Paul A. LeBuffe, M.A.
Valerie Shapiro, M.S.W.
Jack A. Naglieri, Ph.D.
The DESSA is a behavior rating scale that assesses skills related to social-emotional competence, resilience, and academic success of children in kindergarten through 8th grade, between the ages of 4 to 14.
The DESSA can be used to:
- Identify social-emotional strengths and needs of elementary and middle school children
- Produce classroom profiles that guide universal prevention and promotion strategies
- Identify at-risk children who have specific social-emotional needs
- Produce individual student profiles that guide targeted prevention strategies
- For special education students, identify important strengths that can be incorporated into Individual Education Plans (IEPs)
- Evaluate social-emotional learning outcomes at the child, class, grade, school, and district level
How to Use the Asssessment
The DESSA can be completed by parents, teachers, or after-school staff. The assessment is comprised of 72 strength-based items and takes less than 10 minutes to complete.
In addition to handscorable forms, a web-based administration, scoring and reporting program is available.
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- Personal Responsibility
- Optimistic Thinking
- Goal-Directed Behavior
- Social Awareness
- Decision Making
- Relationship Skills
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management