13 | ACTON-BOXBOROUGH REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT | ANNUAL REPORT 2024–2025
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
DATA-BASED DECISION MAKING • DESSA-2 Rating Scale (K-6)
This teacher survey assesses how students manage emotions and build relationships. The results help identify student strengths, areas for growth, and track progress over time. • Student Surveys (3-12) Students and families give feedback on school climate and culture. Schools use this input to identify strengths, address needs, and improve programs and practices. • Tiered Intervention Structure (K-6) The mental health and administrative teams worked to create a consistent, tiered system of SEL and mental-behavioral health supports to ensure a cohesive approach across the district. MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ABRSD partners with Cartwheel Care, a mental telehealth company. This provides students and families quick access to therapy, psychiatric evaluations, and family guidance, with no waitlists and support in over ten languages. Some highlights from 2024-2025: • Student Referrals: 175+ students and families referred.
• Staff Therapy: Mental health services are now offered and accessed by ABRSD staff. • Student Sessions: On average, students who enter the program have 14 sessions with a therapist. • Webinars: Free workshops for families and staff on various topics (e.g., ADHD, social media, resilience, trauma, school refusal). WHY THIS MATTERS ABRSD’s programs and supports help students: • Build empathy, manage emotions, and solve daily problems. • Prevent and stop bullying. • Access interventions early when they are struggling —academically, socially, or emotionally. • Track improvement, so support can be adjusted as needed. • Access community-based mental telehealth services easily, with no long waits. These examples represent just a few of the many ways in which our schools and educators support students’ social-emotional development and mental well-being. Using evidence-based programs and data collection and analysis, ABRSD works to make sure every student is supported and has the skills needed to grow, both in and out of school.
HOW ABRSD SUPPORTS STUDENT WELL-BEING
The Acton-Boxborough Regional School District (ABRSD) prioritizes student well-being by fostering a safe and supportive environment. This year, efforts focused on enhancing universal supports and programs and introducing progress monitoring tools to inform data-driven decisions.
NEW PROGRAMMING • Second Step SEL Program (PK-12)
The 2024–2025 school year marked the first year of broad implementation for Second Step, with social emotional learning (SEL) lessons taught in elementary general education classrooms and, at the secondary level, through health, wellness, and physical education courses. Second Step, a leading social-emotional learning program for preschool through grade twelve, helps students build essential life skills. The program teaches emotional manage- ment, empathy, positive relationship-building, and responsible decision-making.
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