Student Investment Act-Representing at least 50% of the new investments created by the 2019 Student Success Act, this program provides non-competitive grant money to address mental and behavioral health needs and reduce academic disparities for focal populations. 

With large investments also come great expectations for accountability and transparency which have been integrated with many of the other initiatives listed below into an Integrated Plan and include:  

• Annual Review of  5-Year Longitudinal Performance Growth Targets aligned to 5 common metrics:  4-Year High School Graduation, 5-Year High School Completion, 9th Grade On-Track, 3rd Grade Reading and Regular Attenders)
• Quarterly Reports detailing Expenditures, Progress Markers and Narrative information
• Annual Report to the School Board
• Annual Financial Audits
• Performance Reviews and Audits every 4 years
• Biennial Plan Updates based on stakeholder engagement and needs assessments
   
• Find Your Districts Aligning for Student Success Integrated Plans
• Student Investment Account
• Integrated Guidance & Resources for Plan Implementation

Early Indicator & Intervention Systems-Also known as Early Warning Systems and/or Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), an EIIS is a set of structures and strategies for organizing data, aligning school practices, and engaging with students and families to help all students thrive.  An EIIS is essential to the success of other program goals, including HSS 9th Grade On Track, supporting student mental health, and addressing root causes of Chronic Absenteeism.   

The InterMountain ESD provides access to and support from the Oregon Data Suite to its regional districts as a data dashboard component of an EIIS.  For more information visit:

InterMountain ESD MTSS Resource page

Oregon Department of Education EIIS Information 

High School Success-High School Success is a fund initiated by ballot Measure 98 in November 2016.  Research suggests that having the system structures HSS requires aids in increasing graduation rates and ensures high school graduates are ready for their next step into college or career.  The goals of the HSS initiative are to: 

• Improve student progress toward graduation beginning with grade 9.
• Increase high school graduation rates,
• Increase equitable access to advanced coursework, and 
• Improve high school graduates’ readiness for college and career.  

Funding is provided to establish or expand programs in three specific areas:  Dropout Prevention, Career & Technical Education (CTE), and College-Level Education Opportunities.  Districts must meet certain eligibility requirements in order to maintain funding.  

Oregon Department of Education HSS Information

The Integrated Plan also includes district or regional implementation of Career & Technical Education Programs of Study and Career-Connected Learning, supported in our region by the InterMountain CTE Consortium.  

• InterMountain CTE Consortium 
• ODE CTE Homepage
•  Career-Connected Learning
• Early College Credit  

Every Day Matters–Increasing Regular Attendance & Reducing Chronic Absenteeism

Addressing chronic absenteeism through attention to student engagement, school culture, climate and safety, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and family and community involvement is foundational to the success of each initiative we support.  IMESD provides technical assistance, coaching and connection to resources that focus on student attendance, belonging, and engagement, including:

• Professional development and roundtables for school personnel to support attendance, including topics such as social-emotional learning, mental & behavioral health, and trauma-informed instructional practice.  
• Juvenile Justice Online, an online alternative to suspensions and expulsions featuring parent and student education.  
• Attendance campaign materials and printing
• Oregon Data Suite, featuring dashboards that track attendance 
• Synergy technical assistance for communicating with parents and guardians about attendance
• Average Daily Attendance reporting support    
   
• Oregon Department of Education Every Day Matters Homepage
• Oregon’s Transformative SEL Framework

The IMESD hosts consortia and supports federal programs to ensure all eligible schools within our region have access to supplemental funding.  The Initiatives Team focuses on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a federal school accountability law rooted in supporting all students equitably and building systems that eliminate barriers to student success as follows:

• Identifying ways to align and connect federal school improvement efforts
• Supporting district continuous improvement planning and program alignment
• Providing individualized coaching and/or regional support for school buildings and/or districts identified as needing comprehensive or targeted support and improvement.  

We partner across our ESD and with ODE to reduce duplication of effort and support districts.  See below for more information about some of these programs.

• InterMountain Migrant Education Consortium
• IMESD English Learners and Title III Consortium
• InterMountain CTE Consortium
• ODE Every Student Succeeds Act Homepage
• ODE School & District Improvement Homepage

Established in the Fall of 2023, the Early Literacy Success School District Grants are non-competitive and designed to increase early literacy across the state.  Although not yet incorporated into the ESD’s Technical Assistance requirements, the Initiatives Team and Instructional Services Department will collaborate with other ESD partners and the Oregon Department of Education to support regional districts in the application, implementation, accountability and stated goals of the program:

• Increase early literacy for children from birth to third grade; 
• Reduce literacy academic disparities for student groups that have historically experienced academic disparities;
• Increase support to parents and guardians to enable them to be partners in the development of their children’s literacy skills and knowledge; 
• Increase access to early literacy learning through support that is research-aligned, culturally responsive, student-centered and family-centered. 

This grant program is just one component of Oregon’s Early Literacy Success Initiative.  

The Initiatives Team has supported districts in their efforts to utilize the federal grant programs established to address the impact that the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has had, and continues to have, on our educational communities.  ESSER III grants, established by the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021, is the last of the series established to reimburse districts for eligible expenses through September 30, 2024.  However, reporting requirements, audits and the implementation and evaluation of the funded programs or investments will continue to impact districts across the region. 

Originally established as part of the federal government’s response to addressing the impacts of COVID-19 (known as the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund or GEER), this funding stream allows for responsive and intensive support from ESDs to small school districts within their region.  Often these districts have limited personnel capacity to move through all of the administrative and reporting requirements for various programs and initiatives they receive.  Support may include:

• Maintaining continuity of instruction and access to resources;
• Supporting districts to complete planning, engagement, application, implementation, or reporting processes across any state or federal programs; 
• Arranging staffing in ways that enhance focal support for districts most in need of additional assistance; and 
• Coordinating regional conversations and knowledge exchange on improving processes or systems that reduce administrative burden and increase program alignment and effectiveness.  

Our highest priority as an Initiatives Team is to help regional districts streamline their time managing compliance and maximize their time effectively supporting their students, staff and families.  In order to accomplish this work, some of the services we provide include:

• Support district efforts to utilize effective communication strategies and authentically engage stakeholders in support of all students.
• Facilitate conversations to prioritize systems and behaviors that create a culture of belonging.
• Provide timely reminders and resources related to the most urgent district-level priorities on a monthly and/or bimonthly basis.
• Maintain an up-to-date calendar of reporting requirements and professional development opportunities.
• Collaborate with ESD and ODE colleagues to provide and/or recommend professional development and other technical support for implementing effective programming.
• Host opportunities for districts to network with and learn from their peers across the region.  
• Stay up-to-date on emerging initiatives and opportunities that will benefit the region.
• Support recurring transparency and accountability requirements, including the Healthy Schools Plan and Annual Division 22 Reports. 

Note that IMESD also provides limited support, through a contractor, for grant-writing services.  For more information contact Eric Volger.