New EU Commission report provides a framework for how social and emotional education can be assessed through a whole-school approach

Dr. Paul Downes, Associate Professor of Education (Psychology) in DCU’s Institute of Education, has co-authored a report which provides an innovative framework for how social and emotional education (SEE) may be assessed through a whole-school approach, and how this may be carried out in schools.

The report A formative, inclusive, whole school approach to the assessment of social and emotional education in the EU, which has been published by the European Commission, also identifies a number of areas that need to be addressed to advance the effective implementation of formative assessment of social and emotional education in the EU.

While social and emotional education is fast developing as a core area of the curriculum in Europe, its assessment across the EU still appears fairly fragmented. This report serves as a platform for the development of a collaborative, systemic and inclusive European identity for social and emotional education assessment, in contrast with other individualistic, personality- and character-based, normative modes.

It seeks to bring greater integration and consistency to assessment practices for this key competence at regional, national and European levels, against the backdrop of the new EU Key Competence for Lifelong Learning, Personal, Social and Learning to Learn.

This report builds on two previous ones published by the EU Commission on inclusive systems and social and emotional education also led and co-authored by Dr. Downes, which were key sources cited in the EU Commission’s Staff Working Paper and Recommendation to the EU Council of Ministers in 2018 for developing the new European Key Competence for Lifelong Learning across the EU, namely, the Personal, Social and Learning to Learn Competence.

The Personal, Social and Learning to Learn Key Competence was also a central theme of Dr. Downes’ opening keynote presentation, A systemic focus in VET (Vocational Education and Training) on emotions and agency for inclusion at the EU Commission’s Cedefop Webinar, Making Excellence Inclusive, on February 3rd 2021.

The newly published report is available here.