DESSA (Devereux Student Strengths Assessment) is an assessment tool used by schools that helps show a “student’s social-emotional wellness: personal responsibility, optimistic thinking, goal-directed behavior, social awareness, decision-making, relationship skills, self-awareness and self-management.”

Stamford High’s DESSA ratings were given back Nov. 6, 2024 with the following results: 71% of students completed DESSA, with 6% falling within the “Strength” category, 53% falling within the “Typical” range, and 35% showing “Need for Instruction” (based on the students’ self-ratings).

The grade with the highest percentage in the “Strength” category are the sophomores with 6%, and the juniors have the highest percentage in the “Typical” category with 64%. SHS’s Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Specialist Catherine Albrecht notes that “perhaps unsurprisingly, 9th graders demonstrate the most ‘Need for Instruction’.” According to Albrecht, the “Need for Instruction” section is negatively affected by students’ grades, meaning the lower the grades, the higher the need.

Albrecht suggested that teachers “consider incorporating some strategies and activities into [the] classroom that will help students build on their SEL (SELF-AWARENESS) skills.”