Statutory or Board rules do not require specific SEL competencies be taught and assessed in schools to all students in Vermont at this time. Instruction to SEL competencies integrated throughout the K-12 curriculum serve as a universal intervention in a tiered system of support (16 V.S.A. § 2902), an element of a comprehensive health education program (16 V.S.A. § 131), and meet outcomes identified through the Vermont Portrait of a Graduate.
NEW Featured Resource: CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL: Integration of SEL and Academics - The Integration of SEL and Academics section of the Guide explains how educators can integrate social-emotional learning (SEL) into academic lessons by fostering supportive relationships, promoting student voice, and using instructional strategies that develop SEL competencies.
NEW Featured Resource: Design Principles for Schools: Development of Skills, Habits, and Mindsets - This is a section of the Design Principles for Schools playbook. This section outlines ways to integrate teaching of cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills into education through intentional design, practice, and reflection.
NEW Featured Resource: Health Across the Curriculum Webinar join the Agency of Education’s Health and Physical Education Content Specialist, Ian Burfoot-Rochford, for a 27-minute introduction to an approach to integrating health content and skills in other subject area curriculum.
NEW Featured Resource: New Health and PE Standards - The 2024 SHAPE America National Health and Physical Standards were recently adopted by the Vermont State Board of Education. Both standards include SEL competencies.
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) - Schoolwide SEL fosters environments, skills, and relationships that enhance all students’ social, emotional, and academic learning. While it can take 3 to 5 years to fully implement, schools at all stages in the journey can observe their progress using the 10 Indicators of Schoolwide SEL.
National Health Education Standards/CASEL Crosswalk - This document, created by the Society for Health and Physical Educators, highlights connections between the National Health Education Standards (which are Vermont State Board adopted) and CASEL competencies. This document also includes connections between standards and “equity outcomes and critical practices identified in CASEL’s Social and Emotional Learning Roadmap for Reopening School (CASEL, 2020).
Pure Edge- Flourish: A K-5 SEL Curriculum - In partnership with the University of Virginia’s Compassionate Schools Project, Pure Edge has developed a free K-5 SEL curriculum. The Flourish curriculum integrates active learning, mindful moments, movement, and health and wellness skills.
Vermont Early Learning Standards - Social and Emotional Learning and Development (pp. 30-38) includes emotions and self-regulation, self-awareness, and relationships with adults and peers. All children differ in temperament, learning style, home environment, cultural background, needs and abilities. These differences are strengths that influence their development, learning and assurance within themselves to interact with adults, siblings, peers, familiar people, strangers, at home, in school, or other community settings.