Incorporating Social and Emotional Competencies into IEP Developmentby Katie Berg, Beth Herman, Jess Nichols, Daniel Parker, and Paula Volpiansky This article outlines how Wisconsin’s Social and Emotional Learning Competencies support IEP development to improve access, engagement, and progress for students with IEPs in age/grade level curriculum, instruction, and environments. In 2018, the Student Services Prevention and Wellness team at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (WI DPI) released a framework for social and emotional learning competencies in partnership with the Safe Schools Healthy Students grant and the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). As the social and emotional learning competencies were being developed, the Special Education team at WI DPI was updating sample IEP forms as well as a framework for developing College and Career Ready IEPs: Improving Outcomes for Students 3 through 21 (CCR IEPs). Consultants across DPI teams saw immediate connections between the Social and Emotional Learning Competencies and the CCR IEP 5 Step Process related to identifying and supporting social and emotional functional skills for students who receive special education through an Individualized Education Program (IEP). What is Social and Emotional Learning? As stated on WI DPI’s social and emotional learning web page, “Social and emotional learning is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.” This definition from the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning, acknowledges SEL as a learning process that includes both the acquisition of skills as well as their application. Acquisition and application are two very different skills sets and recognizing both will be important when looking at SEL skill competence within the IEP process.
Research Implications for the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Core Elements highlights how evidence-based social and emotional learning programs and supports create safe and caring learning environments where students learn self and social awareness, self-management, as well as relationship and decision-making skills. These skills lead to greater attachments to school, less risky behavior, and more positive assets. The end result of a quality social and emotional learning program is stronger academic performance and future success in school, work, and life. A quality social and emotional support system is particularly important for students with IEPs. In Wisconsin, responses from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows students with disabilities reporting a lower sense of belonging than students without disabilities. In addition, students with disabilities have higher rates of disciplinary suspensions and lower rates of graduation than students without disabilities. To improve these outcomes, principals can assist general and special education staff incorporate social and emotional learning competencies, instruction, and supports into IEP development and implementation.
Wisconsin’s vision for each and every student is to graduate from high school academically prepared and socially and emotionally competent; having the knowledge, skills, and habits to be prepared for college and a career. Many students with IEPs not only require additional support academically, but also require support with functional performance so they can access and engage with educational content and instruction, as well as demonstrate success across school environments. As defined on Wisconsin’s sample IEP I-4 linking form, “functional performance includes activities and nonacademic skills needed for independence, access to instruction and performance at school, in the home, in the community, for leisure time, and for post-secondary and lifelong learning (including reading). Some examples include activities of everyday living, school/work/play habits, health-enhancing physical activity and social and emotional skills.” Thus, in addition to considering academic achievement, it is important for IEP teams to explore a student’s functional performance, and the relationship between academic and functional performance, when developing IEPs for individual students. For example, let's look at a student who has a disability-related need in social competence and struggles with skills such as interacting with peers, language processing, and understanding social context. In the classroom, this student is asked to join a group and work on a project that will determine 25% of the student’s grade. Classroom assessments have shown that this student has an understanding of academic content and can explain to their teacher their role in the group and how to appropriately engage with peers. However, when observed in group work time, the student is frequently argumentative, exhibits avoidance behaviors, or has been observed walking away from group work. The student’s peers report to the teacher that the student completes work on their own but since they do not participate in group discussions or follow the group plan, their work is not connected to that of others in the group and is not reflective of the group project. To summarize, an educational environment that does not address a student’s unmet social and emotional disability-related needs creates a barrier to the student’s ability to access and engage with peer group projects in the general education environment. In this example, the student is not meeting grade level expectations such as problem solving, expressing emotions in an appropriate and respectful manner, showing respect for others’ perspectives, formulate group goals, and completing required classroom projects. The difficulties the student has are not due to unmet academic skills but due to unmet disability-related needs that are functional in nature (in this case, social and emotional learning). In addition, it is not that the student has not acquired the “ability” to perform these skills, as the student can describe appropriate group work norms and expectations, but the student has needs related to applying these skills in the context they are expected. The relationship between academic and functional skills is bi-directional. That is to say when a student has strengths in one area, those strengths support development and achievement in other areas. For example, a student who has the functional skills to work productively and cooperatively in a group to accomplish a set goal (i.e. a specific social and emotional learning competency) is also likely to have higher academic outcomes when working with peers than if this student did not have the skills necessary to contribute to the group. Just as strengths in one area positively effect outcomes in other areas, the opposite is also true. Students who struggle with specific functional skills (e.g. such as the acquisition or application of social and emotional learning skills), are also likely to struggle academically. IEP teams should look closely at these relationships to determine whether academic, functional, or both academic and functional skills are impacting student outcomes. What are the Legal Requirements Relating to Assessing and Addressing Social and Emotional Skills and Functional Achievement for Students with Disabilities? In addition to functional skills having an effect on academic outcomes (e.g. social and emotional learning needs), there are also legal requirements requiring IEP teams to consider a student’s social and emotional performance when conducting special education evaluations and developing IEPs. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires students be “assessed in all areas related to the suspected disability, including, if appropriate, health, vision, hearing, social and emotional status, general intelligence, academic performance, communicative status, and motor abilities” 34 CFR 300.304 (c)(4). In addition, during IEP development, IEP teams must summarize a student’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance. Social and emotional skills such as social competence, emotional development, and self-concept can be considered types of functional skill areas along with other functional skills such as daily living, organization, and hygiene. For both special education evaluations and IEP development, it is important to remember that a student’s disability impairment label (e.g. autism, emotional behavioral disability, specific learning disability) does not determine all of the needs a student may have. The IDEA requires consideration of age/grade level social and emotional performance (or any academic or functional strength or need) not limited to a specific disability (i.e. impairment) category or label. IDEA states the “evaluation must be sufficiently comprehensive to identify all of the student's needs for special education and related services, whether or not commonly linked to the identified disability category.” 34 CFR 300.304(c) (6). It is expected that some impairment categories are more highly correlated and/or directly relate to social and emotional learning competencies than others (e.g. autism, emotional behavioral disability). However, IEP teams should consider and discuss age/grade level social and emotional learning competencies when reviewing the present levels of academic achievement and functional performance for any student with an IEP to ensure the IEP team is not missing a disability-related need that should be addressed through the IEP. In Wisconsin, both IDEA state complaint decisions and due process hearings have identified IDEA violations because of a school district’s failure to identify and address disability-related needs that were not directly associated with a student’s disability impairment. How do Social and Emotional Competencies Relate to Behavior Needs of Students with IEPs? IDEA also requires IEP teams to identify whether or not a student’s behavior impedes their learning or the learning of others. This is documented in the Special Factors sections of the IEP. Because many underlying behavior concerns are linked to a lack of instruction or support in the area of social and emotional learning, it is particularly important for IEP teams to utilize social and emotional competencies to assist in identifying underlying root causes of behavior within the area of social and emotional learning. Furthermore, IDEA requires that when behavioral needs are identified by IEP teams, regardless of the impairment(s) with which the student is identified, the IEP team must address behavior needs utilizing positive behavior interventions and supports (Step 3 and 4 of the CCR IEP Process). Thus, for students with behavior needs, the utilization of social and emotional competencies can assist IEP teams to more accurately identify root causes (i.e. disability-related needs) that lead to individually targeted IEP goals and services to address unmet needs that manifest in impeding the learning of the student and/or others. How can IEP Teams Utilize Wisconsin’s Social and Emotional Competencies to Understand a Student’s Current Level of Academic and Functional Achievement? Step 1 in the CCR IEP process is Understand Achievement. In this step, IEP teams are required to document a student’s present level of academic and functional performance compared to age/grade level peers. Social and emotional learning is one type of “functional performance” area. Thus, IEP teams can utilize the SEL Competencies to assist in documenting a student’s social and emotional strengths and needs related to age/grade level peers. For example, when looking at the SEL Competencies, an educator can review the grade band competencies for the grade a student is enrolled to help identify social and emotional strengths and needs of the student. Thus, a portion of the student’s current level of functional performance can be stated in objective terminology using the social and emotional learning competencies as a guide. When the IEP team has no concerns in the area of social and emotional learning for a student, a simple statement in the student’s present level of performance that the student is meeting age/grade level social and emotional expectations may be all that is required. For students who are showing a need in a specific area of social and emotional learning, a grade level comparison of the social and emotional learning competency is described and documented. IEP teams do not have to review and report on all SEL competencies, but should include information in a student’s present level of performance on those grade level SEL expectations that most greatly contribute to a student’s ability to access, engage, and make progress in grade level curriculum, instruction, and environments. Since the SEL Competencies were developed as a continuum from prekindergarten through adulthood, educators can also use the competencies to better understand skill sets that are expected as students move from grade to grade. This may assist educators with Step 2 of the CCR Five Step Process, Identify Effects of Disability and Disability-Related Need(s). Specifically, the SEL grade band continuum may help IEP teams identify underlying social and emotional skills that are needed to meet grade level expectations. As we will see in step 2, to be able to identify each student’s unique underlying disability-related need related to any given area of concern, educators will have to dive even deeper into the SEL competency, such as social communication or emotional regulation, to understand “why” the student is struggling to demonstrate that SEL expectation. How are Social and Emotional Competencies Related to a Student’s Disability-Related Needs? Step 2 of the CCR IEP process begins with identifying the “effects” of a student’s disability within the school environment. On the IEP, the “effect of disability” section answers the question of “how” the student’s disability affects access, engagement, and progress in age/grade level curriculum, instruction, and environments. Often students who struggle with abilities and/or use of social and emotional learning competencies display observable difficulties in school settings. For these students, one might observe effects such as frequently being removed from instruction and/or leaving the instructional area (e.g. the student is sent out of class or walks out of class). Other examples include lack of engagement in classroom activities or other observed behaviors such as aggressive physical or verbal behavior, (e.g. hitting or swearing), refusal to work or follow instructions, not completing assignments, arguing, or having difficulty making friendships or communicating with peers. These are all observable examples of the effects of a student’s disability that may be the result of unmet social and emotional disability-related needs. To determine if the “effects of disability” are the result of unmet social and emotional disability-related needs, IEP teams must also explore and summarize the root cause(s) of “why” the student is having difficulty accessing, engaging, or making progress in school settings. This root cause analysis discussion leads to the identification of disability-related need(s) that must then be addressed through IEP goals and/or services. As one might expect in an “Individualized Education Program”, the process of determining root causes and disability-related needs is highly individualized. An IEP team should not assume that all students with the same “effect of disability” or “disability impairment category label” have the same disability-related needs. For example, imagine four different students who have the same observed “effect of disability” such as refusal to work. Each student may have a different root cause explaining “why” they are refusing to work and IEP team discussions of each student may lead to unique disability-related needs. One student’s needs may be rooted in self-management, another in flexibility, and another in competencies related to resilience, and/or self-concept. When digging even deeper, there may be even more specific underlying unmet skills/needs in each of these areas that are specific to an individual student. Thus, IEP team discussions to determine disability-related needs should be “individualized” for each student. How Can Principals Support IEP Team Discussions of Disability-Related Needs Related to Social and Emotional Competencies? Identification of a student’s disability-related need(s) in the area of social and emotional learning will likely require considerable discussion and insight from multiple team members. Sometimes, there is not a lot of existing objective data related to this area with which to conduct a root cause analysis. For example, when a disability-related need identifies an academic skill that must be taught and supported (e.g. a set of specific reading skills), there is often a considerable amount of objective data and information that has already been collected through classroom and school formative and summative assessments to assist IEP teams identify specific disability-related needs relating to academics. Identification of unmet needs in the area of social and emotional learning often relies on student, family member, and educator interviews, observations or functional behavior assessment, and other data that may be more subjective in nature. Thus, principals should encourage discussion between all members of the IEP team, including parents, special and general education teachers, related service providers, paraprofessionals, and others that have unique knowledge of the student to assist in “digging deeper” when identifying disability-related needs related to SEL Competencies. In addition to conducting a quality functional behavior assessment as part of a special education evaluation, an additional tool to help IEP teams identify unmet social and emotional needs is the Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems developed by Lives in the Balance. Before using any assessment tool for students with an IEP, or students suspected of having a disability, IEP teams should ensure they are complying with all state and federal requirements relating to assessment and evaluation of students with disabilities. In addition to supporting more in depth IEP team conversation about disability-related needs related to SEL competencies, principals can assist IEP teams in identifying whether a student is struggling to meet social and emotional functional expectations because it is necessary for the student to attain a new social and emotional skill (e.g. acquisition of a skill) versus a student who does not perform an already learned skill across classroom and school environments (e.g. application of a skill). For those familiar with functional behavior assessments, educators often think of the SEL terminology of “acquisition” and “application” as a “skill” versus “performance” paradigm when determining behavior needs for students. When documenting disability-related need(s) in the IEP, many IEP teams find sentence starters helpful. For example, “if the student improves self-management skills, then the student will be able to maintain attention to task so they can complete classroom assignments.” As we have mentioned before, it is important for principals and IEP teams to remember that disability-related needs are specific to each individual student. For example, all students identified as having “regulation” difficulties likely have unique regulation needs. Thus, IEP teams are encouraged to dig deeper during their root cause analysis discussion to identify underlying skill(s) that, if taught and supported, would improve the student’s ability to demonstrate age/grade level social and emotional competency. In addition, not all observable effects of a student’s disability (e.g. difficulty completing assignments, not following instructions) are the result of unmet social and emotional disability-related needs. Other areas such as communication, medical/health, cognitive, academic, or a student’s independence may need to be explored. How are Social and Emotional Competencies Incorporated into IEP Goals and Services? Once IEP teams identify a student’s disability-related needs, IEP teams must ensure that each disability-related need is addressed through the development of an IEP goal (Step 3 of the CCR IEP process) and/or aligned to an IEP service (Step 4 of the CCR IEP process). For many students, IEP teams determine that IEP goals are needed to close performance gaps in social and emotional competencies compared to grade level peers and enable students to access, engage, and make progress in general education. Some disability-related needs, such as a specific self-regulation need, may be addressed through a supplementary aid or service (e.g. an accommodation or support) such as visually represented schedules, foreshadowing changes in routine, self-regulation tools, engagement breaks, or mindfulness practices. Other needs may require specially designed instruction, such as when a student needs to learn new skills or needs to learn how to use or generalize support strategies. Thus, based on each unique student, IEP teams may determine whether an IEP goal and an IEP service, or just a supplementary aid or service (e.g. support or accommodation) is required to address the student’s disability-related need. For students with an IEP goal to support a specific SEL need, an example of a goal statement may be, “When presented with visual choices and 30 seconds of processing time before each class period to choose a self-regulation tool or strategy, the student will select a choice to use so they can complete required classwork during the class period” In addition to identifying a specific skill(s), e.g. selecting a self-regulation tool or strategy, an IEP goal must also include a baseline, level of attainment, and procedures for measuring the student’s progress . For example “Baseline: Does not select self-regulation tools or strategies on own; average 62% of classwork completed during last 30 days. Level of Attainment: Selects self-regulation tool or strategy from choices before each class; uses tool or strategy to complete average 90% of classwork during last 30 days of IEP. Procedures for measuring progress: daily strategy/class schedule chart with check marks for selected tool or strategy and ratio of completed classwork recorded daily.” Annual IEPs goals may include a condition statement such as a social and emotional learning tool or strategy or teacher cue or prompt, and must contain a measurable skill directly addressing a disability-related need and a baseline, level of attainment, and procedures for measuring progress. The baseline indicates where the student is performing at the start of the IEP. It is the starting point for measuring progress toward goal achievement. The level of attainment is where you want the student to be at the end of the term of the IEP. The level of attainment is determined by the IEP team and should be ambitious and achievable for each individual student. The procedures for monitoring progress should provide for accurate and consistent data collection to allow IEP team participants to regularly track progress, report progress to parents, and to ensure the student is on track for meeting the annual goal. For some skills associated with SEL competencies, it may be difficult to observe and document the “use” of skills and behaviors in classroom environments. For example, it may be more difficult to observe the use of emotional regulation skills (e.g. deep breathing, self-talk, imagery) compared to observing other skills associated with SEL competencies such as social skills (e.g. parallel or cooperative play, initiating and responding to peers, and maintaining conversations). Thus, some IEP goals that target behaviors that are difficult to observe, such as regulation skills, might focus on the student’s ability to identify a self-regulation strategy when given a social situation (i.e. to improve social awareness) or to self-monitor the use of a self-regulation strategy (i.e. to improve self-management). At other times, when the disability-related need identifies a specific observable self-regulation skill, the IEP goal can be directly related to the use of that specific skill (e.g. handing a break card to the teacher). In addition to developing IEP goals, IEP teams must align IEP services to the goals (Step 4 in the CCR IEP Five Step Process). IEP services may include supplementary aids and services (e.g. accommodations and supports to allow the student to participate in general education with non-disabled peers), related services (e.g. support from an occupational, physical, or speech-language pathologist, or other related service provider), program modifications and supports for school staff (e.g. training to use a specific social and emotional intervention or collaboration time designated for reviewing progress data), and specially designed instruction (e.g. adapting the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction to meet the student’s unique disability related needs and allow the student to meet general education standards). Some IEP services (e.g. specially designed instruction to improve social relationships) may be linked to multiple IEP goals (e.g. increasing use of self-regulation tools and strategies and increasing time spent in cooperative play). Principals are encouraged to help IEP teams identify whether a supplementary aid and service, specially designed instruction, or both are required to address a student’s disability-related needs. How Should IEP Goals Related to Social and Emotional Competencies be Monitored for Progress? IEP teams are also required to monitor progress of IEP goals (Step 5 of the CCR IEP Process). For each IEP goal, IEP teams should identify how ongoing progress toward the goal will be monitored throughout the duration of the IEP. The method of measuring progress must be appropriate to the goal. They must be consistent with the baseline and level of attainment. Thus, the measure used to monitor progress must measure the same “skill” that is outlined in the baseline and level of attainment of the IEP goal. And, if the baseline and level of attainment are stated as percentages, the method of monitoring progress should yield percentages. For more information on monitoring progress of IEP goals, see the CCR IEP Step 5 web page. In addition, WI DPI is recording a dig deeper webinar on monitoring progress of IEP goals in November 2019 that will be posted to the CCR IEP Learning Resources web page. How Do IEP Teams Determine what Social and Emotional Services Should Be Included in IEPs? Students with IEPs should receive all of the supports afforded to students without IEPs throughout all levels of an equitable multi-level system of support. For each individual student, the determination of the student’s unique disability-related needs that are aligned with IEP goals and services is an IEP team decision. This decision should be based on the unique needs and circumstances of each student and what is required to address a student’s disability related needs. For supplementary aids and services, even if similar accommodations are provided to all students, IEP teams should document the frequency, duration, and amount of the supplementary aids and services in the IEP to ensure the student’s needs are addressed. This ensures students will continue to receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) regardless if the student moves to a new school, teachers and leadership turnover, or the school makes changes to the universal or other levels of a multi-level system of support. In addition, when behavior impedes the learning and/or the learning of other students, this also must be documented in the student’s IEP along with the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports, and other strategies to address that behavior. Because supplementary aids and services (e.g. accommodations) are intended to enable students with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled students to the maximum extent appropriate, it is important to remember that accommodations can be provided by any school staff, and in particular, general education teachers. For example, students in need of self-management supports during regular classroom instruction, such as opportunities to stand up and move, will need to be allowed that movement across school environments. Classroom teachers and/or paraprofessionals, who work with the student, should be familiar with the supplementary aids and services outlined in the student’s IEP so they are able to provide the necessary support across classroom environments. For specially designed instruction that addresses disability-related needs relating to SEL Competencies, teachers may utilize the same curriculum, resources, and frameworks utilized for all students as part of a schools equitable multi-level system of support. For example, specially designed instruction may intensify, modify, individualize, or supplement the curriculum or instruction provided to all students to better fit the needs of an individual student. In addition, specially designed instruction or related services may be provided within the general education environment. Research has shown greater generalization of skill acquisition across environments when teaching and learning takes place in a student’s natural environment where the skill is expected. Some schools also provide small group instruction on social and emotional skills in the general education environment that may include students with and without IEPs. Special education and related service providers may provide “incidental benefit” to students without IEPs when instruction is provided in the general education environment. For more information on incidental benefit, see the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) letter to Coulliard.
Additional Resources Sign up for SEL updates through the DPI SEL email list and/or sign up for special education updates through the WIP DPI Collaborative Special Education Support email list. Find both lists and instructions on subscribing on the DPI email lists page. For videos, webinars, training slide decks, and regional and specialized trainings on CCR IEP, including a training on incorporating SEL competencies into IEP development, go to: https://dpi.wi.gov/sped/college-and-career-ready-ieps/learning-resources For additional information about Social and Emotional Competencies go to: https://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/mental-health/social-emotional-learning For trainings and resources to support neurodiverse students (students with autism, emotional behavioral disabilities, and needs related to social and emotional competencies) go to: https://sites.google.com/cesa1.k12.wi.us/ese/home For additional legal requirements relating to Free and Appropriate Public Education, Discipline, go to the WI DPI Special Education Bulletins page: https://dpi.wi.gov/sped/laws-procedures-bulletins/bulletins For at a glance sheets to assist IEP teams with IEP development go to: https://dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/sped/pdf/ccr-steps-1-5-complete-packet.pdf For an interactive web based discussion tool on CCR IEP development go to: https://dpi.wi.gov/sped/college-and-career-ready-ieps/discussion-tool Social and Emotional Learning in Wisconsin About the authors Katie Berg, Supporting Neurodiverse Students Statewide Coordinator, CESA 1 Read more at:
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