There is a lack of psychometrically sound tools for measuring youth outcomes in out-of-school time (OST) settings. Consequently, behavior ratings completed by OST staff are being scored as though the raters were teachers, even though cross-informant correlations are notoriously low (meta-analysis r =.27). Across 26 schools, 227 students were assessed by both teachers and OST staff using the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA) to measure Social Emotional Competence. These 4th and 5th grade students were 50% male; 53% 5th graders; and 51% Latino, 20% Mixed/Other, 11% Black, 11% Asian, and 7% White. In the full sample, OST staff rated children’s behavior more harshly than teachers (p <.001; d =.32), although the scores were associated (r =.31, p <.001). Among the ratings completed within the same week, teacher and staff distributions were not statistically different. Teacher and staff ratings had a “medium” correlation (r =.42; p =.01) and a classification consistency (88%) that exceeded chance by a “moderate” amount (κ =.43). Few, if any, studies have previously compared the ratings of the same children by teachers and OST providers. Cross-informant inter-rater reliability between teachers and OST staff was higher than expected on the DESSA.

Social-emotional competence (SEC) has been demonstrated to be a crucial factor for student mental health and is malleable through the high-quality implementation of effective school-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs. SEL is now widely practiced in the United States as a Tier 1 strategy for the entire student body, yet it remains unclear whether disparities exist in the development of SEC across socioculturally classified subgroups of students. Also, despite the field’s widespread concern about teacher bias in assessing SEC within diverse student bodies, little evidence is available on the measurement invariance of the SEC assessment tools used to explore and facilitate SEC development. Based on a sociocultural view of student SEC development, this study aimed to measure and examine the extent to which gender, racial-ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities exist in SEC developmental trajectories during elementary school years. Specifically, using 3 years of SEC assessment data collected from a districtwide SEL initiative (N = 5452; Grades K–2 at baseline; nine measurement occasions), this study (a) tested the measurement invariance of a widely-used, teacher-rated SEC assessment tool (DESSA-Mini) across student gender, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES); and (b) examined the extent to which multiyear SEC growth trajectories differed across these subgroups under a routine SEL practice condition. The invariance testing results supported strict factorial invariance of the DESSA-Mini across all the examined subgroups, thereby providing a foundation for valid cross-group comparisons of student SEC growth. The piecewise latent growth modeling results indicated that boys (vs. girls), Black students (vs. White students), Hispanic students (vs. White students), and low-income students (vs. middle-to-high-income students) started with a lower level of SEC, with these gaps being sustained or slightly widened throughout 3 elementary school years. Based on these findings, this study calls for future research that can inform practice efforts to ensure equitable SEC assessments and produce more equitable SEL outcomes, thereby promoting equity in school mental health.

The Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA) and the DESSA-Mini are intended to be psychometrically sound and practical measures of social-emotional competence for use in school and out-of-school-time (OST) settings. These strength-based behavior rating scales yield a variety of information designed to support the large scale implementation of social and emotional learning programs. This paper discusses 1) the context for the development of measures, 2) the choice to use a nationally-normed, adult-completed behavior rating scale as the format for assessing student social-emotional competence, 3) the psychometric properties of the DESSA and the DESSA-Mini, 4) some challenges to assessing social-emotional competence in applied settings, 5) examples of how the DESSA and DESSA-Mini results have been used to inform practice decisions, and 6) future research and development needs for social-emotional assessment.

Objective: Monitoring the implementation of preventive interventions in schools is challenging for educators and school social workers. This study sought to verify the implementation–outcome relationship; determine whether implementer characteristics predict participation in implementation-monitoring protocols; and suggest the number of (a) implementers requiring monitoring, (b) planned observations per implementer, and (c) items rated within each observation that are necessary to monitor program implementation. Method: Data are from a district-wide implementation of the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum. Two technical-assistance providers attempted to make 8 observations of 170 classroom teachers across 15 elementary schools while they delivered the PATHS program. Teacher characteristics, adherence, participant responsiveness, overall implementation quality, and other implementation aspects were observed. Student social–emotional competence was assessed with the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment-Mini at 3 time points to verify the implementation– outcome relationship. Results: Growth of student social–emotional competence was predicted by the overall quality of PATHS implementation. Teacher compliance with implementation-monitoring protocols declined over time, and teachers who demonstrated an initial commitment to implementation participated more fully in monitoring, regardless of their initial implementation quality. A teacher’s initial implementation quality, however, predicted their long-term implementation quality. Items within a single observation were highly intercorrelated. Conclusions: Findings suggest strategies that can be used to improve teacher participation and reduce inefficiencies in implementation-monitoring protocols.

The Devereux Student Strengths Assessment Mini (DESSA-Mini; Naglieri, LeBuffe, & Shapiro, 2011/2014) was designed to overcome practical obstacles to universal prevention screening. This article seeks to determine whether an entirely strength-based, 8-item screening instrument achieves technical accuracy in routine practice. Data come from a district-wide implementation of a new social emotional learning (SEL) initiative designed to promote students' social-emotional competence. All students, kindergarten through Grade 8, were screened using the DESSA-Mini. A random 5 students per classroom received additional assessment. Concurrent and predictive criterion studies were conducted using the full DESSA as well as administrative records of serious disciplinary infraction. The DESSA-Mini showed excellent internal reliability, exceeding .90. Negligible to small differences were found between scores on the DESSA-Mini screen and the DESSA full assessment. Classification consistency between the DESSA-Mini and the DESSA was high (87%-94%) in routine practice, with sensitivity and specificity estimates exceeding Glascoe's (2005) standards. Finally, predictive validity of the DESSA-Mini was reliable; students screened as having a Need for SEL Instruction at the beginning of the year were 4.5 times more likely to have a record of serious disciplinary infraction at the end of the school year compared with those who were not identified (p < .001). These findings compare quite favorably with other instruments used in schools to screen entire student populations, in cases where such analyses have been conducted, and is consistent with a practice preference of identifying, but not overidentifying, students for accelerated preventative interventions for mental, emotional, and behavioral problems. (PsycINFO Database Record

This chapter connects resilience to the development of social and emotional competencies (i.e., the abilities to integrate thinking, feeling, and behavior to support positive intra- and interpersonal functioning) among young people. First, we present social and emotional competencies as both protective and promotive factors that ameliorate risk and foster well-being. Second, we describe strengths-based social and emotional assessment tools that can help cultivate well-being when embedded in social and emotional learning initiatives, multitiered systems of support, or continuous improvement efforts. Third, we discuss how the assessment tools have been used with racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse populations, and consider how assessments of social and emotional competencies can be conducted in ways that support school-based equity efforts. Ultimately, this chapter provides guidance and examples for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers alike to consider how to measure social and emotional competencies in young people to support positive youth development and effective learning environments.