SEL in Illinois » Introduction

Illinois is at the forefront of states' efforts to ensure that the social and emotional needs of children are recognized and addressed in schools. In 2004, Illinois became the first state in the nation to adopt student learning standards in SEL. (New York State followed suit in 2006.) The IL Children's Mental Health Act, which called for the SEL standards, also required every district in the state to develop an SEL policy as part of its instructional plan, and all have complied. In 2006, the Illinois legislature allocated several million dollars to implementation of the standards. Visit the Illinois State Board of Education web site to view the SEL standards and performance descriptors. (See our Standards and Policy section to find more extensive information on the IL SEL learning standards and legislation.)

The Chicago Public Schools has also become the first large urban district to systematically measure and publicly report information on social and emotional factors—termed by CPS as “"conditions and capacities for learning" that affect learning in the districts' schools. The Student Connection portion of a school's score card summarizes student perceptions of four non-cognitive factors known to affect student learning. They are: (1) safety in the school (physical and psychological), (2) high educational expectations from teachers (“challenge”), (3) social and emotional support provided by the school (these three factors are referred to as conditions for learning), and (4) student-body social and emotional skills (termed capacities for learning). Extracurricular participation is also assessed. Sample Student Connection Report (pdf).