Research

In 2019, research and analysis was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the SiLAS curriculum and software used in the classroom. The study was completed in a suburban district. The demographic is as follows; 48% minority, 8.7% special education, 26% free and reduced and 7% people with English as a second language. Ninety five students were recruited to participate in the research, however, 89 students completed the ten week program. A quasi-experimental study design was implemented by comparing ratings for two groups of students; students who received computer instruction specifically, SiLAS and a control group of students who received traditional social skills-training. Lessons were provided to the teachers under CASEL's Five Social Competencies. The results of the group using the SiLAS curriculum was shown to be an effective program. All of the paired t-tests were statistically significant at the alpha=0.05 level, demonstrating that SiLAS skills training increased student ratings in all competency areas.

The Collaborative for Academic Social Emotional Learning, CASEL, is the Gold Standard in SEL resources and research. SiLAS has aligned it's SEL curriculum with the organization's Five Social Competencies; Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Responsible Decision Making, Relationship Skills, and Social Awareness. Users will discover our program also follows CASEL's suggested practices including; providing cross curricular opportunities to incorporate SEL throughout the day, high quality engaging SEL instruction and encouraging family involvement.

Who doesn't like a good game? There are many benefits of using gamification in the classroom. Research completed by SRI Education in 2014 showed digital games significantly advanced student learning. Not only does the use of games make learning fun, games also encourage engagement and socialization. A 2017 study by Vadim Polikov revealed students who played games aligned with academic curriculum out performed those students who did not play the games. With SiLAS, learners have the opportunity to take control of their own learning as well as increase skill retention and generalization with our game-based SEL software!

EBPs are data proven effective practices and strategies. Why are EBPs important? They take the guesswork out of what educational approaches to use in the classroom. A number of EBPs such as; video modeling, scripting and peer review are embedded into each of the program's lessons. SiLAS's innovative use of avatars, movie making and gamification ends the outdated application of EBPs and launches them into the 21st century.