Novel Technology-Based Social-Emotional Learning Assessments

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

Abstract

With the growing awareness of social-emotional (SE) competence and its influence on peer relationships, academic performance, and school completion (e.g., Dubow & Tisak, 1989; Dubow et al., 1991; Wentzel, 1991; Taylor 2017), schools are an ideal environment to implement social-emotional learning (SEL) programs and assessments. States have begun implementing SEL standards for students in kindergarten through twelfth grades. These standards have largely mapped on to the five CASEL competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. With this growing awareness comes an increased demand for assessment resources, particularly for school districts assessing thousands of students.

Advances in technology have expanded the range of available social-emotional (SE) assessments, dramatically reduced administrative barriers, and expanded ecological validity. Automated scoring features and web-based assessment delivery reduces administrative burdens and allows for large-scale data collection and data management. Immersive audio-visual features, more naturalistic programs, and customizable aspects of assessments allow for a more engaging assessment experience that increases the accuracy and validity of assessments (Stapleton, 2004; Verhoef et al., 2019).

Even with these advances, some limitations persist with respect to resources and accessibility, potential for security vulnerabilities, equity and representation limitations, and a limited range of situational variety within programs. While these limitations may be addressable, some are cost prohibitive. The field would benefit from an in-depth discussion of what aspects of SE competence assessment are essential, which aspects warrant improvements, and how best to address these issues. Despite limitations of what is currently available, developers are well-positioned to improve the landscape of SE competence assessments to include more equitable and representative programs, elicit more accurate responses, and create a wider range of scenarios and environments, delivered on a variety of platforms.

For example, future SEL assessment efforts may consider implementing methods to reliably track an individual’s momentary SE competence level over time. This data, combined with ecological momentary assessment of a user’s mental and emotional health (Shiffman et al., 2008) and automatically collected data (e.g., step trackers, heart rate, phone usage, etc.), can provide a more comprehensive picture of SE health. Beyond this application, assessment efforts may also make use of augmented and virtual realities that are already available within recreational, educational, and training programs (McCarthy & Uppot, 2019; Elmqaddem, 2019). As the use of available technology-based assessments expands, the focus should expand to include both innovative uses of current technology and concepts for future technology design, facilitating collaboration across industries.

In this talk, the presenters will discuss (a) the benefits that technology currently brings to SE assessments, (b) current limitations and barriers, and (c) the future of technology-based SE assessments. This presentation should further discussion about what is currently possible, how we can achieve a greater potential, and what future technologies can offer.

Authors

• Nicole Russo-Ponsaran, Rush University Medical Center

• Ashley Karls, Rush University Medical Center

• Clark McKown, Rush University