Virginia Regulatory Town Hall View Comments

Department of Education

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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5/26/21 3:23 pm

Commenter: Courtney Sullivan

Educator

I fully support the proposed standards and I trust that the standards were written by a team comprised of experts, parents and other critical stakeholders. Yes, academic achievement is a critical school outcome. However, academic achievement cannot and often does not occur without emotional and social stability. Many students are not able to demonstrate full academic achievement due to gaps in social-emotional skills. These standards should not be viewed as replacing academic rigor. Instead, it is clear these standards SUPPORT academic rigor and achievement.

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