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Needs Assessment

Adult Social Emotional Learning Assessment (ASELA)

1. Overview 
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MindCatcher supports the leadership and social-emotional growth of youth and educators of color. To meet the expanded social and emotional needs of educators, we are developing the Adult Social-Emotional Learning Assessment (ASELA). This tool is based on a needs assessment funded by Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF) and centers the strengths of educators who work closely with the most vulnerable communities.
2. Why ASELA? 
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When educators are aware of their strengths, identities, and well-being across multiple dimensions, they are not only better able to bring their whole, authentic selves to their work with youth but also are better equipped to build the supportive and cohesive learning environments that youth deserve.

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3. How can ASELA Support Your Learning Community? 
Learning communities can use ASELA to better understand and support educator well-being by:
  • Creating professional learning communities aligned with ASELA results
  • Analyzing trend data to differentiate system-level professional development offerings
  • Operationalizing ASELA results to create targeted programming that contributes to educators staying in the profession
4. Theory of Change 
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Education leaders can use ASELA to make informed decisions that will:
​1) foster a supportive learning culture; 2) promote an inclusive learning environment; and 3) create the conditions for holistic educator well-being. These actions will lead to improved academic and well-being outcomes for all learners, particularly Black and Latinx youth.


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5. Learnings from ASELA’s Needs Assessment 
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We began with an emancipatory approach to assessment development by including educator voices that serve the most vulnerable youth. Based on 467 educator survey responses and nine interviews where more than 55% of respondents identified as Black or Latinx, we learned:
  • Many educators of Black and/or Latinx youth have a strong sense of cultural identity, racial identity, and emotional well-being. 
  • Many educators share their cultural and racial identities with youth to build meaningful relationships with them. 
  • ​Many educators have strong value systems that inform their teaching practice.
  • Educators can see ASELA as a web-based survey that could be completed multiple times during the school year.
6. Partner with Us
We need committed partners to:
  1. Pilot ASELA questions
  2. Co-design the assessment platform 
  3. Fund further development of ASELA 
  4. Collaborate to craft implementation support ​

To get involved, contact us at [email protected]
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  • Youth-Led Learning
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