Schools are investing more than ever in social-emotional learning (SEL) curricula to help foster SEL in students’ lives. Now, two leading providers in the EdTech space have come together to provide educators with the tools they need to track and measure the impact of these programs. Aperture Education and Committee for Children have announced a collaboration to develop four assessments, based on the Aperture DESSA suite, to help schools measure the impact of the Committee for Children’s Second Step® programmes.
For over 40 years, the Committee for Children has worked to protect children’s safety and well-being, focusing on bullying prevention, child protection, and social-emotional learning. Their Second Step programmes are research-based SEL curricula designed to teach children essential life skills such as effective communication, resilience, and problem-solving. Now, through their partnership with Aperture Education, educators will have access to four integrated assessment and curriculum tools to gain valuable insights into the instructional effectiveness of the Second Step programmes.
Vivek Kartha, Chief Executive Officer of Riverside Insights, said: “It’s imperative to show how these investments translate into improved student outcomes. Years of evidence show how the Second Step improves critical life skills and mental well-being. We are proud to collaborate with the Committee for Children and contribute to improving student outcomes by aligning our gold-standard DESSA assessments with their world-class curriculum.”
These assessments are designed to meet professional standards for psychometric rigour, and allow educators to assess a student’s social and emotional skills in under five minutes. Middle school students can also self-report, giving them agency over their learning and development. Schools and districts can use the data to identify which classrooms and schools need additional implementation support, and to evaluate the return on their investment in the Second Step programme.
Andrea Lovanhill, Chief Executive Officer of Committee for Children, commented on the partnership: “Our partnership with Aperture enables us to offer our school community partners something they’ve been seeking: a high-quality assessment tool aligned to their Second Step curriculum. By bringing easy-to-use, data-driven DESSA assessments to schools using our Second Step programmes, teachers and support staff will have access to data that quickly and reliably illustrates whether students are learning the skills taught through the program and growing their competencies.”
The assessments will be available for Second Step schools to purchase in early 2024. This collaboration between Aperture Education and Committee for Children is a great example of how EdTech providers are coming together to provide teachers with the tools they need to measure the impact of SEL programmes and help students develop essential life skills.
