Mental well-being remains on the minds of district leaders across the country. While mental well-being interventions in schools can be effective, many students do not get access to the full range of support they need due to shortages of school-based mental health professionals. By taking a proactive risk and resilience approach to student well-being, districts […] The post New Student Well-Being Research: Supporting Students Through a Risk and Resilience Framework appeared first on Aperture Education ..read more

The DESSA has been a trusted resource for schools for over 15 years and while we’ve evolved over time, we’re still fully committed to supporting educators as they develop student social, emotional, and behavioral strengths.   A Quick Recap of Our History: The DESSA was initially developed in the mid-2000s with roots in resilience theory. […] The post Explore the New DESSA Website: A Fresh Look for Proven Student Behavioral Solutions appeared first on Aperture Education ..read more

While it is well-established that students’ foundational reading skills measured at the beginning of the school year are highly predictive of students’ end-of-year achievement, the DESSA research team conducted a study to examine the importance of screening for other factors, such as social and emotional competence (SEC), at the beginning of the school year. Research […] The post Research Brief: Do Social and Emotional Skills Help Predict End-of-Year English Language Achievement? appeared first on Aperture Education ..read more

Studies on academic achievement look at what actions educators can take to advance student outcomes. Lauded for its research base, the DESSA has been the subject of more than 130 peer-reviewed articles and reports. A joint study between Johns Hopkins and City Year followed more than 38,000 students and found that one tier of growth in […] The post Research on Academic Achievement: Connecting Social-Emotional Development to Student Outcomes appeared first on Aperture Education ..read more

A behind-the-scenes look at the process for updating assessments to ensure the best student support  By Jennifer Robitaille, Director of Research and Development, Aperture Education: A Riverside Insig With the release of the DESSA 2 for grades K-8, districts now get the only social-emotional skills and resilience system with post-pandemic norms to predict the appropriate […] The post What Does it Mean to Have Data with a Post-Pandemic Baseline? appeared first on Aperture Education ..read more

When educators use high leverage instructional practices, they promote students’ development of critical social, emotional, and behavioral skills. The Center for Great Teachers and Leaders identified ten common teaching practices that promote students’ social-emotional competence. They highlighted instructional strategies like classroom discussions, self-assessment, and student voice that can be used in classrooms to support positive […] The post Self-Assessment: A High Leverage Instructional Practice to Support Student Development appeared first on Aperture Education ..read more

Learning targets, also known as learning objectives, or “I can” statements, are established goals for student learning. Educators set learning targets ahead of a lesson so that students understand what they are supposed to be learning, why it is important for them to learn, and how they should be able to demonstrate that they understand the concept.  Developing High Quality Learning Targets  To establish high quality goals for student learning, anchor on these practices (Berger et al., 2014):  Introduce the objectives at the beginning of the lesson  Write the objectives ..read more

We can maximize instruction by effectively integrating social-emotional practices throughout the school day. Many times, we’ll hear from district leaders that they do not want to add another thing to educators’ plates. Good educators, though, are already doing many of these things. By emphasizing what educators are already doing by making their practices more intentional, they will better support their students’ social-emotional skill development.   Let’s look at three instructional components that educators are already using and understand how these practices can be crucial levers f ..read more

Unsure of which federal funds apply to your district? The DESSA System School Funding Guide outlines which funds are out there so that you can make the best decision for your program goals.   Directing federal funds toward your social-emotional program not only impacts that program but extends into directly impacting your students’ academic outcomes, test scores, attendance rates, and more.  Don’t let funding scare you. If you still have questions after reviewing the guide, reach out to us. A member of our Partnership team will guide you through the process so that you can apply ..read more

Social-emotional behavioral programming does not only apply to elementary school. Middle and high school secondary level education students need to focus on social-emotional skill development, too.   It’s previously been hard to do. If we asked what the response from your educators was during your initial attempt to bring social-emotional programs to your secondary schools, we would anticipate some moans and groans across your faculty meeting. You are not alone. Districts across the nation struggle with bringing what’s worked in K-5 to the upper grade levels. Don’t let the fear of those r ..read more