A practical guide for Kansas educators and administrators on the state's SECD standards, the Kansans Can vision for social-emotional growth, the KESA accreditation reporting requirement, and what implementation looks like for K-5 schools in the state that pioneered SEL-character education integration.
Kansas was a pioneer. In 2012, the Kansas State Board of Education adopted Social, Emotional and Character Development (SECD) Standards, making Kansas the first state in the country to integrate social-emotional learning with character development in a single framework.[1][2]
Illinois adopted SEL standards first. But Kansas did something Illinois did not: it combined SEL competencies (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, interpersonal skills, responsible decision-making) with character development (personal qualities, caring community, citizenship, ethical behavior) into one unified set of standards. This integration recognized what the research has consistently shown: character traits without underlying skills are aspirations, and skills without character direction are incomplete.[1]
More than a decade later, Kansas has built on that foundation. The Kansans Can vision identifies social-emotional growth as one of five statewide educational outcomes. The Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA) requires districts to report annually on progress toward social-emotional growth. And Kansas MTSS embeds social-emotional instruction within the state's multi-tiered support framework. For Kansas elementary schools, social-emotional and character development is not a supplemental initiative. It is a state-endorsed standard, a vision outcome, and an accreditation reporting requirement.
Kansas SEL Policy Milestones
Kansas has built its social-emotional infrastructure steadily over more than a decade:
2012
SECD Standards Adopted
First state to integrate SEL with character development in unified standards
2015
Kansans Can Vision Launched
Social-emotional growth named as one of five equal statewide outcomes
2018
KESA Accreditation Launched
Annual reporting on social-emotional growth becomes an accreditation requirement
2020s
KESA 2.0 + CASEL Recognition
Updated accreditation adds explicit standards alignment; CASEL recognizes Kansas as a state with integrated SEL-workforce pathways
Kansas SECD Standards
The Integration That Made Kansas First
Kansas's SECD standards are organized under three domains, each containing two standard areas:[1]
Domain A: Character Development
Standard I: Responsible Decision-Making and Problem-Solving
Students consider ethical standards, safety concerns, and societal norms when making decisions. They apply decision-making skills to deal responsibly with daily situations.
Standard II: Personal Qualities of Character
Students hold themselves accountable for demonstrating behaviors of good character. They practice honesty, respect, responsibility, and ethical behavior.
Domain B: Personal Development
Standard I: Self-Awareness
Students recognize and accurately assess their emotions, thoughts, values, and their influence on behavior. They identify personal strengths and areas for growth.
Standard II: Self-Management
Students manage emotions, set goals, and persevere through challenges. They demonstrate self-control and self-motivation.
Domain C: Social Development
Standard I: Social Awareness
Students demonstrate empathy and perspective-taking, appreciate diversity, and understand social norms.
Standard II: Interpersonal Skills
Students communicate effectively, cooperate, resolve conflicts, work in teams, and seek and offer help.
What Makes Kansas Unique
The integration of character development with SEL competencies means Kansas standards address both the what (which character traits to develop) and the how (which social-emotional skills enable those traits). A student learning kindness (character) simultaneously learns empathy (the SEL skill that makes kindness genuine). A student learning responsibility (character) simultaneously learns goal setting and self-management (the SEL skills that make responsibility actionable).
This is the approach the research supports as most effective: character and skills taught together produce better outcomes than either approach alone.[3]
Three Domains at a Glance
Domain A
Character
The moral compass
Decision-Making
Personal Qualities
2 standards
Domain B
Personal
The inner foundation
Self-Awareness
Self-Management
2 standards
Domain C
Social
The outward connection
Social Awareness
Interpersonal Skills
2 standards
3 domains, 6 standard areas, one integrated approach — Character + Personal + Social = Whole Child
Kansans Can: Social-Emotional Growth as a State Outcome
The Five Outcomes
The Kansas State Board of Education's Kansans Can vision identifies five outcomes that define educational success in Kansas:[4]
1. Kindergarten Readiness
2. Individual Plans of Study
3. Graduation Rate
4. Postsecondary Completion/Attendance
5. Social-Emotional Growth
Social-emotional growth is not listed as a strategy for achieving other outcomes (though it does support them). It is listed as an outcome in its own right, equal in status to graduation rate and postsecondary completion. This framing gives social-emotional development the same institutional priority as academic achievement in Kansas.
What “Social-Emotional Growth” Means in Kansas
KSDE describes social-emotional growth as “learning to be caring and civil, to make healthy decisions, to problem solve effectively, to value excellence, to be respectful and responsible, to be good citizens.”[4] This description blends SEL competencies with character qualities, consistent with the integrated SECD approach Kansas pioneered.
KESA: The Accreditation Accountability
How KESA Creates Accountability
The Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA) is a five-year accreditation process that focuses on improving both the process and results of education. Social-emotional growth is one of the outcomes districts are expected to address.[5]
Annually, school districts report on progress toward social-emotional growth outcomes as part of the KESA process. This means every Kansas school district must:
- Document what they are doing to support social-emotional growth
- Identify targets and goals related to social-emotional growth
- Report progress toward those goals each year
This is not a suggestion. It is an accreditation requirement. Districts that cannot demonstrate attention to social-emotional growth in their KESA reporting are not meeting accreditation expectations.
KESA 2.0 and Standards Alignment
The updated KESA 2.0 framework emphasizes Standards Alignment, which KSDE defines as “clearly defined student learning expectations aligned to Kansas State Standards and supported with evidence-based instruction and materials.” KSDE explicitly states that this “includes interpersonal, intrapersonal, and cognitive skills in pre-K-12.”[6] This means the SECD standards are included in the same standards alignment expectations as academic content standards.
Kansas MTSS and SEL
Kansas MTSS serves as the organizing framework for deploying curriculum, instructional practices, and resources that “enable every student to be successful academically, behaviorally, socially and emotionally.”[7]
Tier 1 (~80% of students)
Evidence-based core social-emotional curriculum provided to all students.
Tier 2 (~15% of students)
Supplemental instruction and resources in addition to the core for students needing additional support.
Tier 3 (~5% of students)
Individualized and intensive supports in addition to the core, including IEP-aligned goals.
TASN Support and CASEL Recognition
What TASN Provides
The Technical Assistance System Network (TASN), funded by KSDE Special Education and Title Services, provides implementation support for Kansas schools:[2]
- SECD Standards document with grade-level benchmarks
- Family guide for SECD standards (helping parents understand what schools are teaching)
- School Mental Health Initiative resources
- Professional development and technical assistance
CASEL Recognition
CASEL has recognized Kansas as a national model for aligning SEL with workforce development. A CASEL case study highlights Kansas's unique approach of connecting SECD standards to Career and Technical Education pathways, Individual Plans of Study, and postsecondary readiness, noting that Kansas was “an early leader in aligning SEL skills” with career preparation.[5]
How to Align Your Elementary Program With Kansas's Framework
Step 1: Map to All Three SECD Domains
| SECD Domain | Standard | CASEL |
|---|---|---|
| A: Character | Responsible Decision-Making | Responsible Decision-Making |
| A: Character | Personal Qualities | Self-Awareness + Relationship Skills |
| B: Personal | Self-Awareness | Self-Awareness |
| B: Personal | Self-Management | Self-Management |
| C: Social | Social Awareness | Social Awareness |
| C: Social | Interpersonal Skills | Relationship Skills |
A CASEL-aligned curriculum that integrates character development addresses all six SECD standard areas because the Kansas framework was designed around the same competencies, enriched with character development.
Step 2: Document for KESA
Your KESA accreditation reporting requires you to demonstrate attention to social-emotional growth. Document:
- Which SECD standards your instruction addresses
- Your scope and sequence showing how instruction is delivered across the year
- Your targets and goals for social-emotional growth
- Your progress measures (behavioral observations, climate data, self-regulation indicators, conflict resolution patterns)
- How your program aligns with KESA 2.0 standards alignment expectations
Step 3: Connect to Kansans Can Outcomes
Position your social-emotional instruction as serving the Kansans Can social-emotional growth outcome. “Social-emotional growth is one of five outcomes in the Kansas State Board of Education's Kansans Can vision. Our program addresses the SECD standards that define social-emotional growth in Kansas and produces the measurable progress our KESA reporting requires.”
Step 4: Embed in Kansas MTSS
Tier 1
Weekly SECD instruction for all students, covering all three domains across the school year.
Tier 2
Targeted small-group support for students needing additional practice, using SECD benchmarks to identify skill gaps.
Tier 3
Individualized intervention for students with significant needs, including IEP-aligned goals mapped to specific SECD standards.
Step 5: Connect to School Safety
Kansas houses the SECD standards within the Division of Learning Services alongside special education and related services. The School Mental Health Initiative connects SECD to behavioral health priorities.[8] Curriculum that bridges social-emotional skills and school safety serves both the SECD standards and the safe school climate every Kansas community values.
Choosing a Curriculum for Kansas Schools
When selecting curriculum for your Kansas elementary school, verify that the program:
Addresses all three SECD domains
Character development, personal development, and social development must all be covered. Programs that address only SEL without character integration do not fully align with Kansas's framework.
Covers all six standard areas
Responsible decision-making, personal qualities, self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and interpersonal skills should all be addressed with grade-appropriate content.
Provides a full-year scope and sequence
The SECD benchmarks describe developmental progression that requires sustained, weekly instruction across the school year.
Produces measurable outcomes for KESA
KESA requires annual reporting on social-emotional growth. Your curriculum should generate observable, documentable outcomes.
Integrates character and skills
Kansas's framework is uniquely integrated. A program that combines character education with CASEL-aligned SEL aligns most naturally.
Supports bilingual learners
Kansas's growing multilingual population benefits from bilingual English and Spanish curriculum.
Works in rural settings
Device-free, teacher-led programs with minimal prep serve Kansas's many small, rural districts.
Connects to school safety and behavioral health
Kansas's School Mental Health Initiative connects SECD to broader behavioral health supports.
What to Avoid
Treating SECD standards as optional
The SECD standards are endorsed by the Kansas State Board of Education. Social-emotional growth is one of five Kansans Can outcomes. KESA requires annual reporting. Schools that ignore SECD are misaligned with the state board, the state vision, and the accreditation process.
Separating SEL from character development
Kansas integrated them for a reason. A program that teaches self-regulation without connecting it to self-control as a character quality, or that teaches kindness without building empathy, misses the integration Kansas pioneered.
Implementing without documenting for KESA
Social-emotional instruction that happens but is not documented does not serve your KESA reporting. Track your targets, progress measures, and outcomes so you can demonstrate social-emotional growth during accreditation.
Ignoring the workforce connection
Kansas has aligned SECD with career readiness. Even at the elementary level, framing social-emotional skills as preparation for career success connects to a priority with broad support: “Teamwork, problem-solving, communication, perseverance, and responsibility are skills every employer values.”
Final Thoughts
Kansas did not follow. It led. By adopting the nation's first integrated social-emotional and character development standards in 2012, Kansas established that the skills students need to succeed (self-awareness, self-management, empathy, communication, decision-making) and the qualities their communities value (responsibility, respect, honesty, citizenship, caring) are not separate educational objectives. They are the same objective, approached from two complementary directions.
More than a decade later, that vision is embedded in the Kansans Can outcomes, the KESA accreditation process, the Kansas MTSS framework, and the TASN support infrastructure. Social-emotional and character development is not a trend in Kansas. It is an established priority with the institutional backing to sustain it.
For Kansas elementary schools, the path forward involves choosing a curriculum that integrates character and skills, delivering it consistently through weekly instruction across the school year, documenting outcomes for KESA reporting, and positioning the program within Kansas MTSS. Kansas built the framework. Kansas provides the support. Kansas measures the outcomes. The rest is implementation.
References
- Kansas State Department of Education. (n.d.). Social-Emotional Character Development. https://www.ksde.gov/student-success/resources-by-subject-area/social-emotional-character-development
- KSDE TASN. (n.d.). Social, Emotional & Character Development (SECD) Standards family guide. https://ksdetasn.org/resources/396
- Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students' social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405-432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
- KSDE TASN. (n.d.). Kansans Can Competency Framework: Implementation process. https://ksdetasn.org/competency/implementation-process
- CASEL. (n.d.). Kansas SEL-workforce case study. https://casel.org/kansas-sel-workforce/?view=true
- KSDE. (n.d.). KESA 2.0 Four Fundamentals: Standards alignment. https://sites.google.com/ksde.org/kesa-2-0-four-fundamentals/standards-alignment
- KSDE TASN. (n.d.). Social emotional learning in Kansas MTSS. https://ksdetasn.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/resource/upload/690/Social_Emotional_Learning_in_Kansas_MTSS.pdf
- KSDE TASN. (n.d.). School Mental Health Initiative: Background, vision, mission, values, and goals. https://ksdetasn.org/smhi/school-mental-health-initiative-background-vision-mission-values-and-goals
- Cipriano, C., Strambler, M. J., Naples, L. H., et al. (2023). The state of evidence for social and emotional learning: A contemporary meta-analysis of universal school-based SEL interventions. Child Development, 94(5), 1181-1204. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13968
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