Oregon secretary of state’s audit finds ODE making progress on meeting High School Success program goals

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Department of Education continues to effectively implement the High School Success program created by the passage of Measure 98, according to an audit released Monday by Secretary of State Shemia Fagan.

This is the third audit on the state’s K-12 education system released in 2022.

“Education must be a top priority for leaders in our state,” said Secretary Fagan. “Education was a ladder that helped me break the cycle of poverty in my family. Every student in Oregon should have that same opportunity, which is why I have prioritized education audits and will continue to push our state leaders to make needed improvements to our K-12 system.”

Earlier this year, Secretary Fagan released a systemic risk report that identified five key risks that could undermine promising new efforts to boost student success. In March, the Secretary released a follow-up report specifically examining high-poverty schools in Oregon’s largest school system, Portland Public Schools. Education will be a continued focus in this administration.

Since the previous audit of Measure 98 in 2020, ODE has developed and released a new document integrating the guidance and applications for six agency programs, including the High School Success program. The agency also fully implemented four of the recommendations from the previous audit, and partially implemented a fifth, which is expected to be completed by summer 2023.

The findings of the audit are outlined in the report entitled: “ODE Continues to Effectively Implement Measure 98 and Increase Collaboration Across Agency Programs.”

Previous audit work has shown ODE has struggled with a “siloing” effect of its many programs. The new integrated guidance has gone a long way to breaking down these siloes. The guidance has many other potential benefits, including reduced administrative confusion for school districts, unified support for all six programs on a regional basis, and better alignment between programs with similar goals.

If the new guidance is thoughtfully implemented, program participants should be able to accomplish goals more holistically while still maintaining the original intent and integrity of the component programs, the secretary of state said.

Read the full report on the Secretary of State website (https://sos.oregon.gov/audits/Pages/default.aspx).