研究表明，从中学成功过渡到高中是至关重要的，让学生继续前进。研究还表明，成功的过渡不仅是学生在学术上的准备，而且是他们是否具有社会情感学习的功能（SEL）在更独立的高中环境中取得成功的技能。Yet, little is known about whether students’ SEL skills are stable over time, and if they are not, whether a student’s initial level of SEL skills at the start of middle school or change in SEL skills over time is a better indicator of whether the student will be off track academically in 9th grade. We use several years of longitudinal SEL data to fit growth models for three constructs shown to be related to successfully transitioning to high school. In so doing, we examine whether a student’s mean SEL score in 6th grade (status) or growth between 6th through 8th grade is more predictive of being off track academically in 9th grade. Results indicate that, while status is more frequently significant, growth for self-management is also predictive above and beyond status on that construct.