Continuous Improvement Connections

Using Data to Continuously Improve the Plan

The core tool used in this guide is the Schoolwide SEL Implementation Rubric. The rubric provides an overview of a systemic approach to schoolwide SEL, and teams can review it to get a sense of what SEL looks like when it is coordinated across classrooms, the school, homes, and the community. The rubric is a helpful data source for driving continuous improvement.

Even teams with established systems in place to support schoolwide SEL can use the rubric to identify areas for improvement. It is recommended that teams complete the rubric at the beginning of the year, and then again toward the end. This is a straightforward way to measure change.

Discussing rubric ratings during an SEL team meeting or staff meeting is a way to identify aims for continuous improvement. For example, if the team rates a rubric category at a level of implementation that has room for growth, this could be an aim for continuous improvement. The team could focus on improving that particular category over time to better support SEL.

Monitoring Achievement of Implementation Plan Milestones

The planning process outlined here guides teams through an inventory of current resources and needs, developing S.M.A.R.T.I.E goals that clearly describe what the school wants to achieve, and using this information to develop an implementation plan with milestones that help track progress. These implementation plan milestones are indicators that SEL teams can use for continuous improvement.

Each milestone has an assigned target date. Progress on the plan can be monitored during SEL team meetings by having the owner of each milestone update the team on current progress and any challenges that have been encountered. Frequently monitoring milestones allows teams to celebrate achievements and problem-solve in real time.

Revisiting School Guide Planning Tools Annually

At the end of each year, the SEL team can review the implementation plan to identify where they experienced successes. They can also critically reflect on any goals that weren’t achieved and discuss what they could do differently based on what they learned.

Following the end-of-year reflection, the SEL team can revisit the planner and incorporate improvements and lessons learned. Revisiting and updating this tool is an opportunity to reinvest stakeholders in the vision for SEL, set new goals and milestones for the upcoming year, and share the implementation plan with the school community so the path forward is clear. Revisiting the planner gives the SEL team an opportunity to improve on what they did last year and more deeply integrate SEL throughout the school community.