District Capacity Assessment (DCA)

District Implementation Teams (DITs) need to understand how well their district systems support schools to implement a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and if those systems can last over time. The District Capacity Assessment (DCA) measures the strength of district infrastructure that supports the implementation of an integrated literacy and social-emotional behavioral health MTSS framework, among other evidence-based initiatives.

MiMTSS Technical Assistance Center and the State Implementation and Scaling-up of Evidence-based Practices (SISEP) Center developed the current version of the DCA. SISEP is a national technical assistance center funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

A trained District Capacity Assessment Administrator helps a district implementation team complete the DCA. The DCA administrator is responsible for:

  • Facilitating discussion while administering the assessment with a team

  • Adhering to the administration protocol, including the simultaneous, public voting process

The administrator cannot participate in voting
District Capacity Assessment Administrator Preparation

District team members participate in the assessment as a group. For each item, team members engage in a simultaneous and public voting process, sharing their ratings before the team comes to a consensus on the final score.

National Implementation Research Network (NIRN)

  • Participants complete the Capacity Assessment Administration Course
  • This path will focus on generalized knowledge to support the administration of any of NIRN’s capacity assessments
  • Participants pass a quiz at the end of the course to receive an Administrator Badge
  • Approximate time to complete the course: 60 minutes
  • The course is free and self-paced

  • Baseline administration: District teams can administer the DCA before they begin installing district infrastructure to:
    • Identify strengths and areas of growth
    • Establish targets for district capacity
    • Develop an implementation or action plan
  • Bi-annual administration: As district teams strengthen their infrastructure, they can continue to monitor their capacity as follows:
    • Administer the DCA twice a year
    • Recommended assessment windows are August/September and January/February
    • Update district capacity targets and revise the implementation or action plan as needed
  • Until further validation research is conducted, a total and sub-scale score of 80 percent is suggested for indicating a minimum level of capacity

  • Baseline administration: Allow 2-3 hours
  • Bi-annual administration: Allow 1-2 hours

  • The designated MiMTSS Data System user enters item scores and notes in the MiMTSS Data System
  • The MiMTSS Data System dashboards generate Total score and Driver Scores graphs
  • The MiMTSS Data System provides a DCA Items Report