Locating and Identifying a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Assessment

Specify and clearly define SEL competencies so that decisions about what assessment to use are consistent with the intended competencies.

SEL frameworks help educators understand how competencies are defined; how they develop in students over time; and how they link to standards, curricula, and instructional tools. For more information about SEL frameworks, refer to Adopt an SEL framework (p. 11-12) in Choosing and Using SEL Competency Assessments: What Schools and Districts Need to Know (2018).

Assessment occurs in order to better inform various uses, and there are a broad range of intended uses that can be informed after assessing SEL, such as determining students’ strengths and needs, evaluating an SEL program, tracking SEL over time, and improving school quality. Not every assessment is designed for every intended use, so by articulating how SEL assessment results will inform intended uses, you will be better able to evaluate and select an assessment that was intended for that purpose.

Ideally, SEL assessment should be implemented along with a conceptual model that links the implementation of SEL programs or practices to specific short- and long-term learning goals. For more information about conceptual models, refer to Develop a Theory of Change (p. 12-13) Choosing and Using SEL Competency Assessments: What School Districts Need to Know (2018).

Assessments are designed for a particular group of students in a particular setting and then developed with representative sample(s) of those students and in those settings. Selecting an assessment that aligns with the students and the setting in which the SEL assessment will be used is important for valid interpretation of scores. A few example considerations include school type (public, private, charter); ages or grades of students; and student demographics, particularly in regard to ethnicity/culture, multilingual learners, and students with disabilities.

Consider early in the process who will be responding to the SEL assessment and who will be administering and scoring the assessment. Some assessments may require formal training or specialized practice for administration, and failure to use specially trained administrators could lead to improper administration/scoring, interpretation of results, and invalid decision-making. In addition, different assessment formats have strengths and limitations that should be balanced with factors such as time, cost, in-depth assessment of narrow areas, and less in-depth assessment of broad areas. The assessment you select may require compromises, so it is helpful to think about these early in the process.

Typical forms for SEL assessment include self-rating scales, observation or interview protocols, and/or performance assessments. For a detailed listing of the strengths and limitations of different assessment formats, refer to Step 4: Review the Assessment Options (p. 15-17) Choosing and Using SEL Competency Assessments: What School Districts Need to Know (2018).

Two sources provide lists of assessments specifically related to SEL. These sources can be helpful in your initial search for an appropriate measure, but the identification alone is not an endorsement of its match with your local purposes or the technical quality of the measure.

• The RAND Education Assessment Finder is a web-based, searchable tool with information for approximately 200 assessments of interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies as well as cognitive abilities. Each assessment listing includes basic information such as a brief summary of validity and reliability evidence, and populations from which available technical evidence has been collected.
• The American Institutes for Research (AIR) offers a Tools Index with a list of several dozen SEL assessments organized by age/grade level that provides basic information such as target constructs, time for completion, and authors. The site indicates plans to update the list annually and that several assessments are available but not sold commercially.

There are also four more comprehensive sources that include SEL assessments within a broader listing of assessments.

• The Test Collection at ETS is a freely available, searchable online database with entries for over 25,000 assessments that provide basic information such as target constructs or traits, age or grade ranges, source (e.g., publisher or journal article), and such matters as number of items and time for administration. Not all assessments listed are commercially available but information on how to obtain specific assessments is provided. Note that some entries can be dated given that the listing is cumulative.
• Tests in Print (TIP) is a reference volume published by the Buros Center for Testing that provides descriptions of more than 2,300 commercially available tests in English. Each listing details such information as test purpose, scores, population, administration time, publisher, and price. TIP is available in hard copy as well as electronically via the searchable EBSCO or Ovid databases in most academic libraries across the country or through the Buros website Test Reviews Online
• Pruebas Publicadas en Español (PPE),a reference volume also published by the Buros Center for Testing, is the Spanish counterpart to TIP in that it offers descriptive listings of more than 600 commercially available tests offered either wholly or partly in Spanish. Listings are given in both Spanish and English and provide the same information as TIP as well as information about the test’s origin, norms, translation/ adaptation process, and test components available in English and Spanish. PPE is sold in both hard copy and electronic (PDF) formats and may also be accessed online through EBSCO/Ovid databases at subscribing libraries.
• PsycTESTS is a searchable electronic database available as a subscription or through academic libraries sponsored by the American Psychological Association. It contains approximately 55,000 entries. At least 75% of those listings are available but not sold commercially. Listings provide purpose, constructs, administration information as well as minimal information on reliability, validity, and norms. For some entries, the assessment itself is attached, along with an indication of whether its use requires special permission.

• Professional journals feature articles, or collections of articles in special issues, oriented toward SEL assessments. Some articles will provide listings and brief descriptions of the assessments and other times more evaluative summaries. Such articles, when recent, can be very helpful, but their appearance is quite unpredictable.
• Other users in your professional circles may be a good source for identifying SEL assessments overlooked in the other sources. However, keep in mind that just because a particular SEL assessment is appropriate for one setting does not necessarily mean it is appropriate for your own setting without further evaluation.