Collectively, the DECA, DESSA and DESSA mini assessments are a series of standardized social-emotional learning assessments used by schools to measure things like resilience, self-awareness and self-regulation. The assessments are designed to track progress over time using a pre-test, post-test model.
Students do not "take" these assessments in the traditional sense. Instead, teachers rate students on a series of items like self-awareness and social awareness. Students receive a score from 0-4 in each category.
- The DECA is used primarily in pre-school and kindergarten.
- The DESSA-Mini is an 8-question screening tool used to flag students for further assessment on the full DESSA, which contains 72 questions.
- DESSA-Hight School Edition mini (DESSA-HSE mini) is an 8-question screening tool to help high school staff quickly identify student strengths and growth opportunities on the full DESSA-HSE, which contains 43 questions.
- DESSA-Student Self-Report (DESSA-SSR) has 55 questions and it is a student self-rating that delivers real-time results and immediate strategies directly to students to drive change. It is used for 9-12 graders.
Metrics provide insight on the percent of students at or above typical on total protected factors using the DECA and the social-emotional composite scores for DESSA assessments.
How We Connect
No information is currently available on how to export the required files. If you are unable to export a supported layout, please contact support and include information about the vendor you are using for administering these assessments.
Mappings Overview
The information below summarizes where key data elements are loaded from across Data Files that are submitted. The column names referenced may not match the column name in the file exactly as this changes over time.
| Key Field(s) | Mapping(s) |
|---|---|
| System Student ID |
Scores are linked to students using the Student ID column in the file. We match to students in the student information system using the following (in order of preference):
*See your student information system page for information on this mapping. |
| System School ID |
Scores are linked to schools using the SiteID column in the file. This is matched to a school in My Schools. Please contact support to resolve incorrect or failed matches. |
| System Staff ID |
Scores are linked to staff using the RaterName column in the file. This is matched to a staff using FullName_Staff in your SIS. |
| School Year |
Scores are linked to school years using the RatingYear column in the file. |
| Test Period |
Scores are linked to test periods using the RatingDate column in the file. We match to test periods using the following (in order of preference):
|
| Percentile Score |
Percentile scores are pulled from the TpfPercentile column and SecPercentile for the overall percentile. Remaining percentile scores (e.g. InPercentile) are loaded as subscores. |
Business Rules for Related Metrics
- Coming soon!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change how test periods are configured?
- Yes. Because of the variety of values coming through from RatingPeriod field in the raw data, Schoolzilla sets test periods based on the RatingDate field in order to facilitate comparing data over time and across schools. The default values can be seen in Test Period Configurations article. If you would like to change the dates or labels, please submit a ticket to Support.