Staff at schools will begin using a screening tool called the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment, or DESSA.
Teachers or staff members will answer questions in an online screener about students, focusing on a student's social-emotional skills, such as decision making, self-awareness and personal responsibility, according to the media outlet.
The DESSA screening tool was first created in 2008. The city touted the tool for being strengths-based, Chalkbeat reported, which means it asks questions about a students' positive behaviors and focuses on building those up, instead of seeking negative behaviors.
The city Department of Education ( DOE) told Chalkbeat that it will begin rolling out the social-emotional screening tool to schools next month. Officials said they hope school staff spend the first few weeks of school forming relationships with students, such as through individual check-ins, according to the report.
The city awarded a three-year, $18 million contract in July to Aperture, an education technology company that created the platform that includes the screening tool staff can use to determine what support students may need, Chalkbeat reported. City officials previously said the cost would be covered by federal COVID relief funds that went to city schools.
A DOE spokesperson told Chalkbeat that some children may need individual or group counseling, mentoring, or small group social skill-building. The screening tool can also help create behavior intervention plans.
The goal is for schools to use the screening tool this year, officials told the media outlet.
The DOE starting contacting select schools and department higher-ups to explain how schools can use the tool. The screener will be discussed further with school communities, including staff and families, in the weeks to come — through meetings, emails and professional development sessions, according to Chalkbeat.
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