New Jersey adopted K-12 Social and Emotional Learning Competencies in August 2017, defining five competencies and 19 sub-competencies aligned to CASEL's framework. The New Jersey State Board of Education and the Commissioner of Education continue to recommend that school districts implement these competencies to promote safe, supportive, and rigorous learning environments.[1][2]
New Jersey also has some of the most comprehensive health education and anti-bullying requirements in the country. The 2020 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Comprehensive Health and Physical Education (NJSLS-CHPE), adopted by the State Board of Education, are mandatory and include substantial social-emotional content. The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act requires an anti-bullying specialist in every school and an anti-bullying coordinator in every district, with training, investigation, and prevention obligations that social-emotional instruction directly supports.[3]
The NJDOE has partnered with the Rutgers University Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab to develop a statewide SEL Leadership training series for school leaders, signaling continued state-level investment in building SEL capacity across the system.[4] For New Jersey elementary educators, the SEL competencies provide the framework, the health education standards provide the mandate, and the anti-bullying law provides the compliance obligation. Together, they create a clear expectation for structured social-emotional instruction.
New Jersey's SEL Competencies and Sub-Competencies
Adopted August 2017
The NJDOE adopted Social and Emotional Learning Competencies and Sub-Competencies in August 2017. The competencies are designed to provide schools with guidelines for implementing SEL across the curriculum at all grade levels. They are aligned with CASEL's framework and organized around five competencies with 19 sub-competencies:[1]
Self-Awareness
- •Recognize one's feelings and thoughts
- •Recognize the impact of feelings on behavior
- •Recognize personal traits, strengths, and limitations
- •Recognize the importance of self-confidence
Self-Management
- •Strategies for managing emotions, thoughts, and behaviors
- •Skills to establish and achieve personal and educational goals
- •Ways to persevere or overcome barriers
Social Awareness
- •Recognize thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of others
- •Awareness of differences among individuals and cultures
- •Awareness of expectations for social interactions
Responsible Decision-Making
- •Effective problem-solving and critical thinking
- •Identify consequences of actions
- •Evaluate personal, ethical, safety, and civic impact
- •Make constructive and respectful choices
Relationship Skills
- •Establish and maintain healthy relationships
- •Positive communication and social skills
- •Resist inappropriate social pressure
- •Prevent and resolve interpersonal conflicts
- •Identify when to seek help
Recommended, Not Mandated
The State Board of Education and the Commissioner “continue to recommend” that districts implement the SEL competencies. They are guidelines, not mandatory standards in the same way that the NJSLS for math or ELA are. However, the health education standards that contain social-emotional content are mandatory, and the anti-bullying law creates compliance obligations that SEL instruction directly supports.[2]
Grade-Level Progression
K-2 Examples
- • Recognize one's feelings and thoughts
- • Identify the positive qualities of others
- • Identify positive behaviors for community well-being
- • Demonstrate the ability to work cooperatively
3-5 Examples
- • Express empathy for others
- • Describe characteristics of safe/unsafe situations
- • Demonstrate self-control as a valuable tool
- • Identify ways to resist inappropriate social pressure
Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Standards
The 2020 NJSLS-CHPE
The New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Comprehensive Health and Physical Education were adopted by the State Board of Education on June 3, 2020, with implementation beginning in the 2022-2023 school year. These are mandatory standards that districts must reflect in their curriculum.[3][5]
150 Minutes Per Week
New Jersey law (N.J.S.A. 18A:35-5, 7, and 8) requires at least 150 minutes per week of health, safety, and physical education during each year of enrollment. This time requirement provides the structural vehicle for delivering health education, including its social-emotional content.[6]
Social-Emotional Content in the Standards
| NJSLS-CHPE Content | NJ SEL Competency | CASEL |
|---|---|---|
| Personal/mental health, self-concept | Self-Awareness | Self-Awareness |
| Stress management, self-control, goal setting | Self-Management | Self-Management |
| Empathy, understanding differences | Social Awareness | Social Awareness |
| Communication, conflict resolution | Relationship Skills | Relationship Skills |
| Decision-making, evaluating consequences | Responsible Decision-Making | Responsible Decision-Making |
A CASEL-aligned curriculum addresses both the NJ SEL Competencies and the social-emotional content within the NJSLS-CHPE simultaneously.
The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act
One of the Strongest in the Country
New Jersey's Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act is one of the most comprehensive anti-bullying laws in the United States. It requires:[7]
Anti-bullying specialist in every school
Anti-bullying coordinator in every district
School safety/school climate team in every school
Week of Respect — first week of October annually
Investigation within 10 school days of report
Specific notification and reporting requirements
The Connection to SEL
The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act creates substantial prevention and intervention obligations. Students who have been taught empathy, conflict resolution, self-control, respect, kindness, and communication skills through structured instruction are less likely to engage in harassment, intimidation, and bullying, and more likely to contribute to the positive school climate the law demands. A school that investigates bullying incidents without also teaching the skills that prevent them is managing symptoms without addressing causes.
The Rutgers SEL Leadership Initiative
The NJDOE has partnered with the Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab at Rutgers University to develop a statewide training series on implementing systemic SEL in schools. The asynchronous SEL Leadership course includes five modules, each 1.5 hours in length, available to all current and aspiring school leaders via a virtual platform.[4] This partnership signals continued state-level investment in SEL capacity building. The NJDOE is not simply publishing competencies and leaving districts to figure out implementation. It is actively building the leadership capacity needed for systemic SEL implementation.
Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key Skills
The 2020 NJSLS for Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key Skills (CLKS), also adopted by the State Board, include competencies related to critical thinking, creativity, teamwork, communication, and personal responsibility that overlap with and reinforce the SEL competencies.[5] These standards create additional touchpoints for social-emotional skills across the curriculum, reinforcing the expectation that skills like collaboration, communication, and responsible decision-making are developed throughout the school day.
How to Align Your Elementary Program With New Jersey's Framework
Map to the SEL Competencies and Sub-Competencies
Document how your curriculum addresses all five competencies and their 19 sub-competencies. A CASEL-aligned curriculum maps directly because the NJ competencies use the same framework.
Address NJSLS-CHPE Standards
The comprehensive health education standards are mandatory. Document how your curriculum covers the social-emotional content. A comprehensive scope and sequence across 40 weeks addresses every social-emotional strand.
Support the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act
Document how your SEL curriculum supports the school safety/school climate team's mandate and the Week of Respect programming. A curriculum teaching empathy, conflict resolution, respect, and kindness is evidence-based prevention.
Coordinate With Your Anti-Bullying Specialist
Align your classroom-based SEL instruction with the specialist's programming to ensure consistent language and complementary coverage. The specialist provides targeted support. The curriculum provides universal prevention.
Connect to the 150-Minute Weekly Requirement
Document how your SEL curriculum integrates into the health education component of the 150-minute weekly health and PE requirement.
Communicating With New Jersey Parents
Reference the State's Competencies
“New Jersey has adopted Social and Emotional Learning Competencies that describe the skills students need for success in school, work, and life. Our program teaches these competencies through structured weekly lessons: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.”
Connect to Anti-Bullying
“Our social-emotional program directly supports New Jersey's anti-bullying requirements by teaching students the skills that prevent harassment, intimidation, and bullying: empathy, conflict resolution, respect, and effective communication.”
Be Concrete
“Students learn to identify and manage their emotions, resolve disagreements peacefully, set and pursue goals, show empathy and kindness, persevere through challenges, resist negative peer pressure, and make responsible decisions.”
What to Avoid
Treating SEL competencies as separate from mandatory requirements
The SEL competencies are recommended. The health education standards containing social-emotional content are mandatory. The anti-bullying law creates compliance obligations. A school ignoring the competencies is likely underserving the mandatory requirements they organize.
Confining anti-bullying efforts to the Week of Respect
One week of programming does not prevent bullying. A 40-week curriculum embeds prevention throughout the school year.
Delegating all SEL to the anti-bullying specialist
The competencies are designed to be “implemented across the curriculum at all grade levels.” Classroom-based curriculum provides the universal instruction the specialist's targeted work builds on.
Running health education without connecting to SEL competencies
The NJSLS-CHPE and the SEL competencies address the same skills from different angles. A unified approach produces stronger results.
Final Thoughts
New Jersey has adopted SEL competencies with 19 sub-competencies aligned to CASEL. The State Board and Commissioner continue to recommend their implementation. The mandatory health education standards include substantial social-emotional content. The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act creates one of the strongest prevention and climate obligations in the country. The NJDOE is investing in statewide SEL Leadership training through its Rutgers partnership. And the 150-minute weekly health and PE requirement provides the time structure for delivery.
For New Jersey elementary schools, the path forward is practical: choose a program that aligns with the SEL competencies and sub-competencies, addresses the health education standards, supports the anti-bullying prevention mandate, and delivers structured instruction to every student, every week, all year. The framework is in place. The obligations are clear. The students need the skills. Start there.
References
- New Jersey Department of Education. Social and Emotional Learning Competencies and Sub-Competencies (August 2017). nj.gov (PDF)
- New Jersey State Board of Education. Resolution in Recognition of SEL Week (March 2025). nj.gov (PDF)
- New Jersey Department of Education. Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Standards. nj.gov
- New Jersey Department of Education. SEL Leadership Focus Group Recruitment (June 2024). nj.gov (PDF)
- New Jersey Department of Education. 2020 NJSLS: Comprehensive Health and Physical Education. nj.gov (PDF)
- New Jersey Department of Education. Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Standards. nj.gov
- New Jersey Department of Education. Social and Emotional Learning. nj.gov
- NJPSA and FEA. State Board Reviews SEL Competencies (March 2017). njpsa.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 Jersey Schools
Be The Buffalo aligns with New Jersey's adopted SEL competencies and sub-competencies and the NJSLS-CHPE health education standards. 40 weeks of K-5 curriculum covering all five competencies and 19 sub-competencies. Interactive projector activities, original songs, stories, printable worksheets, and teacher guides. Bilingual English and Spanish. No student accounts. No devices. No prep. Built to support the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act's prevention mandate every week, not just the Week of Respect.
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