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History of the Illinois Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) Standards 

In 2003, following the recommendations of a statewide task force, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Children’s Mental Health Act. This legislation created the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership (ICMHP) and charged it with developing a plan to build a comprehensive, coordinated Children’s Mental Health system. The legislation also included the following two school-based mandates related to social and emotional development:

  • The Illinois State Board of Education shall develop and implement a plan to incorporate social and emotional development standards as part of the Illinois Learning Standards for the purpose of enhancing and measuring children’s school readiness and ability to achieve academic success.

  • Every Illinois school district shall develop a policy for incorporating social and emotional development into the district’s educational program. The policy shall address teaching and assessing social and emotional skills.

In 2004 the State Board of Education (ISBE), in partnership with ICMHP and other partners, created the SEL Standards and added them to the pre-existing Illinois Learning Standards.That act made Illinois the first state in the nation to establish statewide K-12 learning standards that specifically focus on children’s social and emotional development. 

From 2007-2011, in collaboration with ISBE, the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority (IVPA), and the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), ICMHP coordinated the Statewide Social and Emotional Learning Standards Professional Development Project. It was designed to train K-12 educators to understand SEL and implement the SEL standards in their schools. Seventy-five schools across Illinois completed a three-year implementation process that consisted of training, coaching and technical assistance support. In the project’s fourth year, the SEL training cadre continued to support many of the same schools, while providing differentiated support to additional schools and school districts, including training, coaching and consultation. The SEL Standards Professional Development Project ended in May 2011. 

In 2012, Rules for Certification have been amended to require that educator preparation programs incorporate the State Board's Social and Emotional Learning Standards. This requirement will ensure that teacher, administrators and school service personnel have the knowledge and skills necessary to provide instruction specific to social and emotional development; assess students' social and emotional skills; and respond to children with social, emotional, or mental health problems that have an impact on their ability to learn.

Go to www.isbe.net/spec-ed/pdfs/cmh_act.pdf to view the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Act, Public Act 93-0495 (SB 1951). 
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