May 2022 Assessment Compass Update

May 2022 Assessment Compass Update

The May 2022 OPI Assessment Bulletin has been posted. The OPI Assessment Bulletin is specifically designed for System Test Coordinators (STCs), subscribers, and any school personnel with a responsibility to administer state assessments. It is carefully crafted each month by the OPI Assessment Unit to provide timely access to key test administration responsibilities and actionable content within each of the program checklists. Also included in each issue are references to the state and federal requirements, resources to support professional learning, testing alerts, and updates, and frequently asked questions. School districts are encouraged to share the Assessment Bulletin with any school staff who must be aware of these tasks and responsibilities in order to prepare for state assessments.

Final ACT with Writing Paper Opportunity is April 26 Before testing, schedule an in-school session to allow students to create the MyACT account, and to complete the non-test portion of the ACT with Writing. The MyACT Account Setup State and District Testing video has instructions for setting up student MyACT accounts. After testing, return test booklets, used answer documents, and used test administration forms from accommodations testing to ACT. Answer documents received by ACT after May 4, 2022, will not be scored (May 13, 2022, for accommodations testing materials).

Test Windows for the Alternate Assessments Close April 29 We thank school districts for their planning, preparation, training, and overall effort to deliver these state assessments at the local level in compliance with federal and state law.

• School districts must provide all students with the opportunity to assess when it is safe to do so.
• Schools are required to annually measure the achievement of not less than 95 percent of all students and students in each subgroup on their annual statewide assessments.
• The State is required to have 1.0 percent or less overall participation for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in these assessments.

School Districts Must Report Any Instances of Non-Participation Due to Medical Reasons Any instances where it was unsafe for a student to participate in the state assessment due to COVID reasons or for medical reasons must be reported to the OPI using the “Medical Exemption” policy as defined within the MontCAS Policies and Procedures for Participation in State Assessments but only after all test opportunities have been exhausted throughout the published test window.

Summer Standards Settings Workshop for Science The OPI is recruiting panelists to participate in establishing state-specific performance levels for the Montana Science Assessment (MSA) in Grades 5 and 8 and the Alternate MSA administered in Grades 5, 8, and 11. Panelists will support Montana’s state education system by contributing their local science education expertise[s] and experience[s] to setting state-specific proficiency standards for the MSA and AMSA. Educators will also help ensure that the language used to describe student proficiency across the four levels of achievement is meaningful and understandable to students, parents/guardians, teachers, and principals to help address specific academic needs. To apply for this event, complete this Google Form.

2021-2022 Data Reporting Timelines and 2022-2023 Test Windows Published In this issue, the OPI has announced the 2021-2022 reporting timelines for each assessment and the 2022-2023 anticipated test windows [see page 3]. Montana school districts are required to provide parents/guardians with individual student reports in a timely manner. More family resources and sample letters can be found on the Parent Corner page.

To understand and address the specific academic needs of students, it is required under state and federal law to provide individual student interpretive, descriptive, and diagnostic reports regarding achievement. This allows families, teachers, and other school leaders to address individual student needs regarding student proficiency and progress as soon as is practicable after the assessment is given.

1. ACCESS for ELLs Anticipated District Access: Online - May 3, 2022
2. Smarter Balanced Anticipated District Access: Online 10 days after all tests are completed.
3. ACT with Writing Anticipated District Access: 3-8 weeks after testing
4. Alternate Math and ELA Anticipated District Access: 1 - Sept. 23, 2022
5. Montana Science Assessment (MSA) Anticipated District Access: TBD
6. Alternate MSA Anticipated District Access: TBD
7. NAEP Anticipated State Access: Winter 2022 [~6 months]

Test windows for the 2022-2023 school year will be public on the OPI website after the 2021-2022 testing windows are closed at Published Test Windows. Should you have questions about the data use and reporting for statewide assessments, please contact the OPI Assessment Help Desk at 1.844.867.2569, or email us at OPIAssessmentHelpDesk@mt.gov.

Staying Informed The OPI will be hosting a webinar on Wednesday, May 18 on the “5 Things You Must Know About Score Reports and Responsibilities” from 3:30 PM to 4:00 PM. The purpose of this focused webinar is to provide school districts with guidance on communicating with families, teachers, and school leaders about student proficiency and progress as soon as is practicable after the assessment is given (see ESEA-ESSA Section 1111 (b)(2)(B)(x)).

For the Smarter Balanced assessment, results for each tested student will be made available in the Reporting System 10 days after an individual student has submitted a subject-specific test. You will hear about best practices for securely distributing score information home to families and have the opportunity to ask questions. The OPI Assessment Unit will continue to share information with the field via its STC Open Forum, Focused Monthly Webinars, the Monthly Assessment Bulletin Newsletter, and other communication means.

Direct questions to the OPI Assessment Help Desk at OPIAssessmentHelpDesk@mt.gov, or 1-844-867-2569.

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, Relay Service: 711.