Branching Minds now offers district partners the ability to systematically identify students who need more behavior support using the SRSS-IE universal screener. Learn more >>

    How To Implement the ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ Intervention

    SEL and Behavior, MTSS Practice, Interventions and Learning Supports' Strategies

    Teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic brought about all kinds of challenges. My colleagues and I were relieved when we could go back to in-person learning, but it quickly became apparent that our students seemed to be missing a lot of important social-emotional skills. Unfortunately, the lack of socialization opportunities over the past two years and trying to re-learn how to engage in school left them falling behind in this area.

    How To Utilize Behavior Staff Effectively in MTSS/PBIS

    SEL and Behavior, Instituting MTSS

    The educational landscape is changing rapidly, and student behavior is at or near the top of the list of concerns. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 84% of schools report a negative impact on student behavioral development due to the pandemic, and 87% report a negative impact on students’ socio-emotional development (NCES, 2022). 

    How To Understand the Progress and Impact of an SEL Program or Intervention

    SEL and Behavior, MTSS Practice, MTSS Assessment Data, Interventions and Learning Supports' Strategies

    Many educators are aware of the importance of promoting students’ social-emotional skills and how this can be done through well-coordinated and implemented social-emotional learning (SEL) programs and practices. But whether or not these approaches are being implemented effectively and the level of impact they are having on student outcomes can be a bit more difficult to determine.

    6 Steps To Using Data To Develop Classwide SEL & Behavior Strategies

    SEL and Behavior, MTSS Practice, MTSS Assessment Data, Interventions and Learning Supports' Strategies

    Many districts and schools are now regularly collecting data assessing students’ social-emotional and behavioral skills. Data from assessments and screeners are typically used to identify students needing additional support. Other pieces of data, such as behavior monitoring or tracking, are commonly used to track the progress students are making toward their goals.

    4 Tips for Supporting Students' Mental Health in an MTSS Framework

    SEL and Behavior, MTSS Practice

    This blog was updated by Trudy Bender on September 6, 2022. 

    Educators are becoming increasingly concerned about their students’ mental health and well-being. Research has shown that isolation and loneliness were often associated with psychological symptoms across childhood and adolescence even before the pandemic.

    Improving School Climate to Support Academic and SEL Development

    SEL and Behavior, Instituting MTSS

    When developing strategies to improve academics and social-emotional learning, it’s easy to get stuck focusing on only the curriculum, lessons, and approaches we use with individuals or groups of students. Sometimes, it can be beneficial to take a step back and think about the context and environment in which students are learning and how those can be improved.

    4 Common Questions on Integrating SEL & Behavior in MTSS

    SEL and Behavior, MTSS Practice

    As schools and districts make the shift to include social-emotional learning (SEL) within their overarching MTSS practice, we often get questions about where student behavior fits into this framework. Many educators still view SEL and Behavioral Health as separate areas, but what’s more problematic is when these two areas are not aligned.

    Integrating SEL Into an MTSS Framework: Resolving Four Common Problems

    SEL and Behavior, MTSS Practice

    Many educators are familiar with social and emotional learning (SEL) and a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS), but integrating these two frameworks can be challenging. Not only does it require a complete understanding of both SEL and MTSS, but there also needs to be cohesion and collaboration across different leadership teams, classroom teachers, as well as academic, social-emotional, and behavioral specialists. 

    Below, we outline four common problems that educators run into when merging these systems and our recommendations for resolving these issues to ultimately strengthen SEL implementation within MTSS.

    Focusing on Strengths Makes us Stronger

    SEL and Behavior

    The Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework has engaged educators in using data-driven approaches to support students in gaining the skills they need to succeed in academics. More recently, with the emerging growth of social and emotional learning (SEL) coming into focus, schools and districts are aiming to incorporate SEL in the same context to prepare students for lifelong success.

    The Alphabet Soup of Behavior Support in MTSS

    SEL and Behavior, Interventions and Learning Supports' Strategies

    Anyone who works in education knows that teachers, administrators, and other school staff love to use acronyms. But for those new to teaching (as well as parents/guardians/community members), it can be challenging to keep up with the vast amount of different terms. This is especially true in the world of behavior and social-emotional learning, as acronyms sometimes get thrown around without much description or context. Educators need to understand what each acronym stands for and what components it should include to set up effective behavior plans within MTSS.

    Below, we outline the most commonly used acronyms when addressing student behavior within an MTSS framework, break down what they mean, and how to use them effectively.