Content Standards Revision
The Board of Public Education is responsible for adopting standards of accreditation for Montana schools. See §20-2-121 and §20-7-101, Montana Code Annotated (MCA) and Art. X, sec. 9(3)(a) of the Montana Constitution. Among the accreditation standards are content standards. In 2005, the Board of Public Education initiated a schedule, process, and criteria for standards revision to assure Montana citizens that its public schools are providing all children of our great state with a well-rounded education founded on challenging academic expectations.
Challenging academic content standards clearly and consistently identify what students should know and be able to do. The standards provide a foundation for local district trustees to align curriculum and instruction, plan for professional development, and identify instructional materials and resources. Parents, educators, and the greater Montana community will be involved in the revision process.
The Board of Public Education adopts a regular schedule for revision of standards in accordance with Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM) 10.53.104, which states:
- Montana’s content standards shall be reviewed and revised on a recurring schedule.
- A schedule for review of content standards shall be established as a collaborative process with the Office of Public Instruction and the Board of Public Education with input from representatives of accredited schools. The schedule shall ensure that each program area is reviewed and revised at regular intervals.
- The standards review process shall use context information, guidelines, processes, and procedures identified by the Office of Public Instruction with input from representatives of accredited schools.
Current Revision Activities
Career and Technical Education | Computer Science | Library Media/Information Literacy | Social Studies | Technology
- Work teams for each of the five content standards met in July to create preliminary drafts.
- These first, early drafts are now available for feedback. Please respond to the surveys linked below by September 30, 2019
Next Steps
Negotiated Rulemaking: November 2019 - March 2020
- The Office of Public Instruction will facilitate the establishment of negotiated rulemaking committees and the creation of economic impact statements required in §20-7-101, MCA. At the conclusion of the negotiated rulemaking process, the Superintendent of Public Instruction will make a recommendation for adoption of proposed content standards to the Board of Public Education.
- Nomination forms for the negotiated rulemaking committees will be available in October 2019.
- The committee(s) must represent the diverse circumstances of schools of all sizes across the state and must include representatives from the following groups:
- school district trustees
- school administrators
- teachers
- school business officials
- parents
- taxpayers
- Adoption by the Board of Public Education: September 2020 (proposed)
- Begin Implementation of New Standards: July 1, 2021 (proposed)
The Content Standards & Instruction Team
Director - Colet Bartow, 406-444-3583
English Language Arts Coordinator - Christy Mock-Stutz, 406-444-0736
Science Coordinator - Michelle McCarthy, 406-444-3537
Mathematics Coordinator - Marisa Graybill, 406-444-0706
Professional Learning Coordinator - Carli Cockrell, 406-444-0769
Teacher Learning Hub Coordinator - Jessica Bryant, 406-444-3557
Teacher Learning Hub Project Specialist - Allen Way, 406-444-4422
Professional Learning Data & Information Specialist - Marjorie O'Rourke, 406-444-3538
Administrative Assistant - Wanda Arlint, 406-444-0716
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, TTY 406-444-0235.
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