Over the course of the past six years the grade level Impact Teams from “The Public School 13” in the NYC DOE have been on a mission to strengthen student engagement academically, socially, and emotionally by developing and advancing learner agency school wide.

Being “In Flow”

The teams of PS 13 have spent the last 6 years on a mission to ensure their student’s experience “flow” as much as possible by intentionally planning learning experiences where they can explore their dreams and passions. The following criteria was used to guide their thinking adapted from the Bray and McClaskey’s (2020) Engagement Continuum:

I am in flow when:

  • I find and pursue my passions purposefully
  • I enjoy designing and showcasing my learning
  • I drive my own learning and it is relevant to me
  • I am in control and responsible for my learning
  • I can learn from my mistakes
  • I can problem solve and keep persisting even though I am frustrated and or anxious
  • I can collaborate with others to figure things out
  • I can con contribute to the growth of my peers and community

Infusing SEL with Collaborative Inquiry

This award-winning school led collaboratively by Principal Paul Martuccio, engages in continuous improvement cycles annually anchored in the Impact Team inquiry process. Each Spring their teams analyze multiple sources of evidence (interim assessment, CFA’s, student perception data, observation, the DESSA SEL screener, etc.) to determine their next focus for inquiry. Past inquiries have included: 1) Refining Self-Peer Assessment through Learning Progressions 2) Enhancing Feedback Practices 3) Integrating SEL into the Formative Assessment Experience 4) Designing Authentic Learning Experiences with Rigorous PBL, etc. All inquiries infuse SEL into all learning experiences for students and teachers.

PS 13 is a Yale Ruler Mentor School and has been using the Mood Meter to develop emotional intelligence skills for all stakeholders so they can:

  • cultivate an “emotions matter” mindset
  • recognize emotions in oneself and others
  • understand the causes and consequences of emotions
  • labeling emotions with nuanced vocabulary
  • expressing emotions in accordance with cultural norms and social context
  • regulating emotions with helpful strategies

Formative Assessment is Social and Emotional

The Impact Teams of PS 13 have been infusing the use of the YALE Mood Meter into the formative assessment experience during self-assessment and reflection. Students are asked to reflect on their emotions when they are feeling challenged or anxious and then make decisions about how to cope and move through the challenge. Students have been getting better and better with deliberate practice. As they reflect on their learning they also reflect on their feelings since all learning is social and emotional.

The Core Collaborative's Formative Assessment Process infographic.

Learn more from Principal Paul Martuccio about how the PS 13 team infuses SEL into the formative assessment process. You can follow Principal Paul Martuccio and The Public School 13 on LinkedIn.

Formative Tool 7.1 Video, from Amplify Learner Voice through Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Assessment.

Read more about infusing SEL into the formative assessment experience in Chapter 8 of our book, Amplify Learner Voice through Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Assessment, by our Core Collaborative Team of authors.

 

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