Second Step® Assessment

How to choose the right assessment tools, based on your goals and priorities.

Optional Kâ 8 Assessment Toolkit Image v2

Optional K–8 Assessment Toolkit

Second Step® K–8 digital programs now include an optional Assessment Toolkit. This toolkit provides instructions for the screening process and tips for using student and teacher report data to guide intervention decisions.

It also offers access to the Delaware Social-Emotional Competency Scale (DSECS-R2), a brief student self-report universal screener for Grades 3–8, in addition to a Teacher Referral Rubric for Grades K–8. It is included with access to the Second Step K–8 digital programs.

DESSA Second Step® assessments

In collaboration with Aperture Education, the leading provider of social-emotional skills assessment and intervention solutions, we’re proud to share DESSA-based assessments that are fully aligned with Second Step® Elementary and Second Step® Middle School.

These assessments allow educators to assess students’ social-emotional competencies, optimize instruction, and focus student support, which can enhance the overall effectiveness of their Second Step® curricula.

Interested in learning more? Schedule a consultation with one of our experts to find out how you can benefit from these new assessment tools.

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Aperture assessment products

Elementary teacher assessment

Testing time: 3 to 5 minutes per student
Testing window: 4 to 6 weeks after the start of the school year
Teacher-led: Gather reliable teacher insights into student skills and behaviors
Instant results: Immediately access filterable dashboard reporting for students, classrooms, and cohorts
Data-driven next steps: Access data-driven recommendations for supplemental instructional supports and interventions
Aligned to the digital and kit-based versions of Second Step® Elementary

Middle school teacher assessment

Testing time: 3 to 5 minutes per student
Testing window: 4 to 6 weeks after the start of the school year
Teacher-led: Gather reliable teacher insights into student skills and behaviors
Instant results: Immediately access filterable dashboard reporting for students, classrooms, and cohorts
Data-driven next steps: Access data-driven recommendations for supplemental instructional supports and interventions

Middle school student self-assessment

Testing time: 5 minutes or less per student
Testing window: First week of the school year or later
Results are shared immediately with student, improving student buy-in
Students may create goals to improve their social-emotional skills

Where to start

As with measuring academic competencies, there are many possible metrics and tools to measure social-emotional competencies and the overall impact of your human skills program implementation.¹ Finding the right strategy depends on your goals. To plan thoughtfully, start by asking a few guiding questions.

Is assessment a requirement?
What specific information are you hoping to learn?
How much time and money do you plan to allocate to the process?

Assessment options by goal and tool

There are different kinds of assessments that fit different goals.

Needs assessment

What are your school’s needs, including students’ strengths and areas for growth?

Implementation fidelity

How effectively is the program being used? Where can improvements be made?
Included in Second Step® programs for PreK–Grade 8

Formative assessment

How are students progressing toward skill-building goals? What areas or topics need further instruction?
Included in the Second Step® Elementary and Second Step® Middle School digital programs

Summative assessment

Best for Program Evaluation
What knowledge have students acquired about social-emotional skills and concepts taught in the program? Is the program having the intended impact on the school and students?

In the Second Step Elementary and Second Step Middle School digital programs, each unit ends with a performance task. These formative assessments are fun, engaging activities that allow students to demonstrate their learning from that unit and give educators an opportunity to monitor progress toward skill-building goals.

However, if your goal is to assess students’ social and emotional competencies, consider the assessments below. These all can be used for needs, formative, and summative assessments. As you review these options, remember that competency assessments are a snapshot of one point in time in a lifelong journey.

Second Step K–8 digital programs now include an Assessment Toolkit. This includes instructions for the screening process and tips for using student and teacher report data when making decisions about interventions. The toolkit offers a Teacher Referral Rubric for Grades K–8 and access to the Delaware Social-Emotional Competency Scale (DSECS-R2), a brief student self-report universal screener for Grades 3–8. The DSECS-R2 can be used to gauge skills and, in combination with other sources of data (for example, student attendance, behavior, or grades), identify students who may need targeted support. The tool can also be used to monitor students’ progress with universal and small group interventions.

Grades: 3–8*

Rating Type: Student self-report

Number of Questions: 20 items

Content Covered: Responsible decision-making, relationship skills, self-management, social awareness, self-awareness

Cost: Free digital version

DSECS-R2 Technical Manual

*Second Step K–8 digital programs include the DSECS-R2 for Grades 3–8. For additional assessment options, review the Second Step Evaluation Guide.

The Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA) is a comprehensive tool designed to evaluate and promote social and emotional competence in K-8th grade students. Developed by the Devereux Center for Resilient Children, the DESSA is used to assess children’s social-emotional skills such as self-awareness, personal responsibility, optimistic thinking, decision-making, and more.

Grades: K–8

Rating Type: Teacher-report (K–8); Student self-report (6–8)

Number of Questions: 72 items

Content Covered: Self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, goal-directed behavior, relationship skills, personal responsibility, decision-making, optimistic thinking

Cost: Fee for administration and scoring

Translations: Spanish

Panorama Education’s life skills measurement platform aligns well with the Second Step family of programs. Customizable reports make it easy to analyze data by subgroups—such as race or ethnicity, gender, and Title I status—at the individual, class, grade, school, and district levels. Teacher surveys can be used for PreK–Grade 8. Student self-reports are available for Grades 3–8.

Grades: 3–12

Rating Type: Student self-report

Number of Questions: 2 items (Grades 3–5); 61 items (Grades 6–12)

Content Covered: Recommended scales: grit, growth mindset, self-management, social awareness, self-efficacy; Supplemental scales: learning strategies, social perspective taking, self-efficacy, emotion regulation, classroom effort

Cost: Fee for digital administration and scoring

Translations: Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese (traditional Chinese), Mandarin (simplified Chinese), French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Urdu, Vietnamese

Developed by xSEL Labs, SELweb is a web-based system designed to assess key social and emotional skills that are associated with success in school and life and that are the targets of evidence-based social-emotional learning programs. SELweb directly assesses children’s understanding of others’ emotions and perspectives, their social problem-solving skills, and their self-control.

Grades: K–12

Rating Type: Direct assessment (K–8); Student self-report (6–12)

Number of Questions: Consult developer

Content covered: K–8: emotion recognition, social perspective-taking, social problem-solving, self-control; Grades 6–12: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making

Cost: Fee for administration and scoring

Translations: Spanish

The Social-Emotional Assets and Resilience Scales (SEARS) comprise a comprehensive assessment tool designed to evaluate social and emotional competence in children and adolescents (K-12). Developed to provide educators, mental health professionals, and parents with a detailed understanding of a young person’s emotional strengths and areas for development, SEARS focuses on key dimensions such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

Grades: K–12

Rating Type: Teacher-report (K–12); Student self-report (3–12)

Number of Questions: 12 items (teacher-report short form); 35 items (student report)

Content Covered: Teacher-report: resilience; Student-report: self-regulation, social competence, empathy, responsibility

Cost: Fee for administration and scoring

Translations: N/A

Addressing common challenges with human skills assessment

Findings from a 2011 broadly publicized study of universal human skills programs found that human skills development works best when it’s part of a larger, coordinated effort to create a positive learning environment.² Regardless of how rigorous your chosen assessment strategy is, it can be tricky to isolate and assess the factors contributing to or detracting from student success. We know from years of working with top-performing schools and from numerous studies that there are some key features to successful implementation, including: whole-school adoption, well-trained staff, sequenced lessons that explicitly teach skills in age-appropriate ways, and varied instructional strategies to engage diverse learning styles, with tiered levels of intervention and support.

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Second Step® assessment guides

The guides below provide more detailed information about the different ways evaluations can be designed, how to match evaluation strategies to program goals, how to implement Second Step programs with fidelity, and how to use findings to improve outcomes.
Second Step® Early Learning Program Evaluation Guide (PDF)
Second Step® Programs for Grades K–8 Program Evaluation Guide (PDF)

Human skills assessments aligned to Second Step® programs

To learn how the skills taught in Second Step programs link to assessments and strategies in other programs, use the alignment charts below.
Second Step® Early Learning and DECA Alignment Chart (PDF)
Second Step® Programs and Panorama Alignment Chart (PDF

¹ Schools and districts are investing significantly in human skills programs because research shows that human skills, such as critical thinking and problem-solving, contribute to academic and career success. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) led a multidisciplinary work group to better understand best practices for choosing and implementing human skills assessments. To learn more, visit: https://measuringsel.casel.org/

² Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x