Ohio Sustainability Assessment Tool (OSAT)

What is program sustainability capacity?

We define program sustainability capacity as the ability to maintain programming and its benefits over time.

Many programs and initiatives are tied to soft money from grants or special projects funding and are not a line item in districts 5-year forecast. Because of this, staff needs to determine sustainable capacity early in the implementation to allow for long term success.

Why is program sustainability capacity important?

Programs and initiatives at district and building levels struggle with their sustainability capacity. Unfortunately, when programs or initiatives are forced to be discontinued, important school and academic improvements can be lost. With knowledge of the critical factors that influence sustainability, staff can build program or initiative capacity for sustainability and position their efforts for long term success.

What is the purpose of this tool?

This tool will enable you to assess your program or initiative’s current capacity for sustainability across a range of specific organizational and contextual factors. Your responses will identify sustainability strengths and challenges. You can then use the results to guide sustainability action planning for your program or initiatives.