Giving Compass' Take:

· Writing for Getting Smart, David Ross explains the importance of SEL competencies and provides readers with a map of how these competencies relate to 21st-century skills. 

· SEL is gaining more traction, but can require different resources than traditional learning. Is this an opportunity for donors to step in?

· Here's more on SEL and its impact on students.

The relationship between Socio-Emotional Competencies and 21st-Century Skills has been uppermost on my mind lately because of a series of key events.

In mid-January I spent the day working with 250 North Dakota school leaders, who came together in Mandan to learn how to better implement the state’s Choice Ready initiative.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plays a dominant role in this effort. Choice Ready, a new element in North Dakota’s accountability plan, requires all high school students to show a range of competencies and meet graduation requirements in one of three pathways: College, career, or military. Ideally, every North Dakota high school student will graduate with the skills, knowledge, and experiences that make them ready for their next stage in life.

Sitting atop these three pathways is a universal requirement for Essential Skills, which the state believes are necessary for post-secondary success. Students are able to select—any time between grades nine and twelve—four or more from the following list of eight indicators:

  1. 25 Hours of Community Service
  2. 95% Attendance (not counting school-related absences)
  3. Work-Based Learning Experience
  4. Two or More Years in Organized Co-Curricular Activities
  5. Two or More Years in Organized Extra-Curricular Activities
  6. Successfully Complete a Capstone Project
  7. Successfully Complete an On-Line Learning Course
  8. Demonstrate Competency in 21st-Century Skills

Read the full article about mapping 21st-century skills to SEL by David Ross at Getting Smart.