Iowa frames social-emotional learning within a broader construct it calls Social-Emotional-Behavioral Health (SEBH), and the state has made a deliberate architectural decision about where SEL sits: the Iowa Department of Education positions the K-12 SEL Competencies as “the universal core content for Social-Emotional-Behavioral Health within a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS); just as the Iowa Core Standards serve as the universal core content for academics within MTSS.”[1]
That parallel is the key to understanding Iowa's approach. The state treats SEL competencies as the SEBH equivalent of what the Iowa Core Standards are for academics. The SEL competencies are the Tier 1 instructional content. The MTSS is the delivery framework. SEBH is codified in Iowa Administrative Code. And health education is required K-12.
The SEL competencies themselves are voluntary. The Iowa Department of Education is explicit: “Use of this framework and these resources are completely voluntary and not required.”[2] But the SEBH framework is in Administrative Code, MTSS is the expected implementation model, and health education that includes social-emotional content is required.
Iowa's K-12 SEL Competencies
Academic Domain
Iowa Core Standards
RequiredSEBH Domain
K-12 SEL Competencies
Voluntary but structurally equivalent“Just as the Iowa Core Standards serve as the universal core content for academics within MTSS”[1]
The Five Competencies and 15 Learning Targets
Iowa adopted CASEL's framework as the foundation, with Version 3 published in July 2022. Each competency has three learning targets:[1]
Self-Awareness
- •Identifying Emotions
- •Accurate Self-Perception
- •Self-Confidence
Self-Management
- •Self-Control
- •Stress Management
- •Self-Motivation & Goal Setting
Social Awareness
- •Perspective-Taking
- •Empathy
- •Appreciating Diversity
Relationship Skills
- •Communication
- •Social Engagement
- •Relationship Building
Responsible Decision-Making
- •Identifying Problems
- •Analyzing Situations
- •Solving & Evaluating
Grade-Banded Expectations
The competencies include developmentally appropriate indicators organized by grade band: PK-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Each grade band describes what students should know and be able to demonstrate.[3] For elementary schools, the PK-2 and 3-5 grade bands establish foundational skills that build progressively.
SEBH: Codified in Administrative Code
Iowa Administrative Code 281-14.7(279)
“Social, emotional, behavioral and mental well-being that affects how one thinks, feels, communicates, acts and learns. These contribute to resilience and to how one relates to others, responds to stress and emotions, and makes choices.”[4]
The code further specifies: “Foundational knowledge and skills that promote SEBH include self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, social awareness, and relationship skills that support positive well-being and academic success.”[4]
Key Distinction
SEBH is not a departmental initiative or a grant-funded project. It is codified in the Iowa Administrative Code. The five CASEL competencies are named as the foundational knowledge and skills that promote SEBH.
Health Education
Required K-12
Health education is required in kindergarten through 12th grade in Iowa. The state requires instruction “from a multicultural, gender-fair approach with global perspectives incorporated at all levels.”[5]
How Health Education Connects to SEL
| Health Education Content | Iowa SEL Competency |
|---|---|
| Mental and emotional health, self-concept | Self-Awareness |
| Stress management, self-control, goal setting | Self-Management |
| Empathy, understanding diverse perspectives | Social Awareness |
| Interpersonal communication, conflict resolution | Relationship Skills |
| Decision-making, evaluating consequences | Responsible Decision-Making |
A CASEL-aligned curriculum addresses both the SEL competencies and the health education standards' social-emotional content simultaneously.
Character Education
Iowa Code 256.18A
“Schools should make every effort, formally and informally, to stress character qualities that will maintain a safe and orderly learning environment, and that will ultimately equip students to be model citizens.”[6]
While the language is encouraging rather than mandatory, the character traits named overlap extensively with the SEL competencies. A program that addresses both character development and social-emotional skill building satisfies both frameworks.
SEBH State Goals
All Iowa schools will work with their learners to foster a culture and climate in which they feel safe and supported, and bullying and harassment do not exist.
All learners will have access to mental health services and supports in their schools and communities.
All schools will create environments that develop social, emotional, and behavioral health.
All schools will develop physical health for students through structured school programs.
Goal 3 (highlighted) is directly addressed through structured SEL instruction.[7]
Bullying Prevention and Suicide Prevention
Bullying Prevention (Iowa Code 280.28)
Every school board must adopt an anti-bullying/anti-harassment policy with procedures for investigation, notification, and response.[4]
Suicide Prevention (Iowa Code 256.7)
Schools must adopt protocols for suicide prevention and postvention based on nationally recognized best practices.[4]
Students taught empathy, conflict resolution, respect, self-control, and communication skills are less likely to engage in bullying and more equipped with the protective factors that complement suicide prevention protocols.
The Scanlan Center Partnership
The Scanlan Center for School Mental Health at the University of Iowa provides professional learning for Iowa educators on SEBH, including courses on Iowa state SEBH policy, the five CASEL SEL competencies, and implementation strategies. The center offers online learning modules that address what SEBH means in Iowa's policy context and how to teach the competencies in classrooms.[8] This university partnership signals sustained institutional support for SEBH implementation.
How to Align Your Elementary Program With Iowa's Framework
Map to the K-12 SEL Competencies
Document how your curriculum addresses all five competencies and their 15 learning targets at the PK-2 and 3-5 grade bands. A CASEL-aligned curriculum maps directly because Iowa adopted the CASEL framework.
Position Within MTSS
Iowa positions SEL competencies as Tier 1 core content for SEBH within MTSS. Your curriculum is that core content. Document how it serves the Tier 1 function and how students needing additional support are identified for Tier 2 and Tier 3.
Address Health Education Requirements
Health education is required K-12. A comprehensive scope and sequence across 40 weeks addresses every social-emotional strand.
Cover Character Education Traits
Document how your curriculum addresses the traits named in Iowa Code 256.18A. A program combining character traits with social-emotional skills satisfies both frameworks.
Support Bullying & Suicide Prevention
Document how your social-emotional instruction supports the bullying prevention policy and suicide prevention protocols through empathy, communication, emotional regulation, and help-seeking skills.
Communicating With Iowa Parents
Use the SEBH Framing
“Iowa focuses on Social-Emotional-Behavioral Health as part of supporting the whole child. Our program teaches students the foundational skills the state identifies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.”
Connect to Character Education
“Our program teaches the character qualities Iowa law identifies, including respect, responsibility, honesty, kindness, perseverance, and self-discipline, through structured weekly lessons that build the skills behind each trait.”
Be Concrete
“Students learn to identify and manage their emotions, resolve disagreements peacefully, set and pursue goals, show empathy and kindness, persevere through challenges, and make responsible decisions. These are practical life skills every child needs.”
Choosing a Curriculum for Iowa Schools
When selecting social-emotional curriculum for your Iowa elementary school, verify that the program:
Aligns with Iowa's K-12 SEL Competencies. All five competencies and their 15 learning targets should be addressed at the PK-2 and 3-5 grade bands. A CASEL-aligned curriculum fits directly because Iowa adopted the CASEL framework.
Addresses health education requirements. Health education is required K-12 and includes mental and emotional health content. Your curriculum should cover it.
Functions as Tier 1 SEBH within MTSS. Iowa positions SEL competencies as Tier 1 core content for SEBH. Your curriculum serves that structural role.
Covers character education traits. Iowa Code 256.18A names specific character qualities. A program combining character traits with social-emotional skills addresses both.
Provides grade-band differentiation. The competencies are banded PK-2 and 3-5. Programs providing distinct content for each grade level match this structure.
Offers a full-year scope and sequence. A program providing 40 weeks of sequenced instruction ensures consistent and comprehensive coverage.
Supports evidence-based bullying prevention. Your curriculum should teach the skills that prevent bullying: empathy, communication, conflict resolution, and respect.
Requires no devices or student accounts. Device-free, teacher-led programs eliminate data privacy concerns and preserve the shared classroom experience.
Supports bilingual learners. Iowa serves a growing multilingual population. Bilingual curriculum in English and Spanish supports equitable access.
Requires minimal prep. Programs that provide ready-to-use weekly lessons are more likely to be implemented consistently.
What to Avoid
Treating “voluntary” as “unimportant”
SEBH is in the Administrative Code. MTSS is the implementation framework. Health education is required. A school that dismisses the competencies because they are voluntary while implementing MTSS has removed the SEBH core content from its own multi-tiered system.
Implementing MTSS without SEBH Tier 1
Iowa's MTSS framework integrates academic and SEBH domains. A school with academic tiers but no structured social-emotional instruction has an incomplete MTSS. A curriculum provides the instruction.
Separating character education from social-emotional skills
The overlap is extensive: self-discipline maps to self-management, respect and kindness map to social awareness and relationship skills. A unified program teaches both the trait and the underlying skill.
Relying on the framework without a curriculum
The SEL Competency document provides the what. A scope and sequence provides the when. A curriculum provides the how. A target without a vehicle for reaching it is not a plan.
Final Thoughts
Iowa has positioned social-emotional learning as the Tier 1 core content for Social-Emotional-Behavioral Health within its MTSS framework, giving it the same structural role that the Iowa Core Standards play for academics. SEBH is codified in the Iowa Administrative Code. The K-12 SEL Competencies, now in their third version, provide detailed learning targets across grade bands. Health education is required K-12. The character education statute names the traits. The bullying prevention and suicide prevention laws create additional expectations. And the Scanlan Center partnership provides professional learning infrastructure.
The competencies are voluntary. The framework they serve is not. The MTSS structure expects them. The Administrative Code defines the domain they address. For Iowa elementary schools, the path forward is practical: choose a program that aligns with the K-12 SEL Competencies, functions as Tier 1 SEBH within MTSS, addresses the health education requirements, and delivers structured instruction to every student, every week, all year. Iowa built the framework. Iowa defined the domain. Iowa published the competencies. Iowa positioned them as core content. The students need the instruction. Start there.
References
- Iowa Department of Education. Iowa's Social-Emotional Learning Competencies, Version 3 (July 2022). aeacreativeservices.org (PDF)
- Decorah Community School District. Social-Emotional Learning: Iowa SEL Implementation. decorah.k12.ia.us
- Iowa Department of Education. K-12 SEL Competencies by Grade Band. educateiowa.gov
- Iowa Department of Education. Behavioral Health: Social-Emotional-Behavioral Health. educate.iowa.gov
- Iowa Department of Education. Health Education Instruction. educate.iowa.gov
- Iowa Legislature. Iowa Code 256.18A: Character Education. legis.iowa.gov
- Iowa e-Learning Central. SEBH Expectations and Routines. elearningcentral.iowa.gov
- Scanlan Center for School Mental Health, University of Iowa. Online Professional Learning. scsmh.education.uiowa.edu
- Durlak, J. A., et al. (2011). The impact of enhancing students' social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis. Child Development, 82(1), 405-432. doi.org
- Cipriano, C., et al. (2023). The state of evidence for social and emotional learning. Child Development, 94(5), 1181-1204. doi.org
Social-Emotional Learning for Iowa Schools
Be The Buffalo aligns with Iowa's K-12 SEL Competencies and the SEBH framework. 40 weeks of K-5 curriculum covering all five competencies and 15 learning targets. Interactive projector activities, original songs, stories, printable worksheets, and teacher guides. Bilingual English and Spanish. No student accounts. No devices. No prep. Built to serve as your Tier 1 SEBH instruction within MTSS.
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