The DESSA-mini gives educators the ability to proactively identify in 60 seconds and with 95% accuracy which students need additional support, rather than relying on the occurrence of negative student behavior as the indicator of needed support. For a more in-depth look at each student’s specific strengths and needs, the full DESSA assessment can be completed in just 5-8 minutes per student. Some organizations administer the DESSA for a subset of students identified as needing further instruction, while others choose to administer the DESSA for all students.

The Student Portal prepares students with the skills to succeed after graduation. It allows students to self-assess their social-emotional competencies and receive immediate access to their results. Students are encouraged to use their results to set personal goals and use research-based strategies through a self-guided, mobile-friendly platform to support their social-emotional growth.

The ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success: K-12 College and Career Readiness for Every Student comprises 35 standards for academic success, college and career readiness, and social/emotional development. The DESSA is a standardized, norm-referenced behavior rating scale for students in K-12. This crosswalk serves to show at a glance how the DESSA can support a counselor in differentiating and evaluating instructional programs.

Our information-and-technology-driven world is changing at such a rapid rate. Now more than ever, we must ensure students are prepared to enter post-secondary and work environments with skills that will enable them to adapt and succeed. Students need skills beyond academic and technical knowledge—they need social and emotional skills to help them think critically, solve problems, and learn and apply information in ways that are highly adaptable. This white paper dives deeper into what it means to be college and career ready.