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Support Oregon Students’
Behavioral and Mental Well-Being

Partner with WESD and Riverside Insights to strengthen student mental health, improve attendance, and drive academic readiness with the DESSA. 

Complete the form to learn more and request a demo:

Kati-CunninghamKati Cunningham, Partnership Manager
kcunningham@riversideinsights.com 

“I work closely with districts across Oregon in partnership with WESD to align the DESSA with your existing priorities - whether that’s improving attendance, supporting mental health, or keeping students on track for graduation.” 

What is the DESSA?

Build the skills students need to thrive – in school and beyond.

The DESSA (Devereux Student Strengths Assessment) is a strength-based behavioral assessment used by districts nationwide to:

  • Inform targeted supports and interventions in key mental health protective factors
  • Track growth over time with actionable data
  • Align behavioral and mental health programs with district and state priorities

Why it matters:
When schools understand student needs with reliable screening and assessment data, they can proactively support outcomes that impact attendance, behavior, and academic success.

Built to Support Oregon’s 9th Grade on Track Goals: 

Academic Achievement and Learning Readiness
- Identifies behavioral skills tied to academic performance 
- Helps educators build readiness for high school success 

Attendance
- Surfaces underlying skill factors impacting attendance
- Enables early interventions before chronic absenteeism patterns develop 

Mental Well-Being
- Provides universal screening for protective factors against mental health risks
- Supports Tier 1-3 mental health strategies

Improving Behavior
- Helps reduce disciplinary incidents through proactive skill-building
- Equips educators with data to guide behavior supports

What Districts are Achieving with the DESSA:

  • Improved student engagement and classroom participation
  • Reduction in behavior referrals
  • Stronger alignment between behavior and mental health programs and academic initiatives through MTSS
  • Data-driven decision-making for whole child support

See What’s Possible for Your District

Ready to explore how the DESSA can support your students and district goals?