Social Emotional Learning Assessment Frameworks and Validity Arguments

• In Event: Assessing Competencies for Social and Emotional Learning: Conceptualization, Development, and Applications

Abstract

Frameworks are often designed as tools for organizing and communicating ideas, building theories, as well as testing (and revising) research hypotheses. In the field of SEL, there has been a proliferation of frameworks in recent years such that the benefits of having a framework (e.g., communication, theory building) are being hampered by confusion about the sheer number of available frameworks. Since reviewing all existing frameworks is not a feasible task, this presentation compares frameworks that have been popularized in applied or research settings. This includes comparing key constructs across frameworks to highlight commonalities as well as unique contributions. We will also discuss relative merits of frameworks that are organized hierarchically in that they can provide information about various levels of a construct (usually from more general to more specific) which has implications for measurement and intervention. We propose moratorium on new framework development and instead focusing the field’s efforts on integrating existing frameworks by: (a) examining their common and distinct components, (b) asking whether the constructs in the frameworks are in fact measurable and actionable—thus underscoring their applied and research value, and (c) borrowing lessons from other areas of psychology (e.g., clinical, industrial/organizational, personality) that have successfully addressed concerns about framework proliferation in order to move our knowledge and practice base forward.

We will also discuss key considerations when developing a validity argument for social and emotional skill assessments. These include three broad categories: uses, methods, and evidence. As with any validity argument, the intended use of the assessment should be clearly articulated and drive the collection of evidence to support that use. Related, methods for measuring social and emotional skills is an important factor given that the measurement of these skills is subject to faking, socially desirable responding, and/or other cognitive biases, which can impact the validity of an assessment for a particular use case. Finally, we review the five different types of validity evidence and how each type can more or less lend themselves to supporting a validity argument depending on how skill scores are being used. For example, for selection purposes, evidence of relation to other variables takes on increased importance and the identification of relevant outcome(s) becomes a paramount step. Throughout the presentation, we focus on the challenges associated with developing a validity argument for social and emotional skill assessments and provide recommendations and lessons learned from the field to support future validation efforts in this area.

Authors

• Samuel Rikoon, Educational Testing Service

• Jeremy Burrus, ACT, Inc.