New Hampshire does not have K-12 SEL standards. What New Hampshire does have is a legislatively defined Multi-Tiered System of Supports for Behavioral Health and Wellness (MTSS-B) that explicitly blends social-emotional learning with a tiered prevention framework, a dedicated Office of Social and Emotional Wellness within the Department of Education, and one of the most comprehensive pupil safety and violence prevention laws in the region.
RSA 135-F:3, enacted in 2016, defines MTSS-B in statute and calls for its “statewide use” in New Hampshire schools “to address New Hampshire students' social, emotional, and behavioral health needs in order to improve students' educational outcomes and keep students in their home schools and communities.”[1]
The legislature did not use the term “social-emotional learning standards.” It used the term “multi-tiered system of supports for behavioral health and wellness” and defined a three-tiered structure that includes “a schoolwide system of evidence-based behavioral practices for all students.” That Tier 1 is where social-emotional instruction lives.
MTSS-B: Legislatively Defined
RSA 135-F:3 (2016)
MTSS-B shall include:
Tier 3
Intensive, individualized
Tier 2
Targeted supports for at-risk
Tier 1 — SEL Curriculum (All Students)
“Schoolwide system of evidence-based behavioral practices”
How MTSS-B Integrates SEL
The NH MTSS-B model is based on the Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF), which “blends research-based school mental health practices and social-emotional learning with a tiered prevention framework.”[2]
For elementary schools, a 40-week curriculum covering all five CASEL competencies serves as the Tier 1 “schoolwide system of evidence-based behavioral practices” that the statute defines and that MTSS-B depends on.
The Office of Social and Emotional Wellness
Trainings & Technical Assistance
Tools and resources for NH schools
Prevention-Focused
Building protective factors for students
Trauma-Responsive
Classroom practice training
MTSS-B Coaching
Community of Practice facilitation
Bullying Prevention
Toolkit and data-driven strategies
Adult SEL Development
Social-emotional competency for educators
The existence of a dedicated state-level office named “Social and Emotional Wellness” signals that New Hampshire considers this area a core responsibility of the education system.[3]
OSEW's Focus Areas
Building Protective Factors
Teaching students self-awareness, emotional regulation, communication skills, and help-seeking behaviors builds the protective factors that OSEW's trainings help adults recognize and reinforce.
Trauma-Responsive Classrooms
Students who have experienced trauma need explicit instruction in coping and communication skills. A CASEL-aligned curriculum provides that instruction.
Positive School Climate & Culture
Schools that teach social-emotional skills create the positive climate that OSEW's technical assistance helps schools sustain.
Pupil Safety and Violence Prevention
RSA 193-F
New Hampshire's Pupil Safety and Violence Prevention law establishes comprehensive requirements for bullying and cyberbullying prevention:[4]
Every school district to adopt a policy prohibiting bullying and cyberbullying
Written reports of bullying incidents
Investigation procedures
Annual training for school employees
Annual reporting to the Department of Education
The Prevention Connection
OSEW's approach emphasizes prevention: helping schools “use relevant bullying data to select and implement bullying prevention strategies.”[3] Social-emotional instruction that teaches empathy, conflict resolution, respect, kindness, and self-control is an evidence-based prevention strategy.
Suicide Prevention
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among teenagers in New Hampshire. This fact drives much of the state's investment in social-emotional wellness infrastructure.[5]
Social-emotional instruction builds the protective factors that suicide prevention depends on: emotional identification, self-regulation, help-seeking skills, connection to trusted adults, and the capacity to communicate distress. Elementary instruction establishes this foundation before students reach higher-risk developmental stages.
Health Education
New Hampshire's minimum standards for public school approval (ED 306) address health education as part of the required educational program. Content includes mental and emotional health, personal safety, substance abuse prevention, and related topics that overlap with social-emotional competencies. The recent overhaul of ED 306 (adopted December 2024) restructured some requirements, but health education remains part of the program expectations.[6]
How to Align Your Elementary Program With New Hampshire's Framework
Build Your MTSS-B Tier 1
RSA 135-F:3 defines Tier 1 as “a schoolwide system of evidence-based behavioral practices for all students.” A comprehensive scope and sequence across 40 weeks ensures consistent Tier 1 instruction.
Support OSEW's Prevention Focus
Document how your curriculum builds the protective factors OSEW's trainings reinforce: self-awareness, emotional regulation, empathy, communication, and help-seeking.
Address Bullying Prevention
RSA 193-F requires comprehensive bullying prevention. Document how your social-emotional instruction serves as an evidence-based prevention strategy.
Build Suicide Prevention Protective Factors
Elementary instruction in emotional identification, self-regulation, communication with trusted adults, and help-seeking builds the protective factors that reduce suicide risk in later years.
Address Health Education Content
Document how your curriculum covers the mental and emotional health content within New Hampshire's health education expectations. A CASEL-aligned curriculum addresses this directly.
Communicating With New Hampshire Parents
Reference the State Framework
“New Hampshire law defines a Multi-Tiered System of Supports for Behavioral Health and Wellness that includes schoolwide practices for all students. Our program provides the Tier 1 instruction this framework describes, teaching students to manage emotions, build healthy relationships, resolve conflicts, and make responsible decisions.”
Connect to Safety
“Our social-emotional program directly supports New Hampshire's Pupil Safety and Violence Prevention law by teaching students the skills that prevent bullying and build a positive school community.”
Be Concrete
“Students learn to identify and manage their emotions, resolve disagreements peacefully, set and pursue goals, show empathy and kindness, persevere, know when and how to ask for help, and make responsible decisions. These are life skills every child needs.”
Choosing a Curriculum for New Hampshire Schools
When selecting social-emotional curriculum for your New Hampshire elementary school, verify that the program:
Functions as MTSS-B Tier 1 instruction. The statute defines Tier 1 as “a schoolwide system of evidence-based behavioral practices for all students.” A CASEL-aligned curriculum serves this role.
Aligns with CASEL's five competencies. MTSS-B blends social-emotional learning with a tiered prevention framework. A CASEL-aligned curriculum provides the SEL component.
Supports bullying prevention. RSA 193-F requires comprehensive prevention. Your curriculum should teach empathy, communication, conflict resolution, and respect.
Builds protective factors. OSEW's work centers on protective factors. Your curriculum should develop self-awareness, emotional regulation, help-seeking skills, and connection to trusted adults.
Complements trauma-responsive practices. Your curriculum should teach self-regulation, emotional identification, and coping strategies that complement trauma-responsive adult practices.
Provides grade-band differentiation. Programs providing distinct content for each grade level match developmental progression.
Offers a full-year scope and sequence. A program providing 40 weeks of sequenced instruction ensures consistent coverage.
Requires no devices or student accounts. Device-free, teacher-led programs eliminate data privacy concerns—particularly salient in New Hampshire's strong local-control culture.
Supports bilingual learners. Bilingual curriculum in English and Spanish supports equitable access for New Hampshire's growing multilingual population.
Requires minimal prep. New Hampshire's smaller districts often operate with limited staffing. Programs providing ready-to-use weekly lessons are more likely to be implemented consistently.
What to Avoid
Assuming the absence of SEL standards means the absence of a framework
MTSS-B is in statute. OSEW is funded and staffed. The bullying prevention law requires action. A school citing the lack of SEL standards as a reason not to provide instruction is ignoring the legislative framework and the state office that supports it.
Implementing MTSS-B without Tier 1 instruction
A school implementing Tiers 2 and 3 without Tier 1 is intervening without preventing. Structured SEL curriculum provides the Tier 1 foundation that the entire system depends on.
Treating bullying prevention as reactive
RSA 193-F requires investigation and response. OSEW's approach emphasizes prevention. A 40-week curriculum that embeds prevention throughout the year addresses the proactive side that investigation alone cannot.
Separating adult training from student instruction
OSEW provides extensive adult training. A school where adults are trained but students receive no structured instruction has built only the adult side of the support system. Students need explicit instruction in emotional regulation and coping skills.
Final Thoughts
New Hampshire has built social-emotional wellness infrastructure through legislation, a dedicated state office, and a tiered support framework that explicitly blends SEL with prevention. RSA 135-F:3 defines MTSS-B in statute and calls for statewide use. OSEW provides trainings, technical assistance, and tools. RSA 193-F establishes comprehensive bullying prevention requirements. And the state faces a suicide rate among teenagers that makes social-emotional protective factors more than an educational priority; they are a public health necessity.
No K-12 SEL standards exist. The legislative framework does. The dedicated office does. The need does. For New Hampshire elementary schools, the path forward is practical: choose a program that serves as MTSS-B Tier 1 instruction, builds the protective factors OSEW's work depends on, supports the bullying prevention law, and delivers structured instruction to every student, every week, all year. The legislature defined the framework. OSEW provides the support. The students need the skills.
References
- New Hampshire RSA 135-F:3. Multi-Tiered System of Supports for Behavioral Health and Wellness (2016). law.justia.com
- Northeast Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. New Hampshire: MTSS-B. nepbis.org
- New Hampshire Department of Education, Office of Social and Emotional Wellness. School Bullying Report: School Year 2023-2024. education.nh.gov (PDF)
- New Hampshire RSA 193-F. Pupil Safety and Violence Prevention. gc.nh.gov
- Children's Behavioral Health Resource Center. MTSS-B. childrensbehavioralhealthresources.nh.gov
- Reaching Higher NH. NH State Board of Education Adopts Controversial Minimum Standards (December 2024). reachinghighernh.org
- CASEL. SEL Policy at the State Level: New Hampshire. casel.org
- 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 New Hampshire Schools
Be The Buffalo provides the Tier 1 social-emotional instruction that New Hampshire's MTSS-B framework depends on. 40 weeks of K-5 curriculum covering self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Interactive projector activities, original songs, stories, printable worksheets, and teacher guides. Bilingual English and Spanish. No student accounts. No devices. No prep.
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