Can the DESSA be used in brief out-of-school-time programs, such as summer programs?

Overview

This article discusses the recommended best practices regarding utilizing the DESSA System and DESSA assessments in brief out-of-school time programs.

Recommendations

Yes, there are a number of brief out-of-school time programs across the United States are currently using the DESSA. We recommend that programs such as these consider providing additional instruction to staff prior to using the DESSA in order to enhance staff’s comfort and reliability with completing the ratings. In addition to discussing with staff the purpose, use, and general administrative guidelines for completing the DESSA (pg. 37-38 of the DESSA-mini Manual or pg. 45-46 of the DESSA Manual, both attached) it may also be useful to talk to staff about how to prepare for a rating during pre-service training. For example, it may be helpful to spend time reviewing the DESSA items at the very beginning of the program so that staff know what kinds of behaviors they will be asked to rate. Additionally, we suggest that staff intentionally observe their students during a variety of different tasks and settings (e.g., small and large group activities; challenging and easy tasks; cooperative learning situations; etc.). That is they, to the extent possible, arrange a variety of different opportunities to observe the students’ social and emotional skills prior to completing a rating.

Given the shorter duration of summer programs, it may be necessary to adjust the length of time required prior to completing the initial ratings. We recommend that raters should have contact with the youth for two or more hours for at least three days per week for a four-week period. This translates to approximately 24 hours of exposure to the youth. This guideline was determined through feedback from teachers during the development of the DESSA. However it is important to keep in mind that although this is the recommendation, it is only an estimate. Especially in after-school or summer program settings, one must be aware of the many factors that play a role in a rater’s exposure to a child, such as staff-child ratios, types of interactions in the program (e.g., help with homework, large or small group activities, free play, etc.), and a variety of other factors. Therefore, a rater who has less exposure than recommended in the manual may still know a child well enough to complete the DESSA and can do so accurately, depending on these factors. For example, we have worked with summer programs who asked their staff to complete their ratings after only three weeks into the summer program. The guidance provided in the paragraph above include recommendations for helping to prepare raters to complete their DESSA ratings. It should be noted that because the DESSA scores are based on the number of times specific behaviors have been noted, a rater’s insufficient opportunity to observe the youth could lead to an erroneously low rating. This should be taken into consideration when interpreting a youth’s DESSA results.