Printable PDF: DESSA and DESSA-mini

Overview

This article provides details and downloadable forms for the DESSA K-8 first edition assessments, the DESSA and DESSA mini. 

Note: These forms are meant to be used for completing parent ratings and should not be used for informational purposes such as posting them on district websites or sharing them in parent letters. If you need to share out the DESSA assessment forms for informational purposes, please use the watermarked forms found in the "Dessa Forms for Parents" article. 

DESSA-mini (First Edition)

Versions: 4 versions (DESSA-mini Forms 1, 2, 3, 4)

Items: 8 items per form

Time: Approximately 1 minute per student

Raters: Educators (teachers and out-of-school time staff), Parents/Guardians

Grades: Kindergarten-8th grades

Languages: English, Spanish (PDF only)

Reported Scores: Social-Emotional Total (SET)

Score Ranges: Strength (T-score of 60 and above), Typical (T-score of 41-59), Need for Instruction (T-score of 40 and below)

Recommended Uses:

• Universal Screening: The DESSA-mini can be used to quickly and accurately screen the social and emotional competence of all students. Typically, an educator completes the DESSA-mini on all students in their class at the beginning of the school year. The DESSA-mini provides one score, called the Social-Emotional Total (SET) score which indicates a student’s overall social and emotional competence. This T-score can be described as a Strength (T-scores of 60 and above), a Typical score (T-scores of 41-59), or a score indicating the student has a Need for Instruction (T-scores of 40 and below). We recommend that all students receiving a DESSA-mini score in the Need for Instruction range be assessed by an educator on the full DESSA assessment. The DESSA will provide detailed information about a student’s specific social and emotional strengths and needs across the competencies. See below for more information on the DESSA.
• Progress Monitoring: The DESSA-mini can also be used to monitor student progress in acquiring social and emotional competence across the school year. This information can be used to inform or adjust the use of strategies based on how students respond to instruction and intervention. We generally recommend progress monitoring two or three times during the school year.
• Outcome Evaluation: The DESSA-mini can also be used to evaluate growth in overall social and emotional competence across the school year. This information can be used to understand the impact of social and emotional skill instruction and intervention programs. Typically, an end of year DESSA-mini (or full DESSA assessment) is completed on all students.

Parent/Guardian Use of the DESSA-mini: The DESSA-mini forms can be completed by parents/ guardians to collect additional information about a student’s social and emotional competence at home. Typically, programs ask parents/guardians to complete the full DESSA assessment to gather in-depth social and emotional competency information. See below for more information on the DESSA. Please note that parents/guardians do not have online access to the DESSA System so ratings are typically completed on paper. Once the paper rating is completed, the parent/guardian is added to the student’s DESSA System profile and the rating is entered online by a staff member.

Administration Recommendations: It is recommended that educators observe and interact with students for at least four weeks prior to completing a DESSA-mini rating.

For more detailed information about the development, uses, administration, scoring, and interpretation of the DESSA-mini, please refer to the DESSA-mini Technical Manual.

DESSA (First Edition)

Versions: 1 version

Items: 72

Time: Approximately 5-8 minutes

Raters: Educators (teachers and out-of-school time staff), Parents/Guardians

Grades: Kindergarten-8th grades

Languages: English, Spanish (PDF only)

Reported Scores: Social-Emotional Composite (SEC), Personal Responsibility (PR), Optimistic Thinking (OT), Goal-Directed Behavior (GB), Social-Awareness (SO), Decision Making (DM), Relationship Skills (RS), Self-Awareness (SA), Self-Management (SM)

Score Ranges: Strength (T-score of 60 and above), Typical (T-score of 41-59), Need for Instruction (T-score of 40 and below)

Recommended Uses:

• Detailed Assessment: The full DESSA provides a detailed assessment of students’ specific social and emotional competencies. Typically, educators complete the DESSA on students who were found to be in the Need for Instruction range on the DESSA-mini and/or on students who have been identified through other measures. This information provides educators with an in-depth understanding of a student’s social and emotional competencies which can be used to inform and guide strategies and interventions. Programs interested in collecting detailed social and emotional competency information to inform planning for all students can use the DESSA universally.
• Progress Monitoring and Outcome Evaluation: The DESSA can also be used to monitor student progress in acquiring social and emotional competence across the school year. This information can be used to inform or adjust the use of strategies based on how students respond to instruction and intervention for specific competencies. In addition, the DESSA can be used to evaluate growth in social and emotional competencies across the school year. This information can be used to understand the impact of social and emotional skill instruction and intervention programs.

Parent/Guardian Use of the DESSA: A program may ask parents/guardians to complete a DESSA to gather in-depth information about students' social and emotional competence at home. Please note that parents/guardians do not have online access to the DESSA System so ratings are typically completed on paper. Once the paper rating is completed, the parent/guardian is added to the student’s DESSA System profile and the rating is entered online by a staff member.

Administration Recommendations: It is recommended that educators observe and interact with students for at least four weeks prior to completing a DESSA rating. Raters have found it helpful to print out the DESSA to review items when observing students.

For more detailed information about the development, uses, administration, scoring, and interpretation of the DESSA, please refer to the DESSA Technical Manual.

The PDF documents are paper versions of the rating forms that are completed by educators online in the DESSA System. Parents/guardians do not have online access; they complete the rating form on paper. Please contact your Program or Site Administrator for DESSA rating form assignments.

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