Quick look: OCDE’s 5-3-1 Strategic Plan guided the department’s work in 2025, its first full year of full implementation. In 2026, OCDE will add key measures to track progress and strengthen results for students.
We at the OCDE Newsroom talked a lot this year about OCDE’s 5-3-1 Strategic Plan, and for good reason.
This marked the first year the plan was fully implemented, following its development in late 2024 with input from educators and community partners across Orange County.
If 2025 was about bringing the plan to life, 2026 will be about sharpening how the Orange County Department of Education measures progress and deepens impact, says County Superintendent Dr. Stefan Bean.
“Developing the 5-3-1 Strategic Plan was about creating clarity and alignment,” Bean said. “This first full year focused on action. As we look to 2026, our work shifts toward measuring what’s working, learning from the data and making sure our efforts are truly improving outcomes for students.”
OCDE directly serves Orange County’s most vulnerable student populations through its alternative and special education programs while providing support and mandated fiscal oversight to 28 local school districts, representing more than 600 schools.
The 5-3-1 plan provides a roadmap for that work. It centers on five key initiatives, three core support objectives and one bold, unifying goal focused on transforming outcomes within the department’s ACCESS and Connections student programs.
Initiative examples include enhancing career technical education for vulnerable students, fostering emotional intelligence, ensuring student and school safety and integrating artificial intelligence responsibly.
Throughout 2025, the focus was on implementation, aligning programs, strengthening partnerships and grounding OCDE’s work in the priorities outlined in the plan. Essentially, the 5-3-1 framework became the North Star for every team and program.
Looking ahead to 2026, the work deepens. OCDE will begin developing key performance indicators to more closely track progress and connect the plan to clear, measurable outcomes. These metrics will support accountability and continuous improvement, while helping ensure the 5-3-1 remains responsive to the evolving needs of Orange County schools and students.
“The 5-3-1 Strategic Plan was never intended to be a static document,” Bean said. “It’s a living framework that grows stronger as we measure it, refine it and apply it through daily practice. As we move into 2026, OCDE remains focused on using this plan not just as a vision, but as a practical tool for meaningful, lasting change.”