Aligning Your SEL Curriculum with the ISCA Student Standards

Join us for a hybrid course designed to empower educators with the tools to strengthen existing Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) curricula through the lens of the ISCA Student Standards. In this immersive experience, we’ll explore how to use the ISCA Student Standards to analyze, evaluate, and adapt existing SEL lessons and learning experiences across Advisory programs, wellness initiatives, counseling lessons, and SEL curricula across all grade levels—from Pre-K to graduation.

Throughout the course, we will dive into the why, what, and how behind the ISCA Student Standards, guiding participants through strategies to identify the skills students are intended to develop and examine whether existing lessons provide meaningful opportunities for students to learn, practice, and apply those skills. Participants will learn how to analyze existing learning experiences, identify areas of alignment and opportunity, and make purposeful revisions while adhering to the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), ensuring accessibility for all students.

Between sessions, participants will complete a series of asynchronous modules to analyze and revise an existing SEL learning experience using the ISCA Student Standards. Rather than creating a lesson from scratch, participants will work with a lesson or series of lessons from a curriculum already being used or considered by their school. During the final synchronous session, participants will share and refine their revised learning experiences with feedback from fellow course participants. All revised lessons and activities created by colleagues will be shared for collective use.

The hybrid format offers a balanced approach, combining live collaboration, independent exploration, and hands-on application, ensuring participants are well-supported in strengthening existing SEL curricula and creating more intentional, school-specific learning experiences aligned with the ISCA Student Standards.

Isn’t there another course like this? Which is right for me?

Yes! We offer two courses built around the same core learning: SEL, the ISCA Student Standards, the Learning Progression Tool, UDL, and designing meaningful learning experiences. The difference is your starting point.

Implementing ISCA Student Standards: Reaching All Learners through SEL is designed for educators who are creating their own SEL learning experiences. You’ll learn how to use the ISCA Student Standards to design standards-based, developmentally appropriate lessons from the ground up.

Aligning Your SEL Curriculum with the ISCA Student Standards is designed for educators who are already using an external SEL curriculum or resource. You’ll learn how to examine what you already have, identify where it aligns with the ISCA Student Standards (and where there may be gaps) and make purposeful revisions to strengthen the learning experience.

Which one matches your goals?

Creating your own lessons? → Implementing ISCA Student Standards
Already have a curriculum or resource? → Aligning Your SEL Curriculum

Both courses will deepen your understanding of the ISCA Student Standards and how they can shape meaningful SEL learning. The difference is whether you’re starting with a blank page or an existing resource

Intended Audience

The intended audience for this course includes all educators: school counselors, teachers, mentors, administrators, and anyone involved in developing or implementing Social Emotional Learning (SEL) initiatives, Advisory programs, wellness curricula, or counseling lessons. This course is designed for professionals who are already using or planning to use an external SEL curriculum or program and want to strengthen its alignment with the ISCA Student Standards. Participants will learn how to thoughtfully analyze and adapt existing lessons to ensure they provide developmentally appropriate, standards-based learning experiences that support students’ growth from Pre-K through graduation.

ISCA Student Standards

This course will support you in providing strategies for your students to be able to:

This course addresses all domains of the ISCA Student Standards, as participants will have the opportunity to choose specific standards and learning outcomes that align with their school’s needs and priorities.

ASCA Professional Standards and Ethical Standards and Practices

This course is aligned to the following school counselor standards and competencies:

B-PF 1. Apply developmental, learning, counseling, and education theories

B-PF 7. Demonstrate leadership through the development and implementation of a school counseling program

B-SS 1. Design and implement instruction aligned to the ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success in large-group, classroom, small-group and individual settings

Essential Questions

1. How can the ISCA Student Standards guide the development of impactful and developmentally appropriate SEL lessons across all grade levels?
2. How can we use the ISCA Student Standards and Learning Progression Tool to examine the alignment of existing SEL curricula with the skills and outcomes we want students to develop?
3. How can we strengthen existing SEL learning experiences to better align with the ISCA Student Standards while ensuring they are inclusive, accessible, and developmentally appropriate? (UDL)

Participants will have knowledge about:

1. The ISCA Student Standards and their role in defining and supporting student growth in Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) across all grade levels.
2. The ISCA Learning Progression Tool and its application in identifying the developmental progression of SEL skills
3. The principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and how they support inclusive, accessible, and engaging SEL learning experiences for diverse learners.
4. Approaches for analyzing existing SEL curricula and learning experiences to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities for greater alignment with the ISCA Student Standards.
5. Best practices for strengthening standards-based, developmentally appropriate SEL learning experiences within an existing curriculum rather than creating learning experiences from scratch.

Participants will be able to:

1. Identify and select ISCA Student Standards and learning outcomes that align with the intended learning of an existing SEL curriculum or learning experience.
2. Use the ISCA Learning Progression Tool to analyze existing SEL learning experiences, determining how well they address the developmental progression of targeted skills and outcomes.
3. Identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities for alignment between an existing SEL curriculum and the ISCA Student Standards.
4. Apply the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to strengthen existing SEL learning experiences and make them more inclusive, accessible, and engaging.
5. Purposefully revise existing SEL lessons and activities to strengthen standards alignment, developmental appropriateness, and opportunities for students to learn, practice, and apply SEL skills.

Kristine Mizzone

Kristine Mizzone is an education consultant specializing in social and emotional learning (SEL) and leadership. She serves as the Learning and Development Coordinator for the International School Counsellor Association (ISCA).

An experienced facilitator, coach, and curriculum designer, Kristine helps schools create coherent, learner-centred approaches that intentionally address students' social and emotional needs alongside academic growth. Her work focuses on embedding life skills within and across the curriculum – not as an add-on, but as an essential part of everyday learning.

With two decades of experience in U.S. public schools and international schools, Kristine most recently served as Director of Learning at Benjamin Franklin International School in Barcelona and as Curriculum and Professional Learning Coordinator at International School of Beijing.

Kristine is the author of The Leap Year: Practical Advice and Insights for Those Navigating Career Transitions. Her book offers guidance for those considering new pathways such as consulting and entrepreneurship.

ISCA Member Price: $300

Non-Member Price: $380

Dates and times of offerings:

March 1, 2027 and April 5, 2027; 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM UTC

Contact Hours: 9 hours

Time commitment between sessions: 3 hours of asynchronous independent work, including engaging with videos, readings, discussion boards, and lesson creation.

Required Resource(s): ISCA Student Standards and ISCA Student Standards Learning Progression