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• I’m a middle school teacher: how should I be supporting my students’ social and emotional learning (SEL)? 
• What has decades of experience working with at-risk youth revealed about student SEL needs? 
• How should district administrators plan and implement SEL initiatives? 
• What are some of the ways school leaders are using student SEL data? 

These were just some of the questions and conversations I heard earlier this month at the second annual meeting of the Center to Promote Social Emotional Learning (CPSEL). Hosted by several Pennsylvania educational agencies, the event welcomed several hundred educators to Harrisburg for an energetic and excited exchange of inspiration and ideas for programming at every level.

ACT social and emotional learning experts added our voice to these important conversations, and are excited to continue active involvement in the years to come. This event continues to grow, because it meets an important need for providing educators, researchers, policymakers, and program developers opportunities to come together to advance the work they all recognize is so important to student success.

Here are some of the key highlights, based on the conversations this year.

Teacher Support for SEL

Several sessions were dedicated to the conference’s most important topic: teacher support for SEL.

Savanna Flakes, a consultant from Virginia, emphasized the power of relationships between teachers and students. It begins with a personal greeting every morning, and includes assurances that classroom climates are safe and provide opportunities for students to feel successful.

• Prevention—teaching the skill before the problem occurs 
• Motivation—such that students want to use the skills 
• Breathing exercises 
• Repeated opportunities for practice 
• Use of common and familiar language around the skills 
• Providing safe spaces for students to retreat to 
• The power of journaling 

Students Struggling with Behavioral Challenges

Keynote speaker Dr. Robert Brooks, a clinical psychologist at Harvard Medical School, spoke of his work, originating in the early 1970s, focusing on students struggling with behavioral challenges. Through poignant storytelling and a thorough review of important research in the field, he called upon and challenged educators to ensure there is a culture of “positivity” in our schools. The only way to overcome problematic behavioral patterns is to provide students with experiences and a sense of belonging, self-determination, competence—and perhaps most of all—altruistic purpose.

“Every school should have prominently displayed in its entrance hallway the unique and particular strength of each student in the building, and, even better, showcase how each student is using that strength to contribute to the enrichment of the school and community.”

School Districts Implementing SEL

Two senior officers from the Boston-based nonprofit, Transforming Education, conducted a three-hour workshop sharing insights from their work with school districts implementing SEL programs. Key components of this work include:

1. Prioritizing SEL as a key initiative, and providing resources to that effect. 
2. Building knowledge across district leadership on the what, why, and how of SEL. 
3. Collecting and applying SEL data in a process of data-informed continuous improvement. 
4. Scaling and sustaining SEL programming. 

They urged districts not to move too fast but instead, adopt the motto that “slow and steady wins the race.” Rather than jumping to implement a particular program, take time to build knowledge, buy-in, and capacity across the many people and players in the work.

Use of SEL Data at a School Level

Finally, the collection and use of SEL data at a school level was widely discussed and encouraged at the conference. It is clearly something school leaders and program developers recognize as a key element of success.

In one session, participants reflected on their work and identified many valuable applications of these data, such as:

• Prioritizing areas for instruction 
• Identifying group strengths 
• Organizing small groups 
• Informing professional development 
• Coaching teachers on the most useful strategies 
• Evaluating programs 
• Differentiating student needs. 

ACT is pleased to be participating in what is clearly a burgeoning movement to enhance social and emotional learning in our schools. As an authority in social and emotional learning, ACT is committed to working closely with schools and districts in a wide variety of ways, from supporting basic understanding to offering tailored solutions.

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ICYMI: Here are some of our social media highlights from May to easily share with your networks. Together, we can help people achieve education and workplace success.

A Better Approach to Readiness

• Click to tweet: .@SuzanaDelanghe blogs about #ACTCollegeReady, a better approach to readiness that focuses on learning in a personalized and adaptive environment: http://bit.ly/2GeGp8u
• Click to tweet: Janie’s placement story is one shared by tens of thousands of students and adult learners. Here’s how @ACT is tackling an obstacle to success with a turnkey solution for readiness: http://bit.ly/2GeGp8u
• Share on LinkedIn: The future of student success lies in programs that focus on learning in a personalized and adaptive environment. Suzana Delanghe tells us the ubiquitous story of Janie, an adult learner navigating placement and its unintended obstacles to success. We have a better approach to readiness: http://bit.ly/2rFD4tO

Congratulations to the 2018 ACT College and Career Readiness Champions

• Click to tweet: .@ACT has announced their 2018 #ACTChampions. See if someone you know made the list! bit.ly/2pZ5tLs
• Click to tweet: Take a look at this! The 2018 #ACTChampions representing exemplary individuals from #highschool #K12 #postsecondary and the #workforce are making great strides to advance college and career readiness for ALL in their communities: bit.ly/2pZ5tLs 
• Click to tweet: Congratulations to this year's #ACTChampions! These individuals are making exemplary contributions in support of #college and #career readiness in their communities: bit.ly/2pZ5tLs  
• Share on LinkedIn: Congratulations to the 2018 ACT Champions! Learn what it takes to be one of these exemplary individuals and take a look at the list of champions from all 50 states and the District of Columbia: bit.ly/2pYHsUv

ACT Policy Platforms

• Click to tweet: SVP of Public Affairs, @MontyIc, talks about the 2018 @ACT #CTE Policy Platform, which focuses on how #CTE can positively impact an individual's education and workplace success. Read more here: http://bit.ly/2Dp1oYT #edpolicy #ACTPolicyPlatforms
• Click to tweet: Our own Paul Weeks, talks about the @ACT #Highered Policy Platform, which challenges how we think about who is a college student, where instruction can take place, & how to make a college more affordable http://bit.ly/2FLLHc4 #ACTPolicyPlatforms
• Click to tweet: Our Chief Operating Officer, @JGodwinForSB, talks about the 2018 @ACT #K12 #Education Policy Platform, which focuses on three broad categories of readiness, rigor, and high-quality assessment. Read more here: http://bit.ly/2DgE1NG #ACTPolicyPlatforms
• Click to tweet: .@SuzanaDelanghe explains the @ACT #workforce development policy platform, which focuses on helping more people succeed in the current & future economies. Read more here http://bit.ly/2paLFnU #workforcedevelopment #jobs #workskills #ACTPolicyPlatforms

ACT Research

• Click to tweet: More than 2 million US HS graduates (2,030,038) took the @ACT test. That’s 60% of the entire US graduating class. Learn more about the condition of college and career readiness: http://bit.ly/2Azwd8m #ACTCondition17 #ACTInsights bit.ly/2HIxbnp 
• Click to tweet: .@ACT research found that the top 3 secondary news sources for students include @YouTube, @facebook, and @Twitter. More on how students check #news: http://bit.ly/2H4Gb94 
• Click to tweet: A new @ACT #research brief examines the relationships between #ACTWorkKeys, training & counseling services offered by @CinState, & outcomes such as grades, program completion, employment status, & wages. Learn more: http://bit.ly/2HaCcrK #ACTInsights
• Click to tweet: Can #psychosocial factors like academic discipline, commitment to college, social connection, and academic self-confidence predict retention status? Read new @ACT research to learn more: http://bit.ly/2DEIlFX #ACTInsights
• Click to tweet: Do you know how well your students performed on the #PreACT compared to their peers? Check out the latest @ACT #research report for info that can be used to compare a student’s performance with others in the nation. http://bit.ly/2JEhixN #ACTInsights
• Click to tweet: What early-grade benchmarks indicate whether students are on target to meet the respective ACT College Readiness Benchmarks? More about @ACT research around #ACTAspire ELA & #STEM Readiness Benchmarks for Grades 3-10: http://bit.ly/2rdrJAT #readiness

IOWA CITY, Iowa— Starting in September, examinees with diagnosed disabilities or English learning needs who qualify for extended-time accommodations on the ACT® test will have a time limit on each section of the test, with a hard stop after each section. This is a change from the existing rules, under which examinees are given a total of 5 hours to complete the four test sections at their own pace, with no individual time limits on each section.

The change will impact only examinees who qualify for National Extended Time testing, the most commonly granted accommodation on the ACT. Such examinees will receive time-and-a-half on each of the four required multiple choice subject area tests (English, mathematics, reading and science). The time limits for National Extended Time testing will be as follows:

• English – 70 minutes (compared to 45 minutes standard)
• Mathematics – 90 minutes (compared to 60 minutes standard)
• Reading – 55 minutes (compared to 35 minutes standard)
• Science – 55 minutes (compared to 35 minutes standard)

Under the new policy, examinees will take a planned 15 minute break after the second test rather than taking individual breaks through the test.

Examinees taking the optional ACT writing test will continue to have 60 minutes to respond to the prompt (compared to 40 minutes in the standard administration), with a short break before.

ACT is making this change to improve fairness for all examinees, to make ACT’s administration procedures more consistent with industry standards and to address issues raised in feedback from examinees and test administrators. The change is the result of thorough and careful study and consideration.

“We have listened to the feedback we’ve received from students and test administrators, and we believe this change will provide an improved testing experience for both,” said ACT Chief Commercial Officer Suzana Delanghe. “The new rules will increase fairness for all examinees by better enabling some students to demonstrate their academic achievement without negatively impacting others.”

Self-pacing on the extended-time test is intended to provide flexibility to students with disabilities, but examinee feedback suggests that it can have the reverse effect, requiring an additional demand beyond what is required of those testing with standard time or other types of accommodations. Self-pacing may also negatively impact some students with disabilities who require structure and pacing to achieve maximum performance.

The changes will take effect in September 2018 and will not impact the upcoming June or July 2018 ACT national test dates.

For more information, an FAQ on the change has been posted on the ACT website.

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After she left high school, Janie had been waiting tables for two years before she mustered the courage to go back to school. After working a long shift, she stopped at her local community college to learn there were three steps to enrolling.

1. First, she sat down to complete her online application. Easy enough. 
2. Second, she contacted her high school to request an official transcript. No problem. 
3. Lastly, she would need to take a proctored placement test for English and math. A test? Now? 

Walking down the hall to the testing center, she began to sweat a little—her heart beating faster as she contemplated the task at hand. Besides calculating checks and tips, she hadn’t “done math” in the two years since high school.

Three hours later, she learned the bad news. She had just missed the “cut scores” required for placement in credit-bearing classes. Now, her return to school would begin with some remedial courses.

What Janie didn’t know is that the odds of earning her degree just dropped…substantially.

Research shows[1] that only one in five students who take remedial college coursework will attain a degree. Janie will begin her college endeavors trailing behind some of her college-bound peers and paying for courses that earn no credit. If only she could have scored a few points higher.

Janie isn’t alone.

Each year, tens of thousands of students and adult learners returning to school follow a similar path. We know the traditional methods of placement are unintended obstacles to success. In fact, ACT discontinued its own placement assessment program, ACT Compass, several years ago when we determined that it fell short of serving the needs of students and institutions. We strongly felt that a better approach to readiness—focused on helping students learn, rather than shuffling them off to a remedial course—was needed.

That’s why we developed and launched ACT CollegeReady, a solution offering individualized support. After taking a low stakes diagnostic test (online, non-proctored), each student is presented with a personalized study path with rich multimedia learning content to help them overcome their skills gaps. As the student learns, CollegeReady checks their knowledge of each topic. As their mastery expands, their CollegeReady score improves. And as their score improves, they reach the milestones necessary for credit-bearing course placement.

ACT CollegeReady is a turnkey solution for educational institutions, systems, and states eager for better outcomes through a student-centered learning and readiness experience. What’s more, ACT’s subscription model offers students unlimited use of the tool for one year, so learners can continue to take advantage of ACT CollegeReady once they begin their college-level studies. They can use CollegeReady anywhere, anytime, on any device. Equally helpful, instructors and advisors have detailed dashboard reports showing the progress (and struggles) of each student. This provides them the tools necessary for improved support, encouragement and tailored educational intervention.

As more and more colleges adopt new readiness programs such as ACT CollegeReady, our goal is to see Janie’s story as a part of education history that inspired a better approach to learning. The future of student success lies in programs that focus on learning in a personalized and adaptive environment.

[1] Remediation: Higher Education’s Bridge to Nowhere. (2012). [PDF]
Washington, DC: Complete College America, pgs. 2-3, 10. Available at:
http://completecollege.org.

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Teachers make a huge difference in children’s lives – and to their success throughout life.

According to the Education Trust, highly effective teachers can get one-and-a-half years of student growth out of one year in the classroom. Moreover, for students from low-income families, having three highly effective teachers in a row can close the achievement gap between them and their more advantaged peers.

The impact of great teachers also lasts a lifetime.

Economists at Harvard and Columbia found students fortunate enough to learn with “high-value-added” teachers were less likely to have children as teenagers, and more likely to attend college, earn higher salaries as adults, and save more for retirement.

For me, I can remember many fine teachers from my childhood – especially Mrs. Dubbeldam, my language teacher in high school, who sparked an interest in literature with me. After graduating I took a gap year, working at a bank, but I found the work boring and discovered that I spent all of my first earnings on books. I remembered the exciting lessons in literature from Mrs. Dubbeldam and decided to pick up a major in literature. It changed my life.