Skip to main content

How Does Your Mathematics Curriculum Incorporate SEL?

High-quality curricular materials play a crucial role in supporting instruction to drive student achievement. 

In recent years, robust tools to evaluate and analyze instructional materials have been developed. These tools help educators and administrators identify the quality of instructional materials for helping students master the mathematical content and practices described in their standards.

Research indicates, however, that academic content is not the only thing our students need to be successful. Developing social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies is key to developing learning mindsets and strategies critical to lifelong learning skills needed for success in school and beyond.

None of the tools currently available help you analyze if and how mathematics instructional materials use strong, integrated SEL strategies along with the mathematical content and practices. 

A Tool for SEL Evaluation

The Dana Center believes that support for building SEL competencies in mathematics instructional materials, both through suggested teacher moves and through what students are asked to do directly, can and should be identifiable in the process of evaluating materials. 

We have created the Academic Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Mathematics Curriculum Materials tool. It can be used as an additional lens through which to evaluate materials in support of strong student learning. The purpose of the tool is to determine how well your mathematics instructional materials support students’ understanding and application of widely accepted social and emotional learning competencies

Interested in learning more? Contact us today.