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).

Administering the Assessment

Administering the Assessment

A trained District Capacity Assessment Administrator helps a district implementation team complete the DCA.

District team members participate in the assessment as a group. Upon reviewing each item, respondents use a simultaneous and public voting process where all team members share how they would score each item before the team comes to a consensus on the item score.

Assessment Schedule

Assessment Schedule
  • 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

Estimated Time

Estimated Time
  • Baseline administration: Allow 2-3 hours
  • Bi-annual administration: Allow 1-2 hours
  • Preparing key documents (e.g., data sources, improvement plans) ahead of the meeting can reduce administration time.

Data Entry

Data Entry
  • 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