Instruments
Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessments (ASEBA)
The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessments (ASEBA) is a comprehensive assessment system designed to assess competencies, strengths, adaptive functioning, and behavioral, emotional and social problems in individuals 1.5 to 90 years of age. The ASEBA is used widely used in the following settings: mental health services, schools, medical settings, child and family services, multicultural assessments, public health agencies and additionally in similar settings.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: < 3 Years, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Assessing School Settings: Interactions of Students and Teachers (ASSIST)
The Assessing School Settings: Interactions of Students and Teachers observational measure (ASSIST) is a classroom observation instrument that rates social processes occurring in the classroom. The instrument was initially developed to evaluate students' and teachers' behaviors using the Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS), however, recent updates have primarily focused on teachers. Teachers' behaviors are rated through event‐based tallies and global ratings. The measure has been used to evaluate the effects of school-wide interventions, and the relationship between teacher and student behaviors.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: Teaching
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF)
The BRIEF was developed in 2000 and assesses a student's executive functioning in the home and school. It includes parent response forms and teacher response forms. Designed to assess the abilities of a broad range of children and adolescents, the BRIEF is useful when working with children who have learning disabilities and attention disorders, traumatic brain injuries, lead exposure, pervasive developmental disorders, depression, and other developmental, neurological, psychiatric, and medical conditions. The BRIEF has eight clinical scales (Inhibit, Shift, Emotional Control, Initiate, Working Memory, Plan/Organize, Organization of Materials, Monitor) and is helpful in indicating attention disorders. The BRIEF has been adapted into 60 languages and for use from age 2-90. Recently, the BRIEF2 was created for ages 5-18. The BRIEF2 is shorter, but has no additional clinical items, allowing for consistency of data collection between the BRIEF and BRIEF2, and results can be translated from the BRIEF to the BRIEF2 to take advantage of new normative data. The BRIEF2 also has increased sensitivity for detecting ADHD and ASD.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Mental Health, Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: < 3 Years, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale – Second Edition (BERS-2)
The BERS-2 measures personal strengths and competencies in children 5-18. The BERS-2 is a multi-modal assessment system that measures the child's behavior from three perspectives: the child (Youth Rating Scale), parent (Parent Rating Scale), and teacher or other professional (Teacher Rating Scale). The BERS-2 measures six aspects of a child's strength: interpersonal strength, involvement with family, intrapersonal strength, school functioning, affective strength, and career strength.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI)
The CCTDI (P. A. Facione & N. C. Facione, 1992) was developed, validated, and used to assess students’ disposition toward critical thinking (CT). It consisted of 75 statements, divided into seven subscales: Truth-seeking, Open-mindedness, Analyticity, Systematicity, Self-confidence, Inquisitiveness, and Maturity. Responses were made on a 6-point Likert-type scale. The CCTDI reports a total score, which is the sum of its seven subscales, ranging from 70 to 420. A total score more than 280 indicates a positive overall disposition toward CT. The development and validation process is described in P. A. Facione and N. C. Facione (1992).
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST)
The CCTST (Facione, 1990; P. A. Facione & N. C. Facione, 1994) was developed, validated, and used for assessing students’ CT skills. It is a standardised, 34-item multiple choice test, non discipline-specific that targets core critical thinking skills. Each item on the CCTST is assigned to one of three subscales: Analysis, Evaluation, and Inference.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
California Measure of Mental Motivation (CM3)
The CM3 is sold by Insight Assessment and is designed to measure the degree to which a student feels that they are cognitively engaged and mentally motivated toward intellectual activities that involve reasoning. This test contains seven scales of critical thinking: (a) truth‐seeking, (b) open‐mindedness, (c) analyticity, (d) systematicity, (e) confidence in reasoning, (f) inquisitiveness, and (g) maturity of judgment. It offers online and paper formats and a Likert response type.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
CARE-Index
The CARE-Index is an observation instrument that measures mother-child interaction and is designed for children ages birth to 2 years. The instrument, which requires a short videotaped play interaction, provides sensitivity, control and unresponsiveness subscales for mothers and cooperativeness, compulsivity, difficultness, and passivity subscales for children.
Category: Home and Community
Sub-Category: Parenting
Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)
The Classroom Assessment Scoring System™ (CLASS™) is an observational instrument developed to assess instructional quality in PK-12 classrooms. It is a tool for analyzing the quality of teacher-student interactions in the classroom by capturing multiple dimensions of teaching that are linked to student achievement and development. It produces qualitative ratings of teacher performance on a scale from 1-7 across three broad domains: emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: Teaching
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Classroom Observation of Early Mathematics - Environment and Teaching (COEMET)
COEMET is a classroom observation instrument that evaluates classroom culture and the use of specific math activities. It includes questions about how actively the teacher interacts with the children, how the teacher uses teachable math moments, how math is displayed in the physical environment of the room, how confident the teacher appears about math, etc. The specific math activities measured are not connected to a specific curriculum.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: Teaching
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade
Classroom Practices Inventory (CPI)
The Classroom Practices Inventory is a classroom observation measure for early childhood classrooms. It is designed to assess the developmental appropriateness of classroom and curricular practices, teachers actions, children's activities, and teacher-child interactions.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: Teaching
Grades: < 3 Years, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten
Cornell Critical Thinking Test
The CCTT is designed to assess students’ reasoning ability. The assessment spans five subscales: Induction, Deduction, Observation, Credibility, and Assumptions.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
CoVitality Social Emotional Health Surveys (SEHS)
The CoVitality SEHS, partially funded by IES at the US Department of Education, aligns with national frameworks of social-emotional competencies, measuring student strengths. There are three forms for use in corresponding grade levels: primary, secondary, and higher education.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Critical Thinking Assessment Test (CAT)
The CAT instrument is a unique tool designed to assess and promote the improvement of critical thinking and real-world problem solving skills. Most of the questions require short answer essay responses, and a detailed scoring guide helps ensure good scoring reliability. The CAT instrument is scored by the institution's own faculty using the detailed scoring guide. During the scoring process faculty are able to see their students' weaknesses and understand areas that need improvement. Faculty are encouraged to use the CAT instrument as a model for developing authentic assessments and learning activities in their own discipline that improve students' critical thinking and real-world problem solving skills. These features help close the loop in assessment and quality improvement.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: Post secondary
Developmental Asset Profile (DAP)
This survey is inteded to assess the strengths, supports, and social-emotional factors essential for youth success. It is built on the Developmental Assets Framework, which describes 40 external and internal assets necessary for success and thriving in the future. The DAP shows youth perspectives in many parts of their lives: personal, peers, family, school, and community.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA)
The Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA) is a behavior rating scale that assess eight social-emotional competencies in children in kindergarten through eighth grade. Additionally, a new high school assessment is also available.DESSA is completed by parents/guardians, teachers, or staff members at schools and similar institutions such as after-school, social service and mental health programs. The assessment can be administered via computer or paper and pencil and is available in both English and Spanish.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation Toolkit (ELLCO)
The Early Language & Literacy Classroom Observation Toolkit (ELLCO) is a classroom observation measure that assesses the quality of the classroom environment and teacher practices across five key elements: classroom structure, curriculum, the language environment, books and book reading opportunities, and print and early writing support. The measure is primarily designed for administrators and teachers of preschool and early elementary classrooms to use for professional development and program improvement.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: Teaching
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade
Emotional Availability Scales
The Emotional Availability Scales (EA Scales) measures the quality of parent-child or adult-child interactions. Emotional availability refers to “the adult’s ‘receptive presence’ to the child’s emotional signals” (Biringen and Easterbrooks, 2012). Created by Dr. Zeynep Biringen, Ph.D., in 1987, the instrument is currently in its 4th edition. The EA Scales consist of both adult and child subscales and can be completed in approximately 20 minutes.
Category: Home and Community
Sub-Category: Parenting
Geometry Assessments for Secondary Teachers (GAST) Classroom Observation Tool
The Geometry Assessments for Secondary Teachers (GAST) Classroom Observation Tool classifies the teaching moves and instructional tasks of teachers according to cognitive demand. It is designed for use specifically within math lessons focused on similarity, congruence, surface area, and volume. It can be used by teacher educators and researchers to identify the quality of math instruction within this domain.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: Teaching
Grades: 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
HEIghten Critical Thinking Assessment
The HEIghten Critical Thinking assessment is administered in a single 45-minute testing session. Each test taker answers 26 questions. The item types include critical thinking sets, short arguments or informational passages, and sets that present conditions applicable to a fictional situation.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: Post secondary
Instructional Quality Assessment (IQA)
The Instructional Quality Assessment (IQA) is a classroom observation instrument that rates the nature and quality of classroom instruction by considering students’ opportunities to engage in cognitively demanding mathematical work and discussions. The IQA uses the following elements to assess instruction: potential of the task, task implementation, rigor of the discussion, teacher’s questions, and accountable talk.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: Teaching
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Keys to Interactive Parenting Scale (KIPS)
The Keys to Interactive Parenting Scale (KIPS) is an observation-based instrument that assesses parent-child interaction during play. The instrument has been rated “A-Reliability and Validity Demonstrated” by California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse and recommended by Parents As Teachers, Healthy Families America, SafeCare, and WAVE Trust & Department for Education, United Kingdom. The observation portion of KIPS, which helps measure 12 key parenting behaviors, can be completed in 15 minutes, while scoring takes approximately 20 minutes.
Category: Home and Community
Sub-Category: Parenting
Mathematical Quality of Instruction (MQI)
The Mathematical Quality of Instruction (MQI) is a Common Core-aligned observational rubric that provides a framework for analyzing mathematics instruction. Observers rate instruction across five domains: common core-aligned student practices; working with students and mathematics; richness of mathematics; errors and imprecision; and, classroom work. Although originally designed for research use, the MQI can be used as a tool to support teachers' professional development.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: Teaching
Mission Skills Assessment (MSA)
The Mission Skills Assessment (MSA) is an online assessment that targets 6 noncognitive constructs: creativity, curiosity, ethics, resilience, teamwork, and time management. Each construct is measured by means of a student self-report scale, a student alternative scale (e.g., situational judgment test), and a teacher report scale. Use of the MSA provides schools with the opportunity to examine and monitor development of noncognitive skills in their students from Grade 6 to Grade 8. Three methods of measurement were incorporated into the MSA for each construct: traditional Likert self-report items, Likert teacher-report items, and an alternate type of assessment (e.g., situational judgments).
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
MSCEIT (Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test)
The MSCEIT tests the respondent's ability to perceive, use, understand, and regulate emotions. Using every-day life scenarios, the MSCEIT assesses how well an individual can react to and solve emotional problems as well as solve tasks. It was designed for use in corporate, educational, research, and therapeutic settings. Rather than a subjective assessment of one's own emotional intelligence, the MSCEIT uses a performance-based approach. There are many subscores reported in addition to total emotional intelligence (EIQ). These include two area scores for experiential EIQ and strategic EIQ. There are also branch scores of perceiving emotions, managing emotions, using emotions, and understanding emotions.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: 12th Grade, Post secondary
Parent-Infant Relational Assessment Tool (PIRAT)
The Parent-Infant Relational Assessment Tool (PIRAT) is an observation instrument that rates parent-child interactions for children ages birth to 2 years. The PIRAT measures optimal parental behavior and can be used as a risk assessment by health professionals. The instrument was developed as part of the Parent-Infant Project at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families.
Category: Home and Community
Sub-Category: Parenting
Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes
The Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes (PICCOLO™) is an observation instrument that covers four parenting behavior domains: affection, responsiveness, encouragement, and teaching. The instrument is designed for children from 10 months to 4 years old and is available in both English and Spanish.
Category: Home and Community
Sub-Category: Parenting
Protocol for Language Arts Teaching Observation (PLATO)
The Protocol for Language Arts Teaching Observations (PLATO) is a classroom observation protocol designed to evaluate thirteen elements of English Language Arts (ELA) instruction. It was originally developed for a study of the relationship between teachers' classroom practices and their impact on student achievement. It is currently being used as a professional development tool to support teachers' use of rigorous, research-based teaching practices. PLATO is designed to work across a variety of curricula and instructional approaches.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: Teaching
Grades: 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade
Social Skills Improvement System, Social-Emotional Learning Edition (SSIS SEL)
The Social Skills Improvement System-Social Emotional Learning Edition (SSIS SEL) is sold through Pearson and measures a variety of social and emotional competencies using both norm and criterion referencing. There are both digital and paper versions which can be completed by students, parents, or teachers. There is also a brief version of the form.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Survey of Teacher Practice (STeP)
STeP is a tool that allows instructors to be evaluated by their students across a set of categories identified as critical for effective classroom instruction. Two optional open-ended questions are also included at the end allowing students to provide additional input that may not be fully captured in the body of the survey.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: Teaching
Grades: 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
The Home Observation Measurement of the Environment-Short Form (HOME-SF)
The Home Observation Measurement of the Environment-Short Form (HOME-SF) is an observation instrument commonly used to measure the home environment of children ages birth to 15 years old. The HOME-SF is an abridged version of the HOME inventory, which is twice the length, and contains mother-reported items. The HOME-SF provides cognitive stimulation and emotional support subscores along with the total score.
Category: Home and Community
Sub-Category: Parenting
The Motivation and Engagement Scale-University/College (MES-UC)
Created along the Motivation and Engagement Wheel, the Motivation and Engagement Scale consists of eleven motivation and engagement subscales congruent with the eleven first-order factors in the Wheel (i.e., self-efficacy, valuing, mastery orientation, planning, task management, persistence, anxiety, failure avoidance, uncertain control, self-handicapping, and disengagement). The eleven subscales can be separated into four major groups representing the four higher-order motivation and engagement factors (i.e., adaptive cognition, adaptive behaviour, impeding cognition, and maladaptive behaviour). Each of the eleven MES subscales comprises four items—hence, the MES is a 44-item instrument. To respond to the MES, a 7-point Likert-type scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree), is provided—with a 1(strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) scale for use with elementary/primary school students. MES has been adapted for use in 3 different educational stages (primary/elementary school MES-Junior School, high school (MES), university/college MES-University/College) and 3 additional performance domains (Music MES-Music, Work MES-Work, Sport MES-Sport). An 11 item short form is also available.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: Post secondary
The Motivation and Engagement Scale Junior (MES-J)
Created along the Motivation and Engagement Wheel, the Motivation and Engagement Scale consists of eleven motivation and engagement subscales congruent with the eleven first-order factors in the Wheel (i.e., self-efficacy, valuing, mastery orientation, planning, task management, persistence, anxiety, failure avoidance, uncertain control, self-handicapping, and disengagement). The eleven subscales can be separated into four major groups representing the four higher-order motivation and engagement factors (i.e., adaptive cognition, adaptive behaviour, impeding cognition, and maladaptive behaviour). Each of the eleven MES subscales comprises four items—hence, the MES is a 44-item instrument. To respond to the MES, a 5-point Likert-type scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), is provided. An 11 item short form is also available.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
The Science Management Observation Protocol (SMOP)
The Science Management Observation Protocol (SMOP) is used to conduct structured observations of science classroom practice. SMOP identifies specific teacher behaviors and classroom characteristics which influence an inquiry-based classroom. Teachers and administrators can use the protocol to support the development of quality inquiry-based practices.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: Teaching
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
The Social Problem Solving Inventory Revised
The Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R; D’Zurilla et al., 2002) is a 52-item, Likert-type inventory consisting of five major scales that measure the five different dimensions in the D’Zurilla et al. social problem-solving model. These scales are the Positive Problem Orientation (PPO) scale (5 items), the Negative Problem Orientation (NPO) scale (10 items), the Rational Problem Solving (RPS) scale (20 items), the Impulsivity/Carelessness Style (ICS) scale (10 items), and the Avoidance Style (AS)scale (7 items). Using this instrument, “good” social problem-solving ability is indicated by high scores on PPO and RPS and low scores on NPO, ICS, and AS, whereas “poor” social problem-solving ability is indicated by low scores on PPO and RPS and high scores on NPO, ICS, and AS. In addition to the five major scales, the RPS scale is broken down into four subscales (each with five items) that measure the four major problem-solving skills in the D’Zurilla et al. social problem-solving model: (a) the Problem Definition and Formulation (PDF) subscale, (b) the Generation of Alternative Solutions (GAS) subscale,(c) the Decision Making (DM) subscale, and (d) the Solution Implementation and Verification (SIVS) subscale. A 25-item short form of the SPSI-R is also available that measures the five major problem-solving dimensions but does not provide subscales that measure the four specific skills within the rational problem-solving construct.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
The Social-Emotional Assets and Resilience Scales (SEARS)
The Social-Emotional Assets and Resilience Scales (SEARS) were developed at the University of Oregon and are sold by Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR). They measure responsibility, self regulation, social competence, and empathy, and contain both long and short forms for K-12 students, parents, and teachers. The forms are often used for progress monitoring and program evaluations. PAR sells the forms in English and Spanish, and they have also been translated into Chinese and Portuguese.
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
ZooU
ZooU is a game/performance based SEL assessment tool for students in grades 2 - 4. It is published and sold by Centervention, which also publishes other game-based assessments Zoo Academy (grades K-1), SS Grin (grades 3-5) Hall of Heroes (grades 6-8), and Stories in Motion (for K-5 students with autism).
Category: Student Well-Being
Sub-Category: Social-Emotional Competence
Grades: 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade