As in previous rounds, the SSES Round 3 assesses a range of social and emotional skills across five key areas: Task Performance, Emotional Regulation, Collaboration, Open-mindedness, and Engaging with Others. The assessment evaluates a variety of skills including persistence, empathy, curiosity, creativity, stress resistance, emotional control, co-operation and assertiveness among others. 

The SSES Round 3 continues to use the well-established method of evaluating students' social and emotional skills through self-reports. This round will also introduce an innovative approach by directly assessing at least one skill (most likely students’ co-operation skills) using situational judgement items (tasks where students are asked to solve situations closely related to their everyday lives, necessitating the use of social and emotional skills).

The survey also includes background questionnaire about students’ school, family and general environment as well as questionnaires for teachers and principals. There is also an optional questionnaire for parents. Combined, these generate a rich dataset of internationally comparable, reliable data about students’ social and emotional skills and the factors that shape these, both in school and beyond.

For all survey participants—students, teachers, principals, and parents (if included)—the default mode of participation is online. However, sites have the option to administer the survey in a paper-based format for all or select participants, should they prefer.

Apart from the introduction of a direct assessment of students’ skills, Round 3 aims to evaluate students' proficiency levels and report the proportion of students not reaching the minimum skill level required to succeed and thrive in life.

Further planned changes to the framework and instruments of the SSES include revisiting and updating the conceptual framework of the survey and the framework for assessment, with a focus on consolidating the emphasis on skills rather than preferences. The aim is to reduce the assessment length and minimize the feeling of repetition for students. This involves potentially dropping items from selected skills or entire skills from certain domains, especially if their content overlaps with other skills. The transition from measuring traits to directly measuring skills is also a key part of this update (i.e. not measuring preferences or habits but skills that students can display).

The changes to the SSES are expected to make the survey more engaging for students, reduce the burden on participants, and improve the ability to draw direct comparisons of skill levels across countries and sites. This could allow for quantifying the influence of a skill on key outcomes and describing different proficiency levels more accurately. Additionally, the survey experience for students is expected to become more engaging and less time-consuming.

By default, the student survey is administered at school in a controlled group setting. The students fill out the questionnaires online through desktop, laptop or tablet devices. All instruments are provided using an online platform. In exceptional circumstances, some participating countries/sites can administer the survey on paper. However, each student assessment session is designed to last 90 minutes, encompassing time for building rapport and providing instructions. The survey itself will require approximately 60 minutes to complete. 

To maintain the integrity of the assessment, it is preferred that all selected students within a school undergo the assessment on the same day, preventing any discussions about the survey's content. However, the scheduling of assessments across different schools can be staggered throughout the data collection phase, allowing these sessions to occur on different days. 

Teachers and principals have the flexibility to complete their questionnaires either individually at their convenience, at home or work, or together during a designated session at school, depending on the specific context and decisions of each site. The questionnaire is designed to accommodate participants' needs, allowing them to pause and resume at their convenience. National Project Managers (NPMs), in partnership with schools, are responsible for identifying the most appropriate method for school staff to complete the survey. Parents can also complete the questionnaire at a time and day that suits them best. The questionnaires for principals, teachers and parents are designed to take about 30 minutes to complete. 

We invite sites interested in joining to reach out at their earliest convenience for a discussion with the OECD SSES team. This initial dialogue is crucial for us to tailor a survey package that best meets the needs of participating sites. During the 2025 preparation phase, participating countries and sites will be engaged in the preparation of all survey instruments. This involves translating and modifying key terms to ensure the instruments are fully aligned with the specific context of each site. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to integrate some national items into the survey, allowing them to assess aspects particularly relevant to their context that may not apply to others.

The SSES team is also pleased to offer several optional components designed to enrich the survey experience. These include the possibility of including parents or other age groups, and participating in the optional training and/or Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) offers.

New to SSES Round 3, the OECD SSES team will offer support to participants to help them translate SSES findings into actionable policy and practice. To this end, the OECD team has started to outline different potential options:

International options, for which a minimum number of participating sites will be required for them to proceed and which will benefit all SSES sites which select that option:

• School Feedback: Providing participating schools with reports on their SSES results and the status of social and emotional education, ideally through means of an accessible dashboard. Participation in this optional component will require sampling around 80/85 students per school (rather than 35/40 students). The feedback will serve as a reflection ground on students' skill levels and social and emotional education in schools, identifying disparities among students in skill acquisition and access to learning opportunities. Reports serve as guidance for schools to enhance their strategies and practices in these areas.
  • Main target audience: teachers and school leaders from participating schools
• Teaching & Learning Toolkits: These toolkits provide a concise, accessible report or webpage for each skill assessed in the SSES framework, compiling evidence and offering insights into teachability, predictive validity, developmental trajectories, best teaching practices, and assessment strategies. This initiative addresses the gap in resources for individual skills, bringing together global perspectives and a synthesis of evidence to support primarily educators but also policymakers.
  • Main target audience: educators and education policymakers
• "Solve for SEL" Peer-Learning Sessions: A series of interactive peer-learning events focusing on specific SEL-related questions, challenges, or themes. Participating sites will propose and select topics for workshops that facilitate the exchange of practices and experiences. Sessions will involve diverse participants from across government, business, and non-profit sectors. These sessions aim to foster collaboration, encourage active learning, and promote cross-country collaboration, breaking down policy siloes.
  • Main target audience: NPMs, policymakers, researchers, foundations’ staff members

Country- or site-specific options, tailored to individual countries / sites:

• Linking Data to Policy: This option aims to link SSES data with a review of SEL-relevant policies and practices in a given site. Depending on the site’s interests and needs, it will review the SEL-related policy and practice landscape in the site, how these relate to its SSES results, and link to promising, relevant models from other countries. This review could be general or focus on a particular area of interest: curriculum re-design, teacher training, assessment, etc. This component aims to collaborate with other OECD teams, like the Policy Advice and Implementation (PAI) division, it will leverage the combined power of SSES data and OECD policy advisory expertise and networks.  Findings could be presented as a policy brief, short report or other written forms, depending on capacity and sites’ needs. Depending on the site’s expectation, the final output could also include policy recommendations.
  • Main target audience: policy makers, educational practitioners, staff from the National Centre, foundations
• Strengthening Research Capacity: Offering training sessions on data analysis and reporting tailored for researchers, analysts, staff from NGOs, and other relevant stakeholders. This initiative not only enhances participants' abilities to effectively manage and interpret data but also significantly adds value by empowering them to make informed diagnosis, support evidence-based policy development and impactful changes within their respective fields.
  • Main target audience: staff from the National Centre and researchers

These optional components aim to provide a holistic approach to embedding SEL into educational systems, leveraging global insights and fostering a collaborative environment for stakeholders to share, learn, and innovate. Among these suggested options, one or more will be selected for further design and development, contingent upon participant interest. Participants keen on any of these options are encouraged to express their interest to the OECD SSES team.

This survey is organised and conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France. The OECD will work closely with other organisations (International Contractors) on this project for key tasks such as:

• verifying that the translated national versions of the questionnaires correspond to the international source version in English
• programming of the survey delivery platform
• sampling, data cleaning and scaling. 

A National Centre (NC; i.e. a team from a ministry, agency, foundation, or research institute) acts as the local partner for implementing the survey in the participating sites. The role of the team is to implement the survey at the site/country level, following the procedures and requirements established by the OECD. The NC will coordinate the implementation of SSES locally, get permission to administer the survey from the education authorities, and liaise with schools. Each site teams’ work is coordinated by a National Project Manager (NPM) who is the key contact point in the site and will take overall responsibility for survey implementation. To support the NPM, it is recommended, though not obligatory, to additionally appoint a National Sampling and Data Manager (NSDM) who is dedicated to the sample design and selection and the data management. Additionally:

• professional translation services will be temporarily required to translate and adapt the source survey instruments into the national/local language(s) of instruction.
• Quality Monitors (QM; usually one or two per site) need to be hired temporarily to monitor the quality of survey implementation in a subset of schools participating in the survey (around 10 schools in each site).  

Currently, several countries/sub-national entities are participating in the SSES through a partnership between local or national governments and/or private foundations with university-based research teams or organisations that have the capacity to carry out the survey-implementation work. Naturally, NPMs with the desired profile described above can often be found among research institutes, though not exclusively. Alternatively, it is also possible to contract out some or all the tasks to local survey providers. 

NPMs can come from a range of backgrounds, such a university-based research teams, government research branches, or private foundations or NGOs with research experience. The choice how to organise this centre and to select the NPM and, if chosen, the NSDM will depend on each country/sub-national entity’s specific situation, however, following is a list of characteristics we recommend for NPMs, NSDMs and QMs.

Desired profile for NPMs:

• A high level of oral and written communication skills in English as all meetings, working documents, manuals for NPM use, and communications with the OECD and contractors are in English
• A university degree in education, social sciences, assessment and measurement, or equivalent qualification/experience
• In-depth knowledge of the Participant’s school system
• Desirably previous experience in planning, organising, and conducting international surveys and assessments in education
• Ability to compose and manage a staff team to carry out project tasks such as survey planning, preparing national survey instruments, managing school contacts, cooperating with national stakeholders etc., often needing simultaneous attention
• Knowledge of and the confidence to liaise with government agencies, trade unions, schools as applicable, most importantly to obtain school cooperation
• Familiarity with national large-scale sampling, survey quality control and data management procedures
• Ability to oversee translation, adaptation, and verification activities 
• Basic statistical knowledge as well as familiarity with statistical packages such as SPSS or STATA
• Familiarity with the standard Microsoft applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Desired profile for NSDMs:

• Knowledge of the Participant’s school system
• The required knowledge and skills with respect to survey research in general and specifically to the SSES sample design, instruments, and variables
• Experience in planning, conducting and supervising data capture, and management of large-scale surveys of this kind
• The required technical skills with respect to (relational) databases
• Basic statistical knowledge as well as familiarity with statistical packages such as SPSS or SAS
• Familiarity with standard Microsoft applications such as Word and Excel
• Proficiency in English to reliably engage in sampling- and data-related communication with the OECD and contractors.

Desired profile for QMs:

• Knowledge in the area of testing procedures, preferably within research contexts
• Familiarity with online assessment
• A Background in education, assessment or research is desirable
• High proficiency in the test language and sufficient fluency in English to communicate effectively with the OECD and to effectively implement required procedures
• IT skills necessary to access the internet and to communicate effectively and independently with the OECD via email. 
• Should not be a member of the same institution as the National Project Manager or where the National Centre is based or an immediate relative of an employee at the National Centre.

The actual implementation of the survey necessitates the involvement of additional personnel, including School Coordinators (SCs)and Test Administrators (TAs).

An essential part of securing the co-operation of the selected schools is identifying someone within the schools who will act as the School Coordinator (SC). SCs act as the primary contact point between schools and National Centres. There is no specific qualification/knowledge required from SCs. The work of the SC involves collecting and recording information about the eligible/ selected students and teachers within the school, disseminating information to the school community (teachers, students, parents, and other school staff).

Test administrators (TAs) are needed to administer the assessment at participating schools. They will assist in administering the assessments and be ready to help or support students having problems. 

Interested countries and sites are encouraged to express their potential interest and engage in one-on-one follow-ups to discuss priorities, needs, and challenges related to participation. A brochure presenting the third round is available, which participants can translate and share with policymakers and stakeholders. Additionally, interested parties are also encouraged to promote and share information about Round 3 with potentially interested parties in neighbouring countries and sites. To further support this initiative, the SSES team is prepared to supply additional materials as needed, including a signed invitation letter or a template of the participation agreement.

Interested parties can contact Noémie Le Donné, Senior Project Manager, at Noemie.LEDONNE@oecd.org, and Hannah Ulferts, Analyst, at Hannah.ULFERTS@oecd.org (cc. SSES.Contact@oecd.org). 

You can visit the official SSES webpage for more information and join the launch of the first international report of the SSES Round 2 on April 26, 2024. We also invite you to read our publications, including:

•  OECD (2021), Beyond Academic Learning: First Results from the Survey of Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en.
• OECD (2021), Survey on Social and Emotional Skills (SSES): City notes, in Beyond Academic Learning: First Results from the Survey of Social and Emotional Skills, OECD Publishing, Paris. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en
• OECD (2023), Schools as hubs for social and emotional learning: Are schools and teachers ready?, OECD Education Spotlights, No. 4, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/f6d12db7-en
• Feldmárová, I. (2022), “Social and emotional skills: Global importance, local responsibility?”, OECD Education Today, https://oecdedutoday.com/social-emotional-skills-built-locally/
• Le Donné, N. and H. Ulferts (April, 2023), “Why social and emotional learning needs to be prioritised in schools”, OECD Education and Skills Today, https://oecdedutoday.com/why-social-and-emotional-learning-needs-to-be-prioritised-in-schools/