You are here

Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum and Alignment Tools

For Educators and Youth Service Professionals

Note that the following information and webinars are not an endorsement by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) of these products.

Curricula shared on this page are programs identified to meet ESSA Tiers of Evidence at levels I, II, or III. ESSA Tiers of Evidence programs determined to be Tier I – III are eligible to align their curriculum to the Wisconsin Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Competencies. If you would like to align your curriculum with the WI SEL Competencies, and your program is an Tier I, II or III level program contact dpisspw@dpi.wi.gov, (608) 266-8960

While the DPI does not endorse any specific programs, it is recommended that you choose an EBP. When using state or federal funds to purchase curriculum it is required that the curriculum be evidence based (ESSA Tier I, II or III) Information about evidence-based curricula can be found in the following resources:

For more information, The Social and Emotional Learning & Mental Health Evidence-Based Strategies Guide provides SEL program registries and resources to inform and guide SEL curriculum selection.
 
7 Mindsets

7 Mindsets provides a proven framework for social-emotional learning, sustainable positive school climate, and character development. Our K-12 curriculum, professional development, and ongoing support change the way educators and students think, interact, and live. 7 Mindsets delivers research-based, age-appropriate, culturally relevant, digital lessons as well as powerful educator training and coaching for professional and professional growth. The 7 Mindsets common language and practices extend beyond the classroom, connecting homes and communities to thrive.

7 Mindsets webinar  

7 Mindsets presentation

7 Mindsets Alignment Tool

Building Assets, Reducing Risk (BARR)

Designed by a 9th-grade counselor, Building Assets, Reducing Risks (BARR) is a strengths-based secondary whole school (grades 6-12) model that provides schools with a comprehensive approach to meeting the academic, behavioral, social, and emotional needs of all students.

Caring School Community®

Caring School Community (CSC) builds classroom and schoolwide community (K-8) while developing students’ social and emotional learning (SEL) skills and competencies. It is designed to help students become caring, responsible members of their school communities and, ultimately, to grow into humane, principled, and skilled citizens of a democratic society. From the first day of Kindergarten through the last day of grade 8, the lessons in the program help teachers create warm, safe, and disciplined classroom environments where students can develop the skills and dispositions they need to interact constructively with others. The program achieves this by doing the following:

  • building caring relationships with and among students
  • directly teaching social skills
  • creating calm, orderly learning environments through the effective use of classroom management practices
  • helping students acquire self-discipline through a caring and effective approach to discipline

CSC Kindergarten Alignment with SEL Competencies

CSC Grade 1 Alignment with SEL Competencies

CSC Grades 2-3 Alignment with SEL Competencies

CSC Grades 4-5 Alignment with SEL Competencies

CSC Grades 6-8 Alignment with SEL Competencies

CSC Webinar and CSC Webinar presentation slides

Competent Kids, Caring Communities

CKCC is a comprehensive, school-wide, social-emotional learning program from Early Childhood through 5th Grade whose mission is to develop Competent Kids within the context of Caring Communities through involving children and the adults who support them in building children's social-emotional competencies. CKCC is a program of the Ackerman Institute for the Family, a premier family therapy training and research institute based in New York City.

CKCC Alignment tool

The PATHS® Curriculum

The PATHS® curriculum is an evidence-based social and emotional learning program that provides children in grades Pre K-6 the skills they need to promote social and emotional development and find positive, nonviolent solutions to social problems.

PATHS Pre K-3 Alignment with Social and Emotional Competencies

PATHS Webinar

PATHS Grades 4-5 Alignment with Social and Emotional Competencies

PATHS Grade 6 Alignment with Social and Emotional Competencies

Positive Action

Positive Action is a systematic educational program that promotes an intrinsic interest in learning and encourages cooperation among students. It works by teaching and reinforcing the intuitive philosophy that you feel good about yourself when you do positive actions.

Positive Action Pre K-5 Alignment with Social and Emotional Competencies

Positive Action Grade 6-Adult Alignment with Social and Emotional Competencies

Positive Action webinar and Positive Action webinar PowerPoint

Sanford Harmony

Sanford Harmony is a Pre-K-6th-grade CASEL-SELect program that supports PBIS and builds healthy relationships and supportive learning communities where all students are valued. Students learn social-emotional learning strategies to enhance connection, collaboration and communication through Everyday Practices and lessons. Lessons are focused around five main unit themes of Diversity and Inclusion, Empathy and Critical Thinking, Communication, Problem Solving and Peer Relationships.


Wisconsin Alignment Pk-K

Wisconsin Alignment 1-3

Wisconsin Alignment 4-5

Wisconsin Alignment 6-8

Sanford Harmony Webinar and Sanford Harmony webinar PowerPoint presentation

School Connect

School-Connect is an engaging 80-lesson multimedia curriculum designed to help secondary students boost their social, emotional, and academic skills to prepare for high school, college and the workplace.

Second Step

Designed for Early Learning-Grade 8, the evidence-based Second Step SEL Program features tools, teaching aids, activity guides, and resources for classroom teachers to ensure successful social-emotional skills instruction. In addition to classroom materials, we offer online resources to help plan lessons, train staff and communicate with families.

Second Step Webinar and corresponding PowerPoint presentation

SSIS SEL Class-wide Intervention Program

A comprehensive, evidence-based, social-emotional learning system that also assesses key academic skills and integrates the different components with an aligned, multi-tiered intervention.


WDPI SEL competencies table PreK-5

WDPI SEL competencies table 6-adult

SSIS SEL Classwide Intervention Program Webinar

Stop & Think Social Skills Program

The Stop & Think Social Skills Program is an evidence-based program through the US Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). It is the anchor of our Positive Behavioral Support/Social-Emotional Learning System (PBSS/SEL), and it has been implemented in thousands of schools nationwide over the past 35+ years. The Program has been implemented with students at all levels of "the Tiers"- including, for example, adolescents in juvenile detention centers and residential settings for students with behavioral and emotional disabilities.

The Stop & Think Social Skills Program has demonstrated effectiveness in helping preschool through high school students develop social, emotional, and behavioral self-management skills. Many counselors and school psychologists also use it with students who have more significant behavioral needs (it was originally developed in a day treatment program with psychotic, autistic, and similarly significantly involved students).

WDPI SEL Competencies Stop and Think Program Crosswalk preK-5

WDPI SEL Competencies Stop and Think Program Crosswalk 6-12

Responsive Classroom

The Responsive Classroom approach to teaching is comprised of a set of well-designed practices intended to create a safe, joyful, and engaging classroom and school community. The emphasis is on helping students develop their academic, social, and emotional skills in a learning environment that is developmentally responsive to their strengths and needs.

Responsive Classroom Competencies PreK-5

Responsive Classroom Competencies 6-12

Too Good for Violence

Social Perspectives is a comprehensive, evidence-based social and emotional learning curriculum that develops and applies social and emotional learning skills for conflict resolution, bullying prevention, anger management, and respect for self and others.

TGVSP Kindergarten

Wisconsin SEL 1-3

Wisconsin SEL 4-5

Wisconsin SEL 6-8

Wisconsin SEL High School

 

Tribes Learning Communities

Tribes Learning Communities (Tribes TLC®) is a research-based program that creates a culture that maximizes learning and human development. The Tribes group development process focuses on resiliency and the stages of human development in order to create a positive learning environment and promote academic social and emotional learning.

The Mission of Tribes is to assure the healthy development of every child so that each has the knowledge, competency, and resilience to be successful in today’s rapidly changing world.

Mosaic™ by ACT®

Mosaic™ by ACT® is a robust Social Emotional Learning program that encompasses a comprehensive assessment, K-12 curriculum, and educator professional development— including a breadth of options for English learners. Our solution is available through online or blended delivery and seamlessly integrates into a school’s learning management system.

Mosaic by ACT SEL Assessment measures CASEL-aligned social and emotional (SE) skills, in addition to school climate, to provide clear feedback to students, educators, and parents. Our advanced assessment methodology goes beyond traditional self-reporting to yield more reliable, valid results. In conjunction with Mosaic by ACT SEL comprehensive curriculum, this solution cultivates growth mindset, while helping students learn to manage anxiety and improve mental health. It also provides educators with engaging and meaningful resources for employing SEL principles, creating a more positive school culture and empowering teachers and administrators to become agents of change.

Download the alignment tool of Mosaic™ by ACT® with the DPI SEL Competencies.

To learn more about Mosaic™ by ACT® visit the Mosaic™ by ACT® website.

Leader in Me

Leader in Me, FranklinCovey’s education solution, is an evidence-based PK-12 model, developed in partnership with educators, designed to build resilience and leadership in students, create a high-trust culture, and help improve academic achievement. This model equips students, educators, and families with the leadership and life skills needed to thrive, adapt, and contribute in a dynamic world. Leader in Me started as a way to save a failing school in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is now impacting over 6,000 schools across the globe!

Leader in Me K-5th Alignment

Leader in Me 6-8th Alignment

Leader in Me 9th -Adult Alignment

CharacterStrong's PurposeFull People

CharacterStrong’s PurposeFull People Elementary Curriculum is an evidence-based PreK – 5th grade curriculum that integrates the teaching of social-emotional competencies and character strengths. PurposeFull People focuses on supporting students to acquire and apply 3 foundational social-emotional competencies: Emotion Regulation Skills, Social Skills, and Executive Functioning Skills. In addition, the social-emotional competencies are integrated with 10 foundational character traits: Kindness, Courage, Respect, Responsibility, Perseverance, Empathy, Cooperation, Creativity, Honesty, and Gratitude. CharacterStrong’s PurposeFull People includes vertically-aligned curricular content with a total of 36 weekly lessons at each grade level. PurposeFull People was built to provide an adaptive and flexible approach to lesson delivery through 3 implementation plan options (flexible, daily, or weekly).

CharacterStrong’s PurposeFull People Alignment

CharacterStrong: Middle & High School

The CharacterStrong's Secondary Curriculum is a universal program designed for students in grades 6 through 12. The curriculum includes vertically-aligned content across each grade that integrates traditional SEL skills-focused instruction (e.g., emotion regulation and interpersonal skills) with character education. CharacterStrong is designed to build social and emotional competence, develop character, and cultivate strong educator-student relationships. CharacterStrong Middle School curriculum consists of 35 lessons per grade level for 6th through 8th grades. CharacterStrong High School curriculum consists of 25 lessons per grade level for 9th through 12th grades. Each lesson is designed to be delivered with minimal preparation needed and no supplies to minimize implementation barriers, as well as with a strong focus on student voice and choice to maximize student responsiveness. Lessons are delivered in approximately 30 minutes with the flexibility to adapt to a variety of timing needs. CharacterStrong was constructed around five primary principles: Emotion Understanding & Regulation, Empathy & Compassion, Values & Purpose, Goals & Habits, and Leadership & Teamwork. Each of these principles focuses on building specific SEL and character competencies that support three proximal outcomes of well-being, belonging, and engagement.

CharacterStrong: Middle & High School Alignment

Wayfinder

Wayfinder was born at the Stanford d.school after asking one key design question: How can we reimagine education to develop a student’s sense of meaning, purpose, and belonging? Our research-backed and data driven K-12 curricular resources and MTSS suite support students in developing belonging + purpose by meaningfully connecting with their inner selves, their local communities, and the wider world.

Wayfinder Alignment

 

For Curriculum Providers and Developers

The DPI does not endorse any SEL curriculum or program. Wisconsin is a local control state, meaning school districts have the authority to choose their programs. When state or federal dollars are being used to purchase a program or service, that program or service must be evidence based. Due to the deep well of evidence-based programs for SEL, these curricula require that it meets one of ESSA’s Tier of Evidence. The number of SEL programs and resources are expanding greatly. The DPI welcomes high-quality, effective resources for SEL. If your SEL curriculum is evidence based as defined above, you do have the opportunity to align your program with the Wisconsin SEL Competencies, as do the curricula shared above.

Recommendation for program providers:

  • Become familiar with Wisconsin’s SEL and School-based Mental Health resources.
  • Investigate the ESSA Tiers of Evidence and different national registries and their criteria for inclusion on their lists.
  • Be clear about the research that has been done on your programs, and try to include outcome studies in addition to endorsement.
For questions about this information, contact Andrea Donegan (608) 224-6175