Adopted by the Arizona Department of Education and approved by the State Board of Education in 2020, the Arizona Social Emotional Learning Competencies use CASEL's five core competencies which describe what social and emotional learning looks like in practice. By using the integrated framework, the five core competencies can be taught in many ways across many settings.
Unlike standards that are established criteria that students should know and be able to do, competencies describe how students apply and transfer their learning to new contexts and situations.
This page provides an overview of the five core competencies and the integrated framework. For more in-depth information, visit:
Self-awareness: The ability to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts.
Self-management: The ability to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations.
Responsible Decision-Making: The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations.
Relationship Skills: The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups.
Social Awareness: The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts.
SEL Framework
Using the CASEL framework, Arizona’s SEL Competencies support a systemic approach that emphasizes the importance of establishing equitable learning environments and coordinating practices across four key settings: classrooms, schools, homes, and communities.
Cross Walking the Competencies with Academic Standards
Because the five core competencies are most effective when integrated across the four key settings, the Department will work to provide materials that crosswalk these competencies to the various approved standards.
Cross-walking the competencies will make it easier to develop lesson plans that naturally integrate the five core competencies into academic content. As a reminder, academic standards go through a rigorous approval process and differ from competencies.
Please check back, as this section will be updated as we add more crosswalk materials.
The Arizona Career and Technical Education (CTE) Professional Skills Standards and Social-Emotional Learning competencies have been approved by ADE CTE and School Safety and Social Wellness to be taught together in CTE classes. This approval was based on analyzing the Professional Skills standards and Arizona’s SEL competencies by a committee of ADE and CTE specialists.
Integration of neurobiologically informed trauma-responsive practices with recognized SEL competencies. View this resource.
SEL Standards at ADE
In addition to the Arizona SEL Competencies, Arizona’s early childhood education community of specialists, educators and parents built SEL into their approved standards.
The 4th edition of Arizona Early Childhood Learning Standards was adopted by the State Board of Education in 2018.
Visit our SEL Professional Development page to learn about upcoming training opportunities for educators. Thanks to federal COVID-19 recovery funding, many of these training events are free to educators.
Is your school, classroom, home, or community ready to commit to integrating the five core SEL competencies and framework? Then, we encourage you to take the Arizona SEL Pledge and show your support for the systemic integration of the SEL competencies and framework.
A recap of CASEL's SELebration Conference, information on signing up for the free PAX Good Behavior Game training, and how to combat misinformation about social-emotional learning
New instructional resources for the AZ Arts Standards, including student-friendly "I am learning" statements and SEL tools, plus free upcoming training
