Professional Capacity

Professional capacity is the development or status of all staff members’ professional knowledge, skills, and practices to ensure knowledge, organization, and delivery of effective instruction using an integrated multi-tiered system of supports.

Essential Features

All staff are trained to understand the rationale for and application of each of the components of Ohio’s Integrated Multi-Tiered System of Supports.

All staff implement high-quality instructional materials, evidence-based programs and practices, and research-based practices as designed within the three tiers of the continuum of supports.

All staff effectively and continuously ask and answer the following questions.

• Who may need help? Where is help needed?
• What kind of help is needed?
• What instruction, supports, and resources will address the identified need?
• Are selected instructional materials, supports, and resources effectively meeting the need?

All staff apply research to refine practices, content knowledge, and student learning.

All staff build a collaborative culture among one another, via practices such as bidirectional communication with leadership, to increase collective responsibility and efficacy.

All staff consider student characteristics when selecting academic and non-academic instruction and supports.

All staff build relationships with and advocate for the needs of all students.

All staff build strategic relationships and partnerships to engage families and caregivers.

Conditions for Success

See “Conditions for Success: Professional Capacity” on the Universal Screening, Data-Based Decision Making, Continuum of Supports, Progress Monitoring, and Team-Based Decision Making pages.

Resources

• MTSS Center: AIR's Center on Multi-Tiered System of Supports
• McIntosh, K., & Goodman, S. (2016). Integrated multi-tiered systems of support: Blending RTI and PBIS. Guilford Press.

Last Modified: 8/22/2025 1:45:15 PM

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