Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Education
 
Board
State Board of Education
 
Guidance Document Change: The 2020 Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 753 directing the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to develop guidance standards for social emotional learning (SEL) for all public students in grades Kindergarten through 12 in the Commonwealth. The Virginia Social Emotional Learning Standards were developed in collaboration with an SEL Advisory Committee, composed of educators, community leaders, agency personnel, and parents. The Virginia SEL Standards are aligned with the Profile of a Virginia Graduate and centered in equity. This intentional focus allows the Standards to explicitly teach the skills needed to be “life ready” and to create more equitable learning environments.
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5/25/21  12:54 pm
Commenter: School Psychologist

Suggestion
 

Suggestion-- Maybe the document can clarify more of what social-emotional learning (SEL) is initially, before going specifically towards the standards.  Many of the comments and negative reactions to this document seem to be under the impression that this is a way of the schools trying to force their opinions/politics on the students; clarifying what SEL is would likely help show that that is not the case.  Like other comments have mentioned, SEL is not new in itself; is just a new term to describe what schools have always done- teaching kids critical skills to be successful in life, including math, reading, writing, science (etc), as well as interpersonal relationship skills. This includes the fact that we might not always like everyone, or get along well with everyone, but it is to our benefit to figure out how to collaborate with everyone enough to complete projects or we might end up hurting our own chances and success more than others. It includes the fact that things won't always come easy to us and we need to learn how to manage tough situations and feelings in order to survive and be successful. These are all important life skills that not only help us get along well with others in the classroom and complete tough school-work, but also help us learn how to get along well with others on the job and be successful in life. Supporting social-emotional learning will support our kids growing up to be successful adults. 

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