A practical guide for Washington educators and administrators on the state's six SEL standards and 17 benchmarks, the model policy requirement for positive school climate, and how Washington's expanded framework creates specific expectations for elementary schools.
Washington State has been building its SEL infrastructure through a sustained, multi-year legislative and policy process. In 2015, the legislature directed OSPI to convene a workgroup for SEL benchmarks. In 2016, the workgroup developed standards and benchmarks. In 2019, a second workgroup created detailed grade-level indicators with support from the American Institutes for Research. On January 1, 2020, State Superintendent Chris Reykdal formally adopted the SEL standards. And in 2020, HB 2816 required the Washington State School Directors' Association to develop a model policy for positive social and emotional school climate.[1][2][3]
The result is a framework that is more detailed and more structurally distinct than most states' approaches. Where CASEL uses five competencies and most states adopt that same structure, Washington developed six standards with 17 benchmarks, splitting social competencies into three separate domains (social awareness, social management, and social engagement) and adding self-efficacy as a standalone standard.[4]
For Washington elementary schools, this framework provides both the expectations and the specificity to build a comprehensive SEL program. The standards are adopted. The grade-level indicators exist. The model policy requirement creates institutional expectations. And OSPI continues to provide active support through newsletters, advisory committee guidance, and implementation resources.
Washington's Six SEL Standards
A Broader Framework
Washington's decision to develop six standards rather than adopt CASEL's five reflects a deliberate choice to provide more granular guidance for instruction and assessment.[4] The six standards with their 17 benchmarks are:
Standard 1: Self-Awareness
Individuals can identify their emotions, personal assets, areas for growth, and potential external support.
- Benchmark 1A: Demonstrates awareness and understanding of one's own emotions
- Benchmark 1B: Demonstrates awareness of personal qualities and interests
- Benchmark 1C: Demonstrates awareness of and ability to identify one's own support systems
Standard 2: Self-Management
Individuals can regulate emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
- Benchmark 2A: Demonstrates the skills to manage and express emotions, thoughts, impulses, and stress in constructive ways
- Benchmark 2B: Demonstrates the ability to set, monitor, adapt, and evaluate goals to achieve success in school and life
- Benchmark 2C: Demonstrates the ability to make responsible decisions and act on them
Standard 3: Self-Efficacy
Individuals can exercise agency, demonstrate independence, and exert effort toward achieving goals.
- Benchmark 3A: Demonstrates a sense of personal responsibility and agency
- Benchmark 3B: Demonstrates perseverance and resilience toward achieving goals
Standard 4: Social Awareness
Individuals can consider and empathize with others.
- Benchmark 4A: Demonstrates awareness of other people's emotions, perspectives, cultures, identities
- Benchmark 4B: Demonstrates the ability to identify external and community resources and supports
Standard 5: Social Management
Individuals can demonstrate and manage interactions effectively.
- Benchmark 5A: Demonstrates the ability to use positive communication and social skills to interact effectively with others
- Benchmark 5B: Demonstrates the ability to identify and take steps to resolve interpersonal conflicts in constructive ways
- Benchmark 5C: Demonstrates the ability to engage in constructive teamwork and collaborative decision-making
Standard 6: Social Engagement
Individuals can consider others and show a desire to contribute to the well-being of school and community.
- Benchmark 6A: Demonstrates a sense of school and community responsibility
- Benchmark 6B: Demonstrates the ability to work with others to set, monitor, and achieve collective goals
Why Six Instead of Five
The expansion from five to six standards serves two purposes:
Self-efficacy gets dedicated attention
Most SEL frameworks embed self-efficacy within self-management or self-awareness. Washington's decision to make it a standalone standard, with benchmarks for personal agency and perseverance, elevates these skills from subcategories to primary instructional targets. This directly supports growth mindset and goal-setting instruction.
Social skills are disaggregated
Instead of one “relationship skills” standard, Washington provides three: social awareness (understanding others), social management (interacting effectively), and social engagement (contributing to community). Teaching a student to empathize (Standard 4) is different from teaching them to resolve conflict (Standard 5), which is different from teaching them to contribute to community wellbeing (Standard 6). Washington's framework makes those distinctions explicit.
How the Six Standards Map to CASEL
| Washington Standard | CASEL Competency Alignment |
|---|---|
| Standard 1: Self-Awareness | Self-Awareness |
| Standard 2: Self-Management | Self-Management + Responsible Decision-Making |
| Standard 3: Self-Efficacy | Self-Management (agency dimension) |
| Standard 4: Social Awareness | Social Awareness |
| Standard 5: Social Management | Relationship Skills |
| Standard 6: Social Engagement | Relationship Skills + Responsible Decision-Making (community dimension) |
A CASEL-aligned curriculum covers all six Washington standards because the six are an expansion of CASEL's five, not a replacement. The curriculum may need to explicitly address self-efficacy and social engagement as distinct instructional priorities rather than embedded subcategories.
Grade-Level Indicators
What OSPI Provides
OSPI, in partnership with the American Institutes for Research, developed detailed grade-level indicators for each benchmark across K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-10, and 11-12.[4][5] These indicators describe specific, observable, and measurable student behaviors at each developmental level.
Elementary Examples
Standard 1A (Self-Awareness: Emotions)
K-2: Identify and label basic emotions in self; describe situations that cause different feelings
3-5: Describe a range of emotions with increasing precision; explain how emotions affect thoughts and behavior
Standard 2A (Self-Management: Emotional Regulation)
K-2: Use adult-supported strategies to manage strong emotions; follow routines and expectations
3-5: Independently use multiple regulation strategies; adapt strategies to different situations
Standard 3B (Self-Efficacy: Perseverance)
K-2: Attempt challenging tasks with support; demonstrate willingness to try again after initial difficulty
3-5: Persevere through multi-step challenges; identify and apply strategies when facing obstacles
Standard 4A (Social Awareness: Empathy)
K-2: Recognize that others may feel differently about the same situation; show kindness toward others
3-5: Demonstrate perspective-taking across diverse backgrounds; describe how context shapes others' emotions
Standard 5B (Social Management: Conflict Resolution)
K-2: Use simple strategies (words, seeking adult help) to address conflicts
3-5: Apply multi-step conflict resolution processes; negotiate solutions that consider multiple perspectives
Standard 6A (Social Engagement: Community Responsibility)
K-2: Participate in classroom routines and shared responsibilities; show care for shared spaces
3-5: Identify ways to contribute positively to school and community; take initiative in group settings
HB 2816: The Model Policy Requirement
What the Law Requires
House Bill 2816, which took effect June 11, 2020, required the Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA) to develop a model policy and procedures “for nurturing a positive social and emotional school and classroom climate.”[2]
The model policy was developed with input from diverse stakeholders and is available for districts to adopt or adapt. While districts are not required to adopt the model policy verbatim, the law's existence creates an expectation that districts have policies addressing social and emotional school climate.
What This Means for Elementary Schools
HB 2816 creates an institutional framework that complements the SEL standards. The standards define what students should learn. The model policy addresses how schools create the conditions for that learning. Together, they form a comprehensive approach: teach the skills and build the environment.
Schools that implement a structured SEL curriculum and adopt a positive school climate policy aligned with the WSSDA model are addressing both dimensions of Washington's SEL framework.
OSPI's Implementation Support
OSPI provides extensive and actively maintained implementation resources:[6]
SEL Standards, Benchmarks, and Indicators Document
The complete framework with all six standards, 17 benchmarks, and grade-level indicators in long form.[4]
One-Page Standards Overview
A concise reference document showing all six standards and their benchmarks.[7]
SEL Equity Brief
A 12-page document addressing how equity, race, culture, and economic status intersect with SEL implementation.[6]
SEL Advisory Committee
An ongoing advisory body with meetings scheduled through 2025-2026. The committee provides guidance on implementation and recommends adjustments to the framework.[8]
Monthly SEL Newsletter
Active newsletter (August 2025 edition includes implementation strategies, activity ideas aligned to specific standards, and professional development opportunities).[8]
AIR SEL Coaching Toolkit
Developed by the American Institutes for Research for instructional coaches, administrators, and district leaders who support teachers in integrating SEL into daily practice.[9]
OSPI SEL Modules
Online modules on social and emotional learning foundations and strategies for Washington educators.[6]
Teacher Preparation Requirements
Washington's Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) includes SEL as part of instructional topic requirements for educator preparation programs.[9] This means that new teachers entering Washington classrooms are expected to have foundational knowledge of SEL concepts, standards, and instructional strategies.
For existing teachers, OSPI's coaching toolkit and professional development modules provide the bridge between pre-service preparation and classroom implementation.
How to Align Your Elementary Program With Washington's Framework
Step 1: Map to All Six Standards and 17 Benchmarks
Document how your instruction addresses each of Washington's six standards at both the K-2 and 3-5 grade bands. Pay particular attention to the two standards that do not have direct single-competency CASEL equivalents:
Standard 3 (Self-Efficacy)
Ensure your curriculum explicitly addresses personal agency, perseverance, and resilience as instructional targets, not just embedded themes. Growth mindset and goal-setting instruction directly serves this standard.
Standard 6 (Social Engagement)
Ensure your curriculum addresses community responsibility, collective goal-setting, and civic participation. This goes beyond individual relationship skills to include how students contribute to the wellbeing of their school and community.
Step 2: Use Grade-Level Indicators for Assessment
Washington's grade-level indicators provide specific, observable behaviors that teachers can track without formal testing. Build informal assessment into your SEL instruction:
After a lesson on empathy (Standard 4A): Can the student describe how someone else might feel in a given situation?
After a lesson on self-regulation (Standard 2A): Does the student independently use a calming strategy before responding to frustration?
After a conflict resolution lesson (Standard 5B): Can the student apply a multi-step resolution process?
These observations provide formative data for instructional planning and evidence of student growth over time.
Step 3: Align With the WSSDA Model Policy
Review the WSSDA model policy for positive social and emotional school climate and ensure your school's policies and practices align. The model policy addresses both the instructional side (what students are taught) and the environmental side (how the school creates conditions for social-emotional development).
A comprehensive scope and sequence that covers all six standards through weekly instruction provides the instructional component. The school's culture, discipline practices, adult relationships, and community partnerships provide the environmental component.
Step 4: Address Equity
Washington's SEL Equity Brief makes clear that SEL implementation must consider how race, culture, and economic status shape students' social-emotional experiences and access to instruction.[6] For elementary schools, this means:
- Selecting curriculum with diverse characters and culturally responsive content
- Providing bilingual access for English learners
- Ensuring that SEL instruction does not impose dominant-culture norms for emotional expression or social interaction
- Connecting SEL to students' lived experiences across cultural contexts
Step 5: Connect to School Safety and Climate
Washington's framework positions SEL within the broader school climate and safety context. Standards 4 through 6 (social awareness, social management, social engagement) directly build the interpersonal competencies that create safe, respectful learning environments.
Document how your SEL instruction supports your school's safety plan: students who can regulate emotions produce fewer behavioral incidents, students who can resolve conflicts de-escalate situations independently, and students who feel connected to their school community are more likely to report concerning behavior.
Step 6: Embed in MTSS
Position your SEL curriculum within your school's Multi-Tiered System of Supports:
Tier 1
Universal SEL instruction delivered weekly to all students, addressing all six standards.
Tier 2
Targeted small-group support for students needing additional practice with specific standards.
Tier 3
Individualized intervention for students with significant needs, including IEP-aligned SEL goals mapped to specific Washington standards.
Choosing a Curriculum for Washington Schools
When selecting SEL curriculum for your Washington elementary school, verify that the program:
Addresses all six standards
A standard CASEL-aligned curriculum covers most of Washington's framework, but verify explicit coverage of Standard 3 (Self-Efficacy) and Standard 6 (Social Engagement), which are not standalone competencies in CASEL.
Provides K-2 and 3-5 differentiation
Washington's grade-level indicators specify different expectations at each developmental level. Your curriculum should match.
Offers a full-year scope and sequence
The 17 benchmarks across six standards require sustained, weekly instruction throughout the school year. Isolated lessons or monthly themes cannot address the framework's scope.
Is culturally responsive
Washington's Equity Brief establishes cultural responsiveness as a core implementation requirement. Diverse characters, bilingual access, and culturally varied scenarios are necessary.
Connects to school climate and safety
Washington's HB 2816 model policy and the framework's social standards (4, 5, 6) connect SEL directly to school climate. Curriculum that bridges these domains serves both the standards and the policy.
Supports neurodivergent learners
Washington explicitly notes that SEL can be part of a student's IEP. Curriculum that is accessible to diverse processing profiles supports both universal and individualized instruction.
Produces observable outcomes
Washington's grade-level indicators describe specific, observable behaviors. Your curriculum should generate opportunities to observe and document these behaviors for formative assessment.
Requires minimal prep
Ready-to-use weekly lessons that teachers can deliver without extensive preparation support consistent implementation.
What to Avoid
Assuming CASEL alignment automatically covers Washington's framework
Washington's six standards expand on CASEL's five. A CASEL-aligned curriculum covers most of the framework, but self-efficacy (Standard 3) and social engagement (Standard 6) may need explicit attention beyond what a standard CASEL curriculum provides.
Ignoring the social engagement standard
Standard 6 (Social Engagement) addresses how students contribute to the wellbeing of school and community. This goes beyond individual social skills to include civic participation, collective goal-setting, and community responsibility. Many SEL programs focus on individual competencies without addressing this community dimension.
Treating the standards as separate from school climate policy
Washington has both SEL standards (what students learn) and a model climate policy (what schools create). Implementation that addresses one without the other is incomplete. A great curriculum in a toxic school culture will not produce results. A warm school culture without structured instruction will not build measurable competencies.
Waiting for a mandate
Washington's SEL standards are adopted, not mandated. The model policy exists but districts are not required to adopt it verbatim. Some educators interpret this as permission to delay. But OSPI is actively supporting implementation, the advisory committee is meeting, the newsletter is publishing monthly, and the infrastructure is being built. Schools that implement now are building capacity that will serve students immediately and position the school for compliance if mandates follow.
Final Thoughts
Washington State has built one of the most detailed and well-supported SEL frameworks in the country. Six standards, 17 benchmarks, and grade-level indicators provide the instructional specificity that most state frameworks lack. The legislative history (2015 workgroup directive, 2020 standards adoption, HB 2816 model policy) demonstrates sustained institutional commitment. And OSPI's ongoing support (advisory committee, monthly newsletter, coaching toolkit, equity brief) provides the implementation resources that make the framework actionable.
For Washington elementary schools, the path forward involves selecting a comprehensive curriculum that addresses all six standards with grade-appropriate content, delivering it consistently through weekly instruction across the full school year, aligning with the WSSDA model climate policy, attending to equity and cultural responsiveness, and using the grade-level indicators for ongoing assessment.
Washington has given schools the standards, the benchmarks, the indicators, the policy framework, and the support. What happens in classrooms is up to each school and district.
References
- PAVE. (2020). State standards guide social emotional learning for all ages and abilities. https://wapave.org/state-standards-guide-social-emotional-learning-for-all-ages-and-abilities/
- School's Out Washington. (n.d.). Social-emotional learning. https://schoolsoutwashington.org/social-emotional-learning/
- OSPI. (n.d.). Social Emotional Learning Standards, Benchmarks, and Indicators background. https://www.pesb.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/SELStandardsBenchmarksIndicatorsLongForm.pdf
- OSPI. (2024). Washington State Social Emotional Learning Standards, Benchmarks, and Indicators (Long Form). https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2023-08/selstandardsbenchmarksindicatorslongform_0.pdf
- OSPI. (n.d.). Washington's K-12 SEL Standards and Benchmarks (One-Pager). https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2023-08/selstandardsandbenchmarksonepager.pdf
- OSPI. (n.d.). Social emotional learning. https://ospi.k12.wa.us/student-success/resources-subject-area/social-emotional-learning-sel
- OSPI. (2024). Washington State Social Emotional Learning Standards and Benchmarks and ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors crosswalk. https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2024-06/wa-sel-asca-mbs-crosswalk.pdf
- OSPI. (2025). SEL newsletter, August 2025. https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAOSPI/bulletins/3efd049
- Professional Educator Standards Board. (n.d.). Social emotional learning (SEL). https://www.pesb.wa.gov/preparation-programs/standards/instructional-topic-requirements/social-emotional-learning/
- 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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