arts in SEL program and the Education Specialist (EdS) in Leadership in SEL program. You can also hear more from our students and faculty.

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What is Social Emotional Learning (SEL): Why It Matters | NU

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Social emotional learning (SEL) is a methodology that helps students better comprehend their emotions & demonstrate empathy for others.

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Today, many priorities for improvements to teaching and learning are unmet. Educators seek technology-enhanced approaches addressing these priorities that would be safe, effective, and scalable. Like all of us, educators use AI-powered services in their everyday lives, such as voice assistants in their homes; tools that can correct grammar, complete sentences, and write essays; and automated trip planning on their phones. As a result, educators see opportunities to use AI-powered capabilities like speech recognition to increase the support available to students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and others who could benefit from greater adaptivity and personalization in digital tools for learning. They are further exploring how AI can enable writing or improving lessons, as well as their process for finding, choosing, and adapting material for use in their lessons.

Educators are also aware of new risks. Useful, powerful functionality can also be accompanied with new data privacy and security risks. Educators recognize that AI can automatically produce output that is inappropriate or wrong. They are wary that the associations or automations created by AI may amplify unwanted biases. They have noted new ways in which students may represent others' work as their own. They are well-aware of "teachable moments" and pedagogical strategies that a human teacher can address but are undetected or misunderstood by AI models. They worry whether recommendations suggested by an algorithm would be fair. Educators' concerns are manifold.

Everyone in education has a responsibility to harness the good to serve educational priorities while also protecting against the dangers that may arise as a result of AI being integrated in educational technology.

NEW!! Report on AI and the Future of Teaching & Learning

Key Insights

AI enables new forms of interaction. Students and teachers can speak, gesture, sketch, and use other natural human modes of communication to interact with a computational resource and each other. AI can generate human-like responses, as well. These new forms of action may provide supports to students with disabilities.

AI can help educators address variability in student learning. With AI, designers can anticipate and address the long tail of variations in how students can successfully learn-whereas traditional curricular resources were designed to teach to the middle or most common learning pathways. For example, AI-enabled educational technology may be deployed to adapt to each student's English language abilities with greater support for the range of skills and needs among English learners.

AI supports powerful forms of adaptivity. Conventional technologies adapt based upon the correctness of student answers. AI enables adapting to a student's learning process as it unfolds step-by-step, not simply providing feedback on right or wrong answers. Specific adaptations may enable students to continue strong progress in a curriculum by working with their strengths and working around obstacles.

AI can enhance feedback loops. AI can increase the quality and quantity of feedback provided to students and teachers, as well as suggesting resources to advance their teaching and learning.

AI can support educators. Educators can be involved in designing AI-enabled tools to make their jobs better and to enable them to better engage and support their students.

Recommendations: Call to Action for Education Leaders

Recommendation #1: Emphasize Humans in the Loop

We reject the notion of AI as replacing teachers. Teachers and other people must be "in the loop" whenever AI is applied in order to notice patterns and automate educational processes. We call upon all constituents to adopt Humans-in-the-Loop as a key criteria.

Recommendation #2: Align AI Models to a Shared Vision for Education

We call upon educational decision makers, researchers, and evaluators to determine the quality of an educational technology based not only on outcomes, but also based on the degree to which the models at the heart of the AI tools and systems align to a shared vision for teaching and learning. The figure to the right describes the important qualities of AI models for education leaders to consider.

Recommendation #3: Design Using Modern Learning Principles

Achieving effective systems requires more than processing "big data"-it requires more than data science. Applications of AI must be based on established, modern learning principles, the wisdom of educational practitioners, and should leverage the expertise in the educational assessment community around detecting bias and improving fairness. Going forward, we also must seek to create AI systems that are culturally responsive and culturally sustaining, leveraging the growth of published techniques for doing so. Further, most early AI systems had few specific supports for students with disabilities and English learners and we must ensure that AI-enabled learning resources are intentionally inclusive of these students.

Recommendation #4: Prioritize Strengthening Trust

Technology can only help us to achieve educational objectives when we trust it. Yet, we learned through a series of public listening sessions that distrust of educational technology and AI is commonplace. Because trust develops as people meet and relate to each other, we call for a focus on building trust and establishing criteria for trustworthiness of emerging educational technologies within the associations, convenings, and professional organizations that bring educators, innovators, researchers, and policymakers together.

Recommendation #5: Inform and Involve Educators

We call on educational leaders to prioritize informing and involving educational constituents so they are prepared to investigate how and when AI fits specific teaching and learning needs, and what risks may rise. Now is the time to show the respect and value we hold for educators by informing and involving them in every step of the process of designing, developing, testing, improving, adopting, and managing AI-enabled educational technology. This includes involving educators in reviewing existing AI-enabled systems, tools, and data use in schools, designing new applications of AI based on teacher input, carrying out pilot evaluations of proposed new instructional tools, collaborating with developers to increase the trustworthiness of the deployed system, and raising issues about risks and unexpected consequences as the system is implemented.

Recommendation #6: Focus R&D on Addressing Context and Enhancing Trust and Safety

Research that focuses on how AI-enabled systems can adapt to context (diversity among learners, variability in instructional approaches, differences in educational settings) is essential to answering the question "Do specific applications of AI work in education, and if so, for whom and under what conditions?" We call upon researchers and their funders to prioritize investigations of how AI can address the long tail of learning variability and to seek advances in how AI can incorporate contextual considerations when detecting patterns and recommending options to students and teachers. Further, researchers should accelerate their attention to how to enhance trust and safety in AI-enabled systems for education.

Recommendation #7: Develop Education-Specific Guidelines and Guardrails

Data privacy regulation already covers educational technology; further, data security is already a priority of school educational technology leaders. Modifications and enhancements to the status quo will be required to address the new capabilities alongside the risks of AI. We call for involvement of all perspectives in the ecosystem to define a set of guidelines (such as voluntary disclosures and technology procurement checklists) and guardrails (such as enhancements to existing regulations or additional requirements) so that we can achieve safe and effective AI for education.

Listening Sessions

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology, with support from Digital Promise, held listening sessions about Artificial Intelligence (AI). We connected with all constituents involved in making decisions about technology in education, including but not limited to teachers, educational leaders, students, parents, technologists, researchers, and policy makers.

The goal of these listening sessions were to gather input, ideas, and engage in conversations that will help the Department shape a vision for AI policy that is inclusive of cutting-edge research and practices while also informed by the opportunities and risks.

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For a print-out and summary of the Artificial Intelligence Initiative, please review our AI One-pager

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Artificial Intelligence - Office of Educational Technology

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OET is working to develop policies and supports focused on the effective, safe, and fair use of AI-enabled educational technology.

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Online learning is a mode of education where students engage with their course materials, participate in learning activities, and interact with instructors and peers entirely over the internet. This format allows for both synchronous (live) and asynchronous (on-demand) engagement, providing flexibility in terms of when and where students can learn. It eliminates the need for physical presence in a traditional classroom setting.

Blended Learning

Blended learning, also known as hybrid learning, combines online educational materials and opportunities for online interaction with traditional place-based classroom methods. It requires the physical presence of both teacher and student, with some element of student control over time, place, path, or pace. Blended learning involves an integrated approach where students can engage in face-to-face learning sessions as well as complete online components of the course.

Hybrid Learning

Hybrid learning is often used interchangeably with blended learning, but it can also specifically refer to a course where students have the option to attend sessions in the classroom, participate online, or do both. Hybrid learning strategies aim to combine the best aspects of in-person and online learning, maximizing flexibility and engagement by allowing students to choose the learning format that best suits their needs for each part of the course.

Asynchronous Learning

Asynchronous learning refers to a learning model that does not require participants to be online at the same time. Materials, lectures, tests, and assignments can be accessed at any time. Students can interact with instructors and each other via discussion boards, emails, or other digital platforms that do not require real-time communication. This format offers high flexibility, allowing students to learn at their own pace within a given timeframe.

Synchronous Learning

Synchronous learning is the opposite of asynchronous learning. It requires all participants to be present at the same time, though not necessarily in the same place. This can include live online lectures, webinars, real-time discussions, and live streaming classes. Synchronous learning facilitates instant feedback and interaction, closely mimicking the traditional classroom experience in an online setting.

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Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

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What we do Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.