Students' 6th-grade SEL level and SEL growth from 6th to 8th grade relate to successful transition to secondary school¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r? · q2
Currency · newest study 2019 · checked against its sources 2026-10-09 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Students' initial SEL level in 6th grade and growth in SEL skills from 6th to 8th grade are related to successful transition to secondary school. → James Soland 2019 q2 i? SEL skills show stability across middle school, as examined by the study. → James Soland 2019

Evidence¶

James Soland 2019¶

James Soland, Megan Kuhfeld. (2019). Identifying students who are off-track academically in ninth grade – the role of social-emotional learning trajectories. NWEA Research. https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/identifying-students-who-are-off-track-academically-in-ninth-grade-the-role-of-social-emotional-learning-trajectories/

q2 · i? · associational · r?

The associated journal article's summary states the study examined “the stability of social-emotional learning (SEL) skills” and related 6th-grade initial SEL level and 6th-to-8th-grade growth to successful secondary school transition. No coefficients or sample size are printed.

"This study examined the stability of social-emotional learning (SEL) skills and the extent to which students’ initial level in SEL skills in 6th grade and growth in SEL skills from 6th to 8th grade are related to students’ successful transition to secondary school."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Middle school social-emotional learning skills predict being off-track to graduate high school — related
• In a large urban district, 6th-grade SEL status is more frequently a significant predictor of being off track academically in 9th grade than SEL growth between 6th and 8th grade — related
• Understanding how a student develops social-emotionally over intermediate school can improve identification of students not on track to succeed in high school — related
• Growth in self-management between 6th and 8th grade predicts being off track academically in 9th grade above and beyond 6th-grade self-management status — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Successful transition from intermediate to secondary school depends on both academic preparation and social-emotional learning skills suited to a more independent environment — a broader claim this one bears on
• Successfully transitioning from intermediate school to secondary school is pivotal for students to remain on track to graduate — related
• Students often slip off track during transition years (6th and 9th grade) even when they previously performed well — related
• Decades of research show SEL benefits student well-being, academic performance, attendance, graduation rates, and future success — related
• 8th grade growth mindset and academic behavior self-reports positively predicted 9th grade on-track status; performance avoidance did not — a narrower finding that bears on this claim