Social & Emotional Learning
Our Commitment to the Whole Child
The Ridgewood Public Schools are committed to supporting the social and emotional development of all students. The New Jersey Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Competencies and Sub-Competencies have been integrated into the K-12 curriculum, as the district strongly believes that developing these interpersonal skills are essential for academic, social, and professional success. While incorporating these SEL standards is not required by the state, the district has taken proactive steps to conduct a needs assessment and incorporate the standards where they align with units of study. SEL standards have been embedded throughout the English Language Arts curriculum, and these skills are also reinforced in all areas of classroom instruction. Social Emotional Learning is also a cornerstone of the Open Circle curriculum used at the elementary level, as well as in the advisory groups offered at the secondary level.
New Jersey Tiered System of Supports
How we incorporate MTSS
MTSS is a continuum of care that integrates schools, families and communities, and focuses these various systems on maximizing student wellness and support. It has become a well-researched practice standard in schools nationwide. The MTSS framework encompasses prevention and wellness promotion, universal screening for academic and behavioral barriers to learning, implementing evidence-based interventions that increase in intensity as needed, monitoring the ongoing progress of students in response to implemented interventions, and engaging in systematic decision making about programming and services needed for students based upon specific student outcome data.
The New Jersey Department of Education defines MTSS as a framework of academic and behavioral supports and interventions to improve student achievement and maximize support and wellness. It is essentially a collaborative model for decision-making. The benefits of conceptualizing our work according to this framework are well-documented:
1. MTSS improve student behavior when they include prevention and intervention services,
2. MTSS improve student access to needed services and resources,
3. Schools which utilize MTSS exhibit improved engagement and collaboration,
4. Service delivery within a multi-tiered system increases student engagement and overall achievement.
We know that supporting our students’ mental health and wellness is critical to their success in school and life. Mental health services for students are most effective when provided as a continuum of care that integrates schools, families, and communities. Our staff, especially our teachers, are all critical providers of student support, and are absolutely essential to the health of our school community as a whole.
