Top SEL Screeners for Schools: Why SSIS Should Be on Your Radar
As schools increasingly recognize the importance of Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Social Skills, and Resilience the market for SEL universal screeners has grown exponentially. But with so many options, how do you choose the right one for your district? This post explores why the SSIS SEL + MH Brief Scales stand out as a top contender.
The Most Peer-Reviewed SEL and Mental Health Assessment Available: The SSIS SEL + MH Brief Scales have an extensive research basis. (see research here) The authors: Dr. Steve Elliott, Dr. Frank Gresham, and others began SEL research in 1985. Inspired by the growing SEL movement and in particular the work of CASEL, they developed the fully digitized version of the SSIS Brief Scales in 2017. Allowing educators to gain an advanced understanding of children's skills in 5 competency areas: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship skills, and Responsible Decision Making. The Screener was developed to appeal to a variety of clients: (independent, charter, urban, rural, large districts, and small districts.) It is available in both English and Spanish.
CASEL SELect: SSIS SEL + MH Brief Scales is one of the few assessments to receive the CASEL SELect designation, indicating strong evidence of validity, reliability, and usability.
Comprehensive and Efficient: SSIS offers a quick, 5-7 minute assessment that doesn't disrupt classroom time. Yet, it covers all five CASEL SEL competencies AND includes Emotional Behavior Concern (EBC) items, providing a holistic picture of student wellbeing.
Research-Backed and Reliable: SSIS boasts extensive peer-reviewed research supporting its validity, reliability, and fairness across diverse student populations. This means you can trust the results to guide your decision-making. The only comparable products are the SABERS and the DESSA.
List of Research Articles
Actionable Data: SSIS reports are designed for educators, offering clear insights at the individual, class, grade, and school levels. This data empowers teachers to tailor interventions and track progress effectively.
Aligned with CASEL and MTSS: SSIS is fully aligned with the CASEL framework, making it easy to integrate with CASEL-aligned interventions like the SSIS SEH Classwide Intervention Program (CIP). It also supports MTSS/RTI frameworks, aiding in tiered support decisions.
Easy Administration and Dedicated Support: Resonant Education provides a streamlined administration process, flexible implementation options, an experienced project manager designated for each program or school, and dedicated support to ensure a smooth experience. Every project manager has a history of working in schools. Professional development sessions are also offered with researchers of the SSIS Briefs and CIP interventions.
Multi-Informant Assessment: The SSIS SEL + MH Brief Scales are a universal screener that captures social skills data along with mental health data for students from 3 respondent groups: students, teachers and parents. This is different from other products because each of the informants are answering questions about the same competencies allowing for scores to be compared across informants to gauge a view of the student based on the whole learning community.
Secure Data Management:
