The purpose of the Social, Emotional, and Character Development Standards is to provide schools a framework for integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) with character development so that students will learn, practice and model essential personal life habits that contribute to academic, vocational, and personal success. It is about learning to be caring and civil, to make healthy decisions, to problem solve effectively, to value excellence, to be respectful and responsible, to be good citizens and to be empathic and ethical individuals.

 Core Beliefs 

• Personal management and relationship skills are vital in all aspects of learning and of life.
• Students are most able to act in respectful and responsible ways when they have learned and practiced a range of social, emotional and character development skills.
• Effective social, emotional and character development skills support academic achievement in students and constructive engagement by staff, families and communities.
• Students learn best in a respectful, safe and civil school environment where adults are caring role models.
• Bullying/Harassment Prevention and safe school initiatives are most sustainable when embedded systemically in whole school Social, Emotional, and Character Development (SECD) programming.

College and Career Ready Goal

Students who are college and career ready must identify and demonstrate well-developed social-emotional skills and identified individual and community core principles that assure academic, vocational, and personal success. Students MAY be described as:

• They demonstrate character in their actions by treating others as they wish to be treated and giving their best effort.
• They assume responsibility for their thoughts and actions.
• They demonstrate a growth mindset and continually develop cognitively, emotionally and socially.
• They exhibit the skills to work independently and collaboratively with efficiency and effectiveness.
• They strive for excellence by committing to hard work, persistence and internal motivation.
• They exhibit creativity and innovation, critical thinking and effective problem solving.
• They use resources, including technology and digital media, effectively, strategically capably and appropriately.
• They demonstrate an understanding of other perspectives and cultures.
• They model the responsibility of citizenship and exhibit respect for human dignity.

 For more information contact Tami Simkins, MVA Counselor, tamis@usd383.org.