Attend the ASSIST Conference! The conference will be held in Helena, MT at the Delta Hotel on January 13–14, 2020. During this 2-day conference, we will spend time sharing some of the best practices for using data appropriately to inform instruction while ensuring educators are successful in administering the Montana statewide assessments. This conference is intended for anyone who is interested in the suite of resources under the Montana Comprehensive Assessment System (MontCAS) Program including formative, interim, and summative assessments. Register soon - OPI Data and Assessment Conference Registration and for more information, visit the ASSIST Conference Page.

Check out the Parent Corner Resources! The Parent Corner was created to support schools with resources to accomplish three key responsibilities, that is, (1) notify families about the assessment, (2) explain the assessment, and (3) share the results. During the Fall 2019 Smarter Balanced released the Starting Smarter website for Montana parents. The site helps parents to understand the summative assessment score reports including areas of academic strength and improvement. It also connects parents with sample test questions and provides additional resources to support their child’s learning. 

MontCAS Monitoring for the 2019-2020 school year has begun. As described in ARM 10.56.103(1) the OPI has the responsibility to audit test administration activities to monitor adherence to test security and best practices. If your school district is selected, you will be contacted by the OPI and asked to provide testing date (Testing Date Tool) information for the purpose of this visit. Currently, the only test administration monitoring occurring is the ACCESS for ELLs monitoring. 

Check out the MontCAS Accessibility News! As described in ARM 10.56.104(1) schools must administer statewide assessments with or without accommodations based on individual student needs. State assessments help teachers and parents know if students are on the path to success. Supports that are provided on statewide assessments must be familiar to the student and must match those supports and accommodations that are provided for classroom instruction and assessments throughout the school year. Student’s parents/guardians should be knowledgeable about the supports and accommodations planned for their student to ensure parents/guardians are aware of the conditions under which their child will participate in the assessment. To support schools with the selection of accessibility supports (e.g., universal tools, designated supports, and accommodations), please visit the Montana Statewide Assessments: Accessibility Resources webpage or the Accessibility page to learn more about this process.  Some things to keep in mind are—use a systematic data-based process, ensure supports are identified in the educational plan, ensure supports are familiar to the student, and ensure the supports are provided for classroom instruction and assessments throughout the school year.