Grades 6–8 have a new Unit 2: Developing a Positive Sense of Self. The Recognizing Bullying & Harassment unit is now optional. For more information, go to Why is the Recognizing Bullying & Harassment unit now supplemental?
How do administrators opt in to the Recognizing Bullying & Harassment supplemental unit?
Administrators assigned to their school’s Second Step® Middle School program can view and change their settings for the Recognizing Bullying & Harassment unit on their Leader Dashboard.
- Unit Access OFF (default): The school does not have access to the unit. Only administrators can view this unit’s lessons—and only in preview mode.
- Unit Access ON: The school has access to the unit. All users—administrators, educators, and staff—can access this supplemental unit’s lessons on the My Programs page.
Who is responsible for changing access to the Recognizing Bullying & Harassment unit?
Any user who has an administrator role for a site’s license will be able to change unit access to ON or OFF, though we recommend that either the building leader or a district leader make the choice.
When should administrators turn on access?
We advise that administrators who wish to teach the Recognizing Bullying & Harassment unit turn unit access ON before launching the program with their staff for the year. Only one administrator needs to do this.
Can administrators change the access status for the Recognizing Bullying & Harassment unit at any time?
Yes, administrators can change their unit access setting any time on their Leader Dashboard. However, we recommend that administrators make the choice once at the beginning of the school year. Usage data will remain available if they change the setting.
What happens if an administrator takes no action?
By default, access to the Recognizing Bullying & Harassment unit is OFF for schools.
Is there an additional cost to include the Recognizing Bullying & Harassment unit?
No, the unit is supplemental and included at no additional cost with a K–8 license.
Will there be reporting for the Recognizing Bullying & Harassment unit?
Yes, the Leader Dashboard and Lesson Completion Report will show data for this unit. The downloadable Excel file will show data for this unit soon in fall 2024. If you need reporting for your school sooner, please contact Client Support.
How do administrators see reporting for the Recognizing Bullying & Harassment unit?
Admins at schools that have the Recognizing Bullying & Harassment unit turned ON and have at least one class in grades 6, 7, or 8 will see reporting in the Monitor tab of the Leader Dashboard and in the Lesson Completion Report. The bullying unit data is calculated separately from Units 1–4.
A New Unit 2: Developing a Positive Sense of Self
The Recognizing Bullying & Harassment unit—formerly Unit 2—is still available as a supplemental and optional unit at no additional charge. Access to this unit is OFF by default for schools; administrators must opt-in and turn access ON for their staff.
- The brand-new Unit 2 for Grades 6, 7, and 8 is Developing a Positive Sense of Self. Together with Units 1, 3, and 4, it will represent the foundational core of the curriculum. The new unit strengthens the program by emphasizing essential and age-appropriate social-emotional skills while also incorporating new instructional and visual design approaches to enhance student engagement.
Why did we add a new Unit 2?
Insights gathered from research, feedback, and usage data uncovered opportunities to strengthen the program’s foundational units by placing a greater emphasis on the development of students’ confidence in themselves and their capabilities. We also sought to improve engagement by aging up the materials, incorporating more voice and choice, and creating possibilities for culturally relevant instruction. Additionally, we enhanced the cohesiveness and alignment between Second Step Middle School and Second Step® High School to ensure a smooth transition for students as they progress through the curricula.
Developing a positive sense of self is a part of self-awareness, a key social-emotional competency. Students’ middle school years, which often coincide with early adolescence, present challenges and opportunities for them to explore and develop their sense of self. Middle school students experience significant change and growth as they navigate the transition from childhood to adolescence. They become more independent, and their relationships with others become more important. They also begin to consider on a deeper level who they are, how they show up in the world, and what kind of person they want to become. In Unit 2: Developing a Positive Sense of Self, each grade level prompts students to focus on an aspect of the self, including guiding principles, self-concept, agency, and confidence. These topics align with students’ developmental changes, deepening their understanding of themselves. The unit is designed to help students develop knowledge, skills, and a positive sense of self. Other social-emotional competencies, such as decision-making and relationship skills, can be strengthened as well.
What topics does the new unit cover?
- Grade 6: Guiding principles. Guiding principles are the things that you believe are important to the way you live life, such as “concern for friends” or “personal success.” Guiding principles affect people’s actions and can help them make positive decisions that they can be proud of.
- Grade 7: Self-concept. Self-concept is the way you see and think about yourself. It’s how you describe yourself, which might include personality traits or characteristics, likes and dislikes, roles (such as “student” or “gamer”), and the way you feel about yourself in those roles. Self-concept changes as people grow and learn new things, and it’s okay to feel different about yourself at different times. Developing a positive self-concept can help people feel good about themselves.
- Grade 8: Agency and confidence. Agency is the freedom and power to make your own decisions and act on them, as well as the ability to examine your thoughts and actions and adjust them as you see fit. It’s when you feel in control of your choices and are able to make decisions about what you want to do. Confidence is the belief you have in your own abilities; it’s knowing that you can do things even if they’re difficult. When people harness their agency and confidence, they feel empowered to go after their goals and make positive changes in their lives and in the world around them.
How does the new unit incorporate other content, design, and implementation updates?
Lessons were adjusted to match the maturity level of middle school students:
- In response to up-to-date student feedback about content that’s preferred or relevant at this age, lessons incorporate more straightforward and direct language, vivid color patterns, dynamic and expressive imagery, and photography with a contemporary look and feel. There are fewer hand-drawn illustrations.
- Lesson content is appropriately challenging, interesting, and complex. For example, questions are designed to encourage students to think critically, consider nuances, and explain their responses to open-ended questions.
- The unit also surfaces research to engage students. For example, in Lesson 9 of Grade 8, Dr. Albert Bandura is introduced to students when talking about research related to confidence.
Instructional strategies have been retained or incorporated to improve student engagement:
- Active and collaborative learning is encouraged. Lessons feature more open-ended questions that focus on student choice and autonomy. There are more activities encouraging students to explore the concepts directly and apply them to their own lives.
- We incorporated more interactive class activities. Working together with peers helps build classroom community and active engagement. It also helps students see different perspectives and develop collaboration skills. For example, one activity has students write their responses on sticky notes, post them on a wall, and work together to notice patterns and organize ideas.
- We included opportunities for self-reflection. Students have time and space to reflect on what they’ve learned and consider what will work best for them in their individual situation. Self-reflection connects social-emotional learning to life outside of school and makes it more meaningful. It also helps students build social-emotional competencies such as self-awareness, self-management, and responsible decision-making.
What changes were made to streamline instruction in the new unit?
Lesson plans and student handouts have been removed. All information needed to teach the lesson is available on the lesson presentation slides. Unit plans are included that list the objectives and materials needed for every lesson. When relevant, time and pacing instructions are provided. Other text-based instructions (for example, having volunteers share answers or discussing with partners) have been revised so the class can smoothly carry out the on-screen instructions.
Why is the Recognizing Bullying & Harassment unit now supplemental?
Making this unit’s content supplemental supports the varying requirements of schools and districts. Site and district leaders will now be able to choose whether to include it.
How should schools sequence the Recognizing Bullying & Harassment unit with other units?
We recommend that schools follow the sequence of the core units, progressing from Unit 1 to Unit 4, before incorporating the Recognizing Bullying & Harassment supplemental unit. Recent research supports this approach: programs that teach intrapersonal skills before interpersonal skills yield significant improvements in school climate and in student social-emotional skills, attitudes, and behavior.
While we recommend teaching the Recognizing Bullying & Harassment unit last, we understand some clients prefer to teach this content at other points of the year, such as during National Bullying Awareness Month in October. If you do teach it earlier, we recommend teaching it between other units rather than breaking up the flow of a unit.