# data[].attributes.body
Convene a team that includes diverse groups (e.g., parents, students, school and community health and mental health providers, school administrators, school staff)

Review existing data (e.g., office referrals, expulsion and suspension rates, attendance and truancy records, nursing and counselor logs, crisis referrals, emergency petitions, school climate and behavioral surveys, incident reports, homework completion rates, homelessness rates) to identify needs

Identify additional data that might inform student needs and develop a process to gather it

Utilize needs assessment tools and processes that are psychometrically sound and culturally relevant

Pilot needs assessment with students, families and other relevant groups for feedback and revisions before large-scale data collection

Summarize and review needs assessment data to determine:

most pressing needs impacting most students (Tier 1), some students (Tier 2), and just a few

students (Tier 3)

patterns of needs (e.g., emotional/behavioral, medical, basic [e.g., food, housing], social support, financial needs, family functioning)

how well current services and supports are meeting student needs

# data[].attributes.body
Use an updated resource map or guide to inform decisions about selecting, planning, and implementing appropriate services and supports.

Pair needs assessment data with a resource map to consider how needs can be met with existing school and community supports and services.

Consider reducing or abandoning services and supports that lack evidence of impact.

Use resource map to identify areas of need that are not adequately addressed by existing supports and

services and seek to identify existing or develop new referral options to meet the need.

# data[].attributes.body
Use your diverse team (school staff, community partners, parents and students) to identify and gather information about current or prospective school mental health services and supports. Include who is implementing, how students are identified, data collected and analyzed, the intended target outcome(s),

and training and ongoing support.

Identify areas of overlap and/or misalignment.

Make decisions about how to align existing services and supports to avoid duplication.

Consider reducing or abandoning existing serivces and supports to avoid duplication.

Consider reducing or abandoning services and supports that are redundant.

Develop a team-based process for ensuring complementarity of initiatives.

# data[].attributes.body
Use best practices to conduct resource mapping or have access to an updated resource map or guide to identify existing school and community mental health services and supports.

Use multiple sources to identify mental health resources (e.g., SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment

Services locator, 211 from United Way) available to students and families across a multi-tiered system of supports.

Create and foster school-community partnerships to ensure ongoing communication about existing and new programs, services, and supports available to students and families.

Develop a user-friendly, updated, comprehensive resource map or guide that includes data about each resource (the name of the program/organization, description of service, website, address, phone number, hours of service, eligibility requirements, insurance accepted, cost of services, waitlist status, any other unique considerations).

Include target outcomes and evidence of impact for each service.

Ensure the resource map or guide is easily accessible to diverse stakeholder groups.

Establish a process and dedicated staff to regularly evaluate, update, and improve the resource map or guide.

# data[].attributes.body
Use your needs assessment to inform decisions about selecting, planning, and implementing appropriate services and supports.

Develop a comprehensive needs assessment report that is easy to understand and readily accessible to inform decisions.

Use needs assessment data to inform how gaps can be addressed with existing or new services and supports.

Use needs assessment data to prioritize selection of areas of focus, programs and strategies, and action steps.

# data[].attributes.body
Convene a team that includes diverse groups (e.g., parents, students, school and community health and mental health providers, school administrators, school staff).

Review existing data (e.g., school climate surveys, focus groups) to identify strengths.

Collect data to identify student strengths and developmental assets (e.g., school connectedness, social skills, belonging, gratitude, self-determination, grit, self-awareness, self-management, personal responsibility, decision making).

Utilize strengths assessment tools and processes that are psychometrically sound and culturally relevant.

Pilot your strengths assessment with students, families and other relevant individuals for feedback and revisions before large-scale data collection.

Summarize and review strengths assessment data to determine how current supports and services leverage and address gaps in student strengths.

# data[].attributes.body
A needs assessment is a collaborative process used by a system such as a school, district, or agency to identify strengths and gaps, clarify priorities, inform quality improvement, and advance action planning. A needs assessment should integrate available

# data[].attributes.headline
Challenge: Maintaining, Sustaining, and Evaluating Mapping Efforts

# data[].attributes.subject
Challenge: Maintaining, Sustaining, and Evaluating Mapping Efforts

# data[].attributes.headline
Challenge: Identifying and leveraging areas of strength

# data[].attributes.subject
Challenge: Identifying and leveraging areas of strength

# data[].attributes.headline
Challenge: Identifying, interpreting, and applying relevant data

# data[].attributes.subject
Challenge: Identifying, interpreting, and applying relevant data

# data[].attributes.body
Resource mapping is an active, ongoing process to identify, visually represent, and share information about internal and external supports and services; it is used to inform effective use of resources. In school mental health, resources in schools and the surrounding community can be mapped across a multi-tiered system of support.

data and perspectives from a diverse group of stakeholders.

# data[].attributes.headline
Resource: Ector County ISD Strategic Abandonment Tool

# data[].attributes.subject
Resource: Ector County ISD Strategic Abandonment Tool

# data[].attributes.headline
Resource: School Mental Health Initiative Alignment Map

# data[].attributes.subject
Resource: School Mental Health Initiative Alignment Map

# data[].attributes.headline
Resource: Essential Tools: Community Resource Mapping

# data[].attributes.subject
Resource: Essential Tools: Community Resource Mapping

# data[].attributes.headline
Resource: National Wraparound Initiative:A Roadmap for Building on Youth Strengths

# data[].attributes.subject
Resource: National Wraparound Initiative:A Roadmap for Building on Youth Strengths

# data[].attributes.headline
Resource: Conducting a Needs Assessment and Environmental Scan for a Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative in Your School and Community

# data[].attributes.subject
Resource: Conducting a Needs Assessment and Environmental Scan for a Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative in Your School and Community

# data[].attributes.headline
How do needs assessments and resource mapping fit together?

# data[].attributes.subject
How do needs assessments and resource mapping fit together?

# data[].attributes.body
A needs assessment can help identify pressing needs and challenges in the current system of care, and a resource map can offer a clear representation (in the form of a list, directory, or map) of appropriate resources in the school or community. If you are conducting a strengths assessment or have strengths assessment results, resource mapping can identify how to build upon the strengths of student groups or the overall school mental health system.

# data[].attributes.headline
Resource: Technical Guide for Alignment of Initiatives, Programs and Practices in School Districts

# data[].attributes.subject
Resource: Technical Guide for Alignment of Initiatives, Programs and Practices in School Districts

# data[].attributes.headline
Resource: Wisconsin Needs Assessment Planning

# data[].attributes.subject
Resource: Wisconsin Needs Assessment Planning

# data[].attributes.headline
Resource: Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA)

# data[].attributes.subject
Resource: Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
General Information on the Measure

Related measures

Measure Administration

Fee for use

Fee charged by developer

Subscore reporting

There are eight subscores:

Self-awareness

Social awareness

Self-management

Goal-directed behavior

Relationship skills

Personal responsibility

Decisionmaking

Optimistic thinking

Evidence of Technical Quality

Validity evidence

Evidence based on content

Content-related validity evidence was gathered through literature reviews (LeBuffe et al., 2009).

Evidence based on response processes

No information available in the references reviewed.

Evidence based on internal structure

Items were organized into logically derived and statistically validated scales based on the CASEL framework of social and emotional competencies (LeBuffe et al., 2009).

Evidence based on relations with other variables

An analysis showed divergence in DESSA scores between students identified as having social, emotional or behavioral disorders and their peers (LeBuffe, P.A., Shapiro, V.B., & Naglieri, J.A. (2009). DESSA scores showed significant correlations in the anticipated directions with other measures of similar constructs, including the BASC-2 (Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004) and the BERS-2 (Epstein, 2004).

Locating the Measure

Obtaining a copy of the measure

apertureed.com

References

LeBuffe, P.A., Shapiro, V.B., & Naglieri, J.A. , "The Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA)," Kaplan Press, 2009.

Nickerson, A. B., & Fishman, C. (2009), "Convergent and divergent validity of the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment," School Psychology Quarterly, 24, 2009, pp. 48-59.

Epstein, M. H. , "BERS-2: Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale," Examiner's Manual, Second edition , Pro-Ed, 2004.

Reynolds, C. R., & Kamphaus, R. W. , "BASC-2: Behavior assessment system for children," 2004.

This measure is also reviewed in the AWG Guide.

Measure summary updated October 3, 2018.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
General Information on the Measure Related measures Measure Administration Fee for use Fee charged by developer Subscore reporting There are eight subscores: Self-awareness Social awareness Self-management Goal-directed behavior Relationship skills Personal responsibility Decisionmaking Optimistic thinking Evidence of Technical Quality Validity evidence Evidence based on content Content-related validity evidence was gathered through literature reviews (LeBuffe et al., 2009).

# data[].attributes.headline
Resource: State Support Network Needs Assessment Guidebook

# data[].attributes.subject
Resource: State Support Network Needs Assessment Guidebook

# data[].attributes.headline
Resource: Resource Mapping in Schools and School Districts: A Resource Guide

# data[].attributes.subject
Resource: Resource Mapping in Schools and School Districts: A Resource Guide

# data[].attributes.headline
Resource: Wisconsin School Mental Health Needs Assessment

# data[].attributes.subject
Resource: Wisconsin School Mental Health Needs Assessment

# data[].attributes.headline
Resource: SHAPE School Mental Health Quality Guide: Needs Assessment and Resource Mapping

# data[].attributes.subject
Resource: SHAPE School Mental Health Quality Guide: Needs Assessment and Resource Mapping

# data[].attributes.headline
Resource: SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator

# data[].attributes.subject
Resource: SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find state-licensed treatment near you for addiction and substance use disorder.

# data[].attributes.headline
Resource: United Way 2-1-1 Services Database

# data[].attributes.subject
Resource: United Way 2-1-1 Services Database

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
211 connects you to expert, caring help. Every call is completely confidential.

What are you looking for today?

This phone call has given me more hope than I ever thought possible. I have been beaten down for so long and told that I could never be anything. Just talking with you meant even more than all the resources you gave me.

United Way of Central Maryland 211 Client

Connections to help and resources were made by the 211 network in 2021.

If it were not for your help, I don't know what I would have done without food. It's been too dangerous to go out and I can't afford to be at risk.

211 Miami Client

Average increase in 211 call volume throughout 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic.

211 saved my life. It was below freezing, and I had nowhere to sleep. They helped me find a place to stay and create a plan to get my life back.

Cleveland 211 Client

People call 211 for assistance with housing, homelessness, and utility bills every year.

Partner with Us

Whether you provide local services, operate a national non-profit, or represent a company that wants to help more people, 211 can help. Across the country, 211s are vital partners to hundreds of organizations, businesses, and government agencies.

Learn more about our work with partners like the Ad Council, IBM, Lyft, FamilyWize, and join us today.

Not sure where to start? We can help. Call 211

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
211 connects you to expert, caring help. Every call is completely confidential. What are you looking for today? This phone call has given me more hope than I ever thought possible. I have been beaten down for so long and told that I could never be anything.

# data[].attributes.headline
CHALLENGE: Understanding needs and available resources to meet them

# data[].attributes.subject
CHALLENGE: Understanding needs and available resources to meet them