Office of Internal Accountability and Program Evaluation

The Office of Internal Accountability carries out the internal audit and internal program monitoring and assessment functions of MDE. Responsibilities include:

• Evaluating the Department's system of internal controls to provide reasonable assurance to management that internal controls are adequate and effective, professional standards of business conduct are observed, and assets are properly accounted for and safeguarded.
• Conducting objective and professional evaluations of Department activities to determine compliance with agency policies and procedures as well as applicable state and federal laws and regulations and to determine if goals and objectives are efficiently and effectively attained.
• Reporting evaluation results, including deficiencies and recommendations, to Department management and the State Board of Education.
• Serving as the liaison between external audit and oversight entities such as the Office of the State Auditor, Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review, Ethics Commission, and federal agencies.
• Ensuring prompt resolution of audit deficiencies reported by external entities.
• Reviewing the audit report of each public school district, community college, and university receiving federal funding from the Department to ensure corrective action on audit deficiencies of federal programs is appropriate and timely.
• Assisting departmental staff and school district personnel in interpreting and applying program guidelines.
• Performing special projects in response to requests made by the State Board of Education, State Superintendent of Education, and the State Legislature.