# DERS — Measuring What Matters > Measures quality of learning environments for children aged 2.5-12. (iPhone/iPad app by National Centre for Montessori in the Public Sector, Inc..) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ders/id1197202080 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [National Centre for Montessori in the Public Sector, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1197202079) - Category: Education - Price: Free - Rating: 5.00/5 from 4 App Store ratings - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 8.2 · 68 MB - Languages: American English, Czech, Chinese (Simplified, China), European Spanish - Released: 2017-01-23 - Data updated: 2026-06-04 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ders/id1197202080/reviews.md ## What is DERS? The Developmental Environmental Rating Scale (DERS) measures the quality of learning environments offered in classrooms serving children between the ages of 2.5 and 12. It aligns environmental design and implementation with desired outcomes related to executive functions, literacy, and social-emotional development. The DERS consists of 60 research-based environmental attributes or observable behaviors (child and adult) aligned with five broad aspects of human development: initiation and concentration, inhibitory control, working memory, linguistic and cultural fluency, and social fluency and emotional flexibility. The assessment is administered in a 60-minute classroom observation, during which the assessor records the presence, magnitude, and/or frequency for each item. Schools can use the DERS internally to identify priorities for continuous improvement or externally as an assessment of environmental quality. The DERS was developed by researchers at the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector. ## Key features - Measures learning environment quality - Focuses on executive functions - Assesses literacy development - Evaluates social-emotional growth - Research-based environmental attributes - Classroom observation tool ## Frequently asked questions about DERS ### What is DERS used for? DERS is used to measure the quality of learning environments in classrooms serving children aged 2.5 to 12. It helps identify priorities for continuous improvement or serves as an external assessment of environmental quality. ### What age group does DERS focus on? DERS is designed for classrooms serving children between the ages of 2.5 and 12 years old. ### What developmental areas does DERS assess? DERS assesses five broad aspects of human development: initiation and concentration, inhibitory control, working memory, linguistic and cultural fluency, and social fluency and emotional flexibility. ### How long does a DERS assessment take? The DERS assessment is administered during a 60-minute classroom observation. ### Who developed DERS? DERS was developed by researchers at the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector. ### Is DERS available on multiple devices? Currently, DERS is supported on iPad devices. ### How often is DERS updated? The latest version of DERS, 2.3, was last updated on August 1, 2022. ### Does DERS have ads? No, DERS does not contain advertisements. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.3 — 2022-08-01 1. Language change in early childhood 2. Export observer report 3. Automatic Account Deactivation 4. Delete Organization 5. Allow user to edit observation details 6. Edit user information 7. Back button in list of observers 8. Alphabetize items by area in admin excel report 9. Font Color Change in Login screen ### 2.2 — 2022-04-01 Bug fixes ### 2.1 — 2019-09-23 Minor Bug Fixes ### 2.0 — 2019-08-26 Welcome to DERS 2.0! In response to feedback from users like you, we've made the following changes to the DERS app to improve the user experience: - The observation screen now includes a cancel button, so you can end an observation if you do not wish to save your data. - All items are now magnitude items, so you won’t be interrupted by the frequency items screen popping up every 10 minutes. - DERS data can now be downloaded from the DERS web portal as a PDF or Excel file. - Schools can now designate DERS administrators, who will be able to access all DERS reports for their school site. - Language for the Early Childhood DERS has been revised to promote clearer and more consistent scoring. - The DERS report has a whole new look: domain scores are easier to interpret and the new Rated Attributes Table makes it easy to tell at a glance what's going on in the classroom. ### 1.5 — 2018-05-10 Bug Fixes ## Apps similar to DERS | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [DRC INSIGHT](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drc-insight/id964905738) | 1.6 (43) | Free | Education | | [Montessori Alliance of TN](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/montessori-alliance-of-tn/id6744569311) | — | Free | Education | | [MN Executive Function Scale](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mn-executive-function-scale/id967184252) | 3.0 (2) | Free | Education | | [ANH Montessori School](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anh-montessori-school/id6478030663) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Education | | [The Montessori App](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-montessori-app/id1633344465) | 4.8 (31) | Free | Education | | [Westabou Montessori School](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/westabou-montessori-school/id6478467784) | 4.5 (4) | Free | Education | --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-04.*