Supporting Reliable DESSA Ratings: Example Behaviors
Overview
This article provides resources to help teachers confidently and reliably complete the DESSA. By strengthening understanding of how to approach each question, teachers can complete the ratings in ways that best reflect student skills and behaviors.
Resource Descriptions
The Example Behaviors for DESSA-mini Forms resource is designed to offer practical examples of student behaviors for each DESSA-mini item to support consistent and developmentally appropriate responses. These are sample behaviors to help facilitate understanding ratings, but there are many different ways beyond the examples provided that students can and will demonstrate competence in doing these skills.
The Engagement Activities_DESSA Training resource is designed to support a facilitated session that deepens educators’ understanding of and engagement with DESSA implementation. Slides 6–7 outline a Competencies Gallery Walk, and Slide 13 provides instructions for a small-group activity in which participants brainstorm how students demonstrate social-emotional skills across different contexts (for example, across grades, classrooms, and times of day, week, or year).
For general guidelines on completing DESSA teacher ratings, visit this article.