Are there assessments for the Second Step Program available on SecondStep.org?

We provide student summative knowledge assessments for our Early Learning–Grade 8 SEL Program and Bullying Prevention Unit and make recommendations for research-validated assessments from other organizations to use with our programs. The summative knowledge assessments are available as downloadable PDFs on SecondStep.org, but should not be used as pre- and post-test measures.

To learn more about the research-validated assessments from other providers, please see our assessment and evaluation page.

Grades EL–5 SEL Program, 2008 Middle School SEL Program, and Bullying Prevention Unit Summative Assessments

1. Go to your My Dashboard page and click the grade icon for the program for which you want knowledge assessments. You’ll be taken to the program landing page. (Note: There are no knowledge assessments for the Child Protection Unit.)
2. Click Program Supports at the top of the page.
3. Click Classroom Strategies.
4. Click Read More below Student Assessments.

Please note: For the Grade 2 & Grade 3 SEL Program, the assessment is the final lesson.

Digital Middle School SEL Program Summative Assessments

Second Step Middle School uses assessments to provide feedback to teachers about the extent to which students are meeting the intended lesson and unit objectives. This is done by using both formative and summative assessments.  

Formative assessment happens throughout each lesson and gives the teacher ongoing feedback as to whether students are making progress towards lesson objectives. Writing prompts and Think, Pair, Share prompts for partner work are all opportunities for teachers to check for understanding and make adjustments if needed.  

Summative assessments are used at the end of the unit and determine if students have achieved the learning objectives for that unit. The summative assessment is the final lesson of each unit and takes the form of a performance task. A performance task is an assessment that asks students to perform or demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the learning objectives. Performance tasks are a tangible product and/or performance that serve as evidence of learning to the teacher. Each performance task in Second Step Middle School has clear criteria to evaluate student work. 

Examples of performance tasks in Second Step Middle School: Create an action plan to achieve a personal goal; Create a bullying prevention poster that covers specific criteria taught in the unit; Create a comic strip that demonstrates how to interrupt a negative thought cycle and uses an emotion management strategy; Create a blog post that is a guide for maintaining a healthy relationship.