Character Strengths Assessments
Character strengths are the social emotional skills at which a child excels. Social emotional skills are the thought processes and actions taken to “understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions” (casel.org). The Strengths Project identifies a child’s character strengths by conducting a 65-item character strengths assessment in which a child ranks their level of identification with a statement on a scale from 1-3. For example:
1 2 3 I can imagine how another person feels.
1 2 3 I am unique, special, and important.
1 2 3 If I fail at a task, I try again.
The character strengths assessment is designed to measure the same skills identified by the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education’s Social & Emotional Development curriculum (dese.mo.gov). To this end, the character strengths assessment explores the following areas: self-concept, life roles, community contributions, quality relationships, respect, personal responsibility, personal safety skills, and coping strategies.
On items in which the child strongly identifies with the statement, additional questions are asked to reveal life experiences and stories which illustrate the child’s success with that social emotional skill. Character strengths assessments paired with child interviews take approximately 30 minutes per student.
Storybooks
Following completed character strengths assessments for a classroom, biographical short stories are written for each student and compiled in a storybook format. Each student’s story details the character strengths at which they excel using concrete examples reported by the student. It is written at a third grade reading level in an easy-to-read format. It is ideal if each child contributes a self-portrait to accompany their story. Each student and the teacher are provided with a copy of the storybook. Storybooks are provided approximately one month after the completion of classroom character strengths assessments to allot time for writing, formatting, and publication. Read an example and learn more about The Strengths Project storybooks here.
Classroom Lessons
Classroom lessons are available throughout the process of implementing The Strengths Project in your classroom, including visits to:
- provide a framework for student understanding of The Strengths Project
- assist students in defining character strengths and social emotional skills
- guide students in creation of self-portrait illustrations
- collectively celebrate the classroom’s storybook through a group story-time
The Strengths Project 