Knowing yourself
Students start the year by looking at their own emotions, values, and habits. They name their strengths, spot patterns that hold them back, and start to see how their mood shows up in school, at work, and at home.
What does a student learn in
This is the stretch when students take their inner life seriously and start steering it on purpose. They learn to name what they're feeling, see how it shapes their choices, and handle stress, deadlines, and conflict without falling apart. They practice listening across real differences and asking for help before things spiral. By spring, students can talk through a hard situation, weigh the consequences, and act in a way they can stand behind.
- Self-awareness
- Managing stress
- Healthy relationships
- Empathy
- Responsible choices
- Goal setting
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
- 1
- 2
Managing stress and goals
Students work on handling pressure without falling apart. They practice calming down before they react, keeping track of long assignments, and setting goals they can actually finish.
- 3
Seeing other perspectives
Students step into other people's shoes, including classmates whose lives look very different from their own. They also learn where to turn for help at school, at home, and in the community.
- 4
Building strong relationships
Students practice the skills that hold friendships, teams, and families together. They speak up clearly, listen, work through disagreements, and ask for help when they need it.
- 5
Making thoughtful choices
By the end of the year, students slow down before big decisions. They weigh the upsides and downsides, think about who else is affected, and make choices they can stand behind later.
Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 9.
Social Emotional Learning
Social Emotional Learning
- High School
The abilities to understand one's own emotions, thoughts
Students examine their own emotions and values to understand why they act the way they do. They also take stock of what they are good at and where they still have room to grow.
- High School
The abilities to manage emotions, thoughts
Students practice staying calm under pressure, thinking before acting, and keeping their work organized so they can follow through on their own goals.
- High School
The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathise with others…
Students practice seeing situations from another person's point of view, including people whose backgrounds differ from their own. They also learn to spot the adults, programs, and community resources available when they or someone else needs support.
- High School
The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships…
Students practice the skills that keep relationships healthy: listening well, working through disagreements, and asking for or offering help. These habits apply with friends, classmates, and people who come from different backgrounds than their own.
- High School
The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior…
Students practice weighing the real costs and benefits of a choice before acting, including how that choice affects other people. The goal is decisions that hold up when the situation is hard or unfamiliar.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| The abilities to understand one's own emotions, thoughts High School | Students examine their own emotions and values to understand why they act the way they do. They also take stock of what they are good at and where they still have room to grow. | IL-SEL.1.9-12 |
| The abilities to manage emotions, thoughts High School | Students practice staying calm under pressure, thinking before acting, and keeping their work organized so they can follow through on their own goals. | IL-SEL.2.9-12 |
| The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathise with others… High School | Students practice seeing situations from another person's point of view, including people whose backgrounds differ from their own. They also learn to spot the adults, programs, and community resources available when they or someone else needs support. | IL-SEL.3.9-12 |
| The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships… High School | Students practice the skills that keep relationships healthy: listening well, working through disagreements, and asking for or offering help. These habits apply with friends, classmates, and people who come from different backgrounds than their own. | IL-SEL.4.9-12 |
| The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior… High School | Students practice weighing the real costs and benefits of a choice before acting, including how that choice affects other people. The goal is decisions that hold up when the situation is hard or unfamiliar. | IL-SEL.5.9-12 |
Common Questions
What does social emotional learning look like in high school?
Students work on knowing themselves, managing stress, understanding other people, building healthy relationships, and making thoughtful choices. The work shows up in how they handle a hard week, a group project, a disagreement with a friend, or a decision about their future.
How can I help my teenager manage stress at home?
Ask what is on their plate this week and help them pick one thing to start. Keep sleep, food, and phone-free time predictable. When they vent, listen first and skip the lecture. Naming the feeling out loud is often more useful than fixing it.
My teen shuts down when I ask about school. What should I do?
Try short, side-by-side conversations in the car or while cooking instead of sit-down talks. Ask about one specific thing, like a class or a friend, rather than how their day went. Silence is fine. Showing up consistently matters more than getting answers tonight.
How do I sequence social emotional learning across the year?
Start the fall with self-awareness and goal setting while routines are forming. Move into stress management and relationships before midterms and again before finals. Save decision making and planning for life after high school for the spring, when seniors especially need it.
Which social emotional skills usually need the most reteaching?
Conflict resolution and stress management. Students often know the vocabulary by ninth grade but freeze when a real situation hits. Short role-plays tied to situations students actually face, like group work tension or a hard text from a friend, do more than another slide deck.
How do I know my teen is on track by the end of high school?
They can name what they are feeling, ask for help from an adult or friend without being prompted, work through a disagreement without blowing it up, and think through a decision before acting. Perfection is not the bar. Recovery is.
How should I handle empathy and perspective taking with a class that disagrees on big issues?
Set norms before the conversation and stick to them. Ask students to restate another person's point before adding their own. Focus on understanding the reasoning, not winning the room. Most growth happens when students hear someone they disagree with say something reasonable.
What can I do at home to support healthy relationships and good decisions?
Talk openly about friendships, dating, and pressure from peers without jumping to rules. Ask what they would do in a tough spot before telling them what to do. Model repair after your own mistakes. Teens learn more from watching adults apologize than from any talk.