A practical guide for Montana educators and administrators on the state's Whole Child Skill Development Competencies, the Health Enhancement standards' social-emotional content, and how Indian Education for All creates unique expectations for culturally grounded social-emotional instruction.
Montana has a combination of SEL-related frameworks that is unlike any other state. The Office of Public Instruction has published K-Adult Whole Child Skill Development Competencies that function as SEL standards.[1] The Health Enhancement Content Standards, which uniquely combine health education and physical education into a single discipline, include mental, emotional, and social health as core content at every grade level.[2] And the Montana Constitution requires Indian Education for All (IEFA), mandating that every school integrate the distinct cultural heritage of American Indians across all subject areas, including the emotional, social, and cultural dimensions of health.[3][4]
The intersection of these three frameworks creates expectations for Montana elementary schools that go beyond what most states require: social-emotional instruction that is developmentally appropriate, culturally grounded, and reflective of the tribal nations whose land Montana schools occupy.
Three Frameworks, One Goal
Montana's SEL expectations emerge from three overlapping sources:
Guidance
Whole Child Competencies
CASEL-aligned (2021)
Required
Health Enhancement
K-12 instruction
Constitutional
Indian Education for All
Article X, Sec 1(2)
Where all three converge:
Culturally grounded, developmentally appropriate social-emotional instruction for every Montana student
Montana by the Numbers
4th
Largest state by area
44th
In population
~149K
K-12 students
56
Counties
12
Tribal nations
7
Reservations
Vast geography + small population = programs must work without extensive infrastructure
Montana's Whole Child Skill Development Competencies
What OPI Published
In 2021, the Montana Office of Public Instruction published K-Adult Whole Child Skill Development Competencies.[1] CASEL recognizes these as “free standing competencies/standards” for social-emotional learning, placing Montana among the states that have developed formal SEL frameworks.[5]
The competencies are listed on OPI's content standards page alongside Montana's academic content standards (mathematics, ELA, science, health/PE, social studies), which gives them institutional standing even though they are guidance rather than mandated standards.[6] OPI uses the term “Whole Child Skill Development” rather than “social-emotional learning,” framing the competencies as part of comprehensive child development rather than a separate instructional domain.
Connection to CASEL
CASEL identifies Montana's Whole Child Skill Development Competencies as aligned with the five core SEL competencies:[5]
Self-awareness: Recognizing emotions, personal qualities, and how thoughts and feelings influence behavior
Self-management: Managing emotions, setting goals, maintaining motivation, persevering
Social awareness: Empathizing with others, appreciating diversity, understanding social contexts
Relationship skills: Communicating, cooperating, resolving conflict, seeking help
Responsible decision-making: Making constructive choices, evaluating consequences, considering others' wellbeing
A CASEL-aligned curriculum addresses Montana's Whole Child Skill Development Competencies directly because both frameworks describe the same competencies.
Montana Health Enhancement Content Standards
What “Health Enhancement” Means
Montana uniquely combines health education and physical education into a single discipline called “Health Enhancement.” The Health Enhancement Content Standards, adopted in 2016, provide a combined framework where “concepts learned in the classroom are reinforced in the gymnasium and vice versa.”[2]
The standards describe health enhancement as encompassing “not just physical but also the emotional, social and intellectual dimensions of health.”[7]
Social-Emotional Content by Grade
K-2 Standards include:[2]
- Discuss various characteristics of physical, mental, emotional, family, and social health, including those of traditional and contemporary American Indian cultures and practices
- Identify basic emotions and healthy ways to express them
- Discuss situations when it is necessary to seek assistance for the health and safety of self and others
- Practice healthy decision-making skills
Grades 3-5 Standards include:[2]
- Describe the relationship between healthy behaviors and personal health, including mental and emotional health
- Identify strategies for managing emotions and stress
- Practice communication and conflict resolution skills
- Explain how peers, family, culture, and media influence health behaviors
- Discuss various characteristics of physical, mental, emotional, family, and social health, including those of traditional and contemporary American Indian cultures and practices
The IEFA Integration
Notice the recurring phrase: “including those of traditional and contemporary American Indian cultures and practices.” This is not incidental. It reflects Montana's constitutional IEFA requirement integrated into the health enhancement standards. Mental, emotional, and social health instruction in Montana is expected to include the cultural perspectives of Montana's tribal nations.[2][3]
Accreditation Requirements
Montana's accreditation standards (Administrative Rule 10.55.1301) require schools to offer a Health Enhancement program that addresses the emotional, social, and intellectual dimensions of health alongside the physical dimension.[7] This accreditation requirement gives the Health Enhancement standards compliance weight: schools that do not address the social-emotional content within health enhancement are not meeting accreditation standards.
Indian Education for All: Montana's Constitutional Requirement
What the Constitution Mandates
The Montana Constitution, Article X, Section 1(2), states: “The state recognizes the distinct and unique cultural heritage of the American Indians and is committed in its educational goals to the preservation of their cultural integrity.”[3]
This constitutional provision, implemented through legislation and OPI policy, requires every Montana school to integrate Indian Education for All across all subject areas and at all grade levels. IEFA is not a separate course. It is a lens through which all content, including social-emotional content, is expected to be taught.[3][4]
How IEFA Connects to Social-Emotional Learning
Social awareness and empathy
Understanding the experiences, perspectives, and cultural values of Montana's tribal nations requires perspective-taking and empathy. IEFA instruction builds these competencies in a culturally specific and constitutionally mandated context.
Self-awareness and identity
For Native American students, IEFA affirms their cultural identity within the educational setting. For all students, learning about Montana's tribal heritage expands their understanding of who they are in relation to the land and communities they live in.
IEFA creates conditions for belonging by ensuring that Native American students see their cultures represented and valued in the curriculum, and that non-Native students learn to respect and understand their classmates' cultural heritage.
Understanding the historical and contemporary experiences of Montana's tribal nations provides context for responsible citizenship and ethical decision-making.
What This Means for SEL Curriculum Selection
A SEL curriculum used in Montana should be compatible with IEFA integration. This means the curriculum should:
- Include diverse characters and perspectives that do not default exclusively to mainstream cultural norms
- Teach empathy and perspective-taking in ways that extend to cultural understanding
- Provide space for culturally specific discussions about emotions, relationships, and community values
- Not contradict or undermine the cultural knowledge IEFA instruction provides
How to Build an Elementary Program Within Montana's Framework
Step 1: Address Health Enhancement Standards
The Health Enhancement standards' social-emotional content is required through accreditation. Document how your instruction addresses the mental, emotional, and social health components at each elementary grade level, including the IEFA integration points.[2]
A comprehensive scope and sequence delivered through weekly lessons covers the social-emotional dimensions of health enhancement while providing the sustained instruction that produces genuine skill development.
Step 2: Align With Whole Child Skill Development Competencies
Map your curriculum to OPI's Whole Child Skill Development Competencies. Since these are CASEL-aligned, a CASEL-aligned curriculum maps directly.[1]
| Whole Child Competency | Health Enhancement Connection |
|---|---|
| Self-Awareness | Emotional identification, self-assessment |
| Self-Management | Stress management, healthy decision-making |
| Social Awareness | Cultural understanding, empathy, IEFA connections |
| Relationship Skills | Communication, conflict resolution |
| Responsible Decision-Making | Health decisions, safety, ethical reasoning |
Step 3: Integrate With IEFA
Coordinate your SEL instruction with your school's IEFA implementation. When teaching empathy and perspective-taking, include perspectives from Montana's tribal cultures. When discussing respect and belonging, connect to the constitutional commitment to honoring cultural heritage. OPI provides K-12 teacher-created IEFA lessons across content areas, including resources developed with cultural consultants from Montana's tribal nations.[4]
Step 4: Connect to School Safety
Montana's rural communities face unique safety challenges, and social-emotional instruction supports the school climate that prevents incidents. Students who can regulate emotions, resolve conflicts, and trust adults enough to report concerns contribute to the safety of their school community.
Step 5: Embed in MTSS
Position your social-emotional instruction within your school's MTSS framework:
Tier 1
Universal instruction delivered weekly to all students, addressing the Whole Child Competencies and Health Enhancement social-emotional content.
Tier 2
Targeted small-group support for students needing additional skill practice.
Tier 3
Individualized intervention for students with significant needs, including IEP-aligned goals.
Montana's Rural Reality
Montana is the fourth-largest state by area and the 44th by population. Many districts serve small, rural communities where a single school may cover K-8 or K-12, one teacher may cover multiple subjects, professional development access is limited, technology infrastructure is inconsistent, and the nearest behavioral health professional may be hours away.
These realities shape what SEL implementation can look like:
- Device-free, teacher-led programs work where technology is unreliable
- Ready-to-use weekly lessons requiring minimal prep serve teachers who are already stretched thin
- Self-contained programs that include all necessary materials reduce the burden on districts that cannot supplement with additional resources
- Bilingual access serves the growing Hispanic/Latino population in communities throughout Montana
- Multi-grade-level programs that provide K-2 and 3-5 differentiation work in combined-grade classrooms
Choosing a Curriculum for Montana Schools
When selecting curriculum for your Montana elementary school, verify that the program:
Addresses the Health Enhancement standards' social-emotional content
Mental, emotional, and social health must be covered at every grade level as part of the required Health Enhancement program.
Aligns with Whole Child Skill Development Competencies
OPI's CASEL-aligned competencies provide the framework for comprehensive social-emotional instruction.
Is compatible with IEFA integration
The program should include diverse perspectives and support culturally responsive instruction that can be coordinated with your IEFA implementation.
Provides grade-band differentiation
K-2 and 3-5 content should differ in complexity and approach.
Offers a full-year scope and sequence
Weekly instruction across the school year produces skill development that isolated lessons cannot.
Works in rural and small-district settings
No device requirements, minimal prep, all materials included. Programs that require extensive technology or professional development infrastructure will not serve many Montana communities.
Supports bilingual learners
Montana's growing multilingual population benefits from bilingual English and Spanish curriculum.
Connects to school safety
Social-emotional skills support the safe school climate that all Montana communities prioritize.
Produces observable outcomes
Document student growth through behavioral observations, discussion quality, self-regulation indicators, and conflict resolution patterns.
What to Avoid
Ignoring the IEFA connection
Social-emotional instruction in Montana that does not acknowledge or connect to Indian Education for All is incomplete. The constitutional requirement applies across all subjects, and the Health Enhancement standards explicitly include American Indian cultural perspectives in their social-emotional content.
Assuming Montana has no expectations
Montana has published Whole Child Skill Development Competencies, requires Health Enhancement standards that include social-emotional content, and constitutionally mandates cultural education that intersects with social-emotional development. The infrastructure is lighter than some states, but the expectations are real.
Selecting programs designed for urban districts without adaptation
A program designed for a large urban district may not translate to a Montana classroom where 15 students span three grade levels, the nearest behavioral health professional is 90 miles away, and the internet connection drops during storms. Choose programs that work in the environments where Montana teachers actually teach.
Treating IEFA as separate from SEL
IEFA and SEL are not competing priorities. They are complementary ones. Understanding and respecting diverse cultural perspectives is social awareness. Affirming students' cultural identities supports self-awareness. Building community across cultural differences develops relationship skills. The most effective implementation treats IEFA and SEL as mutually reinforcing.
Final Thoughts
Montana's approach to social-emotional instruction reflects its identity: a state that values local control, constitutional commitments, and the practical realities of educating students across vast distances with limited resources. The Whole Child Skill Development Competencies provide the framework. The Health Enhancement standards provide the required foundation. And Indian Education for All provides the constitutional mandate to ground all instruction, including social-emotional instruction, in cultural understanding and respect.
For Montana elementary schools, the path forward involves choosing a program that addresses the Health Enhancement standards' social-emotional content, aligns with the Whole Child Competencies, is compatible with IEFA integration, works in your community's specific context, and delivers instruction consistently enough to build the skills Montana students need.
Montana's students deserve the same social-emotional skill development as students in any other state. The tools look different here because the landscape is different. But the skills are the same, and the need is just as real.
References
- CASEL. (2025). SEL policy at the state level: Montana. https://casel.org/systemic-implementation/sel-policy-at-the-state-level/
- Montana Office of Public Instruction. (2016). Montana Health Enhancement Content Standards: Grade by grade. https://opi.mt.gov/Portals/182/Page%20Files/Health%20&%20Physical%20Education/16HEStandards_byGrade.pdf
- Montana Office of Public Instruction. (n.d.). Indian Education. https://opi.mt.gov/Educators/Teaching-Learning/Indian-Education/
- Montana Office of Public Instruction. (n.d.). Indian Education for All. https://opi.mt.gov/Educators/Teaching-Learning/Indian-Education-for-All/
- Montana Office of Public Instruction. (2021). K-Adult Whole Child Skill Development Competencies. https://mt-satchel.commongoodlt.com/8a8747b4-d430-11eb-a888-0242ac130003
- Montana Office of Public Instruction. (n.d.). Content standards. https://iyspp.sde.idaho.gov/academic/standards/
- Montana Office of Public Instruction. (n.d.). Health Enhancement Standards. https://opi.mt.gov/Educators/Teaching-Learning/K-12-Content-Standards/Health-Enhancement-Standards
- Montana Office of Public Instruction. (n.d.). Health Enhancement model curriculum guide. https://opi.mt.gov/Portals/182/Page%20Files/Health%20&%20Physical%20Education/HE_ModelCurriculumGuide.pdf
- 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
- 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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