Summary:
We’ve released a powerful set of updates to the DESSA System—built on educator feedback—to save you time and strengthen student outcomes. From access to EdSERT professional learning, Tier 2 interventions, and AI-powered insights, to new reports, training options, and parent/guardian ratings, these enhancements make it easier than ever to understand data and take meaningful action. Explore the highlights and see how these updates can help you support students’ social, emotional, and behavioral growth.
Access to EdSERT, Tier 2 Interventions, and Data-Driven Recommendations!
All DESSA users now have access to EdSERT, our comprehensive professional development program that builds educators’ own social-emotional skills and promotes their ability to understand, model, and teach positive behavioral skills. Learn more here.
Additionally, all users can take advantage of automated, data-driven recommendations to make the selection of strategies aligned to students’ strengths and growth opportunities as quick and efficient as possible. This feature automatically summarizes findings based on a group of students’ DESSA results and provides one strategy that leverages their collective strengths, and strategies that focus on their highest-priority skill-building needs.
Tier 2 Interventions, intensive, multi-week programs, are also now available for all DESSA System users. Educators can leverage student strengths and address critical skill gaps with sequenced multi-week intervention programs that focus instruction with repeated practice. Access Tier 2 Interventions by clicking on the “Strategies” tab.
DESSA SEIR for Students:
The DESSA SEIR (Screener for Externalizing and Internalizing Risk) is a student-completed screener for grades 6-12 that identifies a broad range of social and emotional risks. The DESSA SEIR delivers two scores (internalizing concerns and externalizing concerns) in three ranges (No Concern, Possible Concern, and Concern). The DESSA SEIR must be completed alongside the DESSA Student Self-Report to promote a “risk and resilience” approach to supporting students’ social, emotional, and behavioral needs that develops protective factors to minimize the impact of potential risks.
DESSA 2 High School Edition Student Self-Report – Norms Update:
The DESSA High School Edition Student Self-Report (DESSA HSE-SSR) is being updated to include post-pandemic norms collected during fall 2024 and based on a normative sample of 50,000 students. The student-completed form has been revised to make it shorter and more relevant, focusing on skills students need to be successful in school and in preparation for success in college and in the workplace. With this update, the form will also better align with the K-8 DESSA 2 and the DESSA Middle School Edition Student Self-Report by transitioning from 7 competencies to 6 competencies.
DESSA 2 Parent/Guardian Ratings:
DESSA System users now have the ability to submit parent- and/or guardian-completed ratings. Once a parent/guardian completes a paper version of the DESSA 2, the results are input by the educator. Students are more likely to experience positive outcomes when parents and educators work together to provide insights and support that target needs across different environments. Comparisons of students’ DESSA scores can show the consistency of behaviors at school and at home or can show how behaviors differ under various circumstances. Having data from both school staff and parents/guardians allows for additional insights to inform the selection and implementation of effective strategies for strengthening social, emotional, and behavioral competencies within different contexts. Learn how to submit parent ratings here!
DESSA Insights+:
DESSA Insights+ is an AI-powered widget embedded across three key pages of the DESSA System – the Dashboard, My Students, and Post-Rating Summary pages. Built specifically for teacher accounts (users with the role of "Educator" in the DESSA System), this tool surfaces concise insights and provides intelligent navigation support within the platform based on their data.
Key Benefits of DESSA Insights+:
- Reduces Data Overload: Simplifies data into brief, clear summaries teachers can quickly understand
- Supports Informed Action: Adds a “so what” layer to data—guiding teachers on what steps to take next
- Improves Navigation: Helps teachers move more efficiently to the most relevant parts of the platform to support student needs.
DESSA Foundational Practices and Strategies Updates:
As part of our effort to increase teacher engagement and make our resources as user-friendly as possible, we are simplifying all of the Foundational Practices and universal DESSA Strategies. Instructional content and instructions are being streamlined to focus on the key things teachers need to know to effectively use the practice or strategy in their classroom – this will save educators valuable prep time!
Timeline:
- Foundational Practices: Updated August 14, 2025
- First Wave of Elementary Strategies (2-3 Competencies): October 2, 2025
- Remaining strategies will be updated on a rolling basis throughout the fall
New DESSA System Report: Rating Window Overview
This report promotes more accessibility/visibility to data that educators need to make instructional decisions with the inclusion of historical rating data with the ability to filter for specific rating windows. Users can take additional actions from this page with buttons prompting them to “Rate Students” and buttons to “Register Students” and “Reset Student Passwords” when applicable for DESSA Student users. Importantly, users can click on individual student results from this page to access additional data.
Rating Experience Updates:
To help educators understand how to most effectively act on DESSA results, raters will now have more access to data visualizations and summaries as they complete ratings. These new data views provide snapshots of classroom results with breakdowns of students’ overall categorical scores, the number of unrated students, and strategy recommendations to inform instructional decisions.
DESSA x Wayfinder Partnership:
We've teamed up with Wayfinder to ensure that users of both resources can import DESSA data into the Wayfinder platform. DESSA data, once imported, is visible under the “Waypoints” section, which is an assessment suite that helps users better understand students’ specific areas of strength and growth opportunities (learn more about Waypoints here). Wayfinder analyzes the data and recommends relevant activities that will support students’ greatest areas of need.
Currently, Wayfinder users can import data from DESSA 2 and the DESSA Middle School Student Self-Report.
New DESSA Training and Professional Learning Options:
Customized Sessions Available for Purchase:
Choose your modality! Both live virtual sessions and on-site workshops are available.
DESSA Professional Learning provides high-quality development opportunities that will transform educators’ skills, practices, and mindsets through the enhanced knowledge of the DESSA System. Level-up your DESSA program with deep-dive, tailored live training.
- Getting Started with the DESSA
- Analyzing DESSA Data
- Building Buy-In Around the DESSA System
- Using DESSA Data: Impact in Action
- Using DESSA Data Within the MTSS Framework
Additional topics available, check out the full list in the DESSA Arc of Professional Learning!
Connect with your Riverside Partnership Team Member to schedule a customized webinar or workshop.
Enhanced Options for Self-Paced Courses:
Our courses are self-paced, interactive learning experiences that provide all the information and resources you need to collect and use DESSA data. To access the DESSA Training Courses, click on the Training tab within the DESSA System.
Review the updated DESSA Course Catalog here to find information about new offerings, including mini “refresher” courses and trainings to support DESSA SEIR implementation.
Smarter Student Registration and Single-Sign-On Enhancements:
Streamlined workflows make getting started easier than ever for students accessing the Student Portal and completing the DESSA Student Self-Report and/or DESSA SEIR.