OPI June Navigator

The OPI is providing this newsletter to legislators every six weeks to keep you updated on current events and ongoing education-related issues in Montana. The next Navigator will be sent to you on August 5, 2022. Keep informed of our new developments and tribal specialists.

Congratulations again to all who were successful in the primary!

Happy 4^th of July! Independence Day celebrates our freedom and liberty as our founders united under the Declaration of Independence which laid the groundwork for our Constitution. These original documents are the very foundation of our great nation. This is why I updated our Social Study Standards to include classroom learning that focuses on our original documents. I also recommended civics courses be a requirement for our high school graduates while revising our state accreditation standards in Chapter 55.

During the 4^th of July, many proudly display our wonderful American flag. Our flag should have a prominent place in all of our classrooms. Through my Stars and Stripes Initiative, in partnership with the American Legion, all classrooms have the opportunity to display our great American flag.

Please read the Superintendent’s monthly message: Achieving Educational Excellence through Local Control

2021 and 2022 Teachers of the Year

Tuesday, June 14 Superintendent Arntzen introduced the 2021 and 2022 Teachers of the Year, Kristi Borge and Bill Stockton, to the Education Interim Committee.

Releases from Superintendent Arntzen: May 12 – June 23

• Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Holds the 15h Annual Indian Education for All Conference
• Superintendent Elsie Arntzen and the Land Board Approve Two Easements for the Billings Inner Belt Loop Project
• Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Receives Team Nutrition Grant from US Department of Agriculture
• Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Announces 25th OPI Summer Institute Registration
• Montana Students Deserve Educational Excellence
• Superintendent Arntzen Opens Math Summer Enrichment Program Applications
• Superintendent Elsie Arntzen’s Educator Licensure System Ready for Public Release on June 1, 2022
• Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Emphasizes Building Quality Schools
• Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Welcomes U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to Montana
• Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Gives Updates to the Chapter 55 Process after Three Months of Negotiated Rulemaking Committee Work
• Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Applauds the Support of the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee of Financial Literacy and Civics Educations
• Superintendent Arntzen Submits Final Chapter 55 School Quality Recommendations to the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee
• Superintendent Elsie Arntzen is Creating an Innovative Student-Focused Assessment System
• Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Focuses on Local Control to Demand More Student Learning Success
• Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Thanks Senator Steve Daines for Supporting the Safe Schools Act
• Superintendent Elsie Arntzen is Pleased with the Progress of the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee for Chapter 55 School Accreditation
• Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Offers School Finance Summit
• Superintendent Arntzen Joins Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s Call to Withdraw Unlawful Guidance Tying School Nutrition Programs to a New Definition of Sex
• Chapter 55 Negotiated Rule Making Completes Their Review of Superintendent Rule Recommendation
• Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Releases Economic Impact Survey for Chapter 55 School Accreditation Standards
• Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Releases Statement on the Passing of Eric Feaver

CSCT, Student Mental Health - Number of Schools on MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) Update:

There are 57 school districts that signed the MOU for this school year. As of May 23, 2022: Number of students in CSCT:       2,612 Number of CSCT Teams:              205       Claim information:

For more information, please contact Deputy Sharyl Allen at sharyl.allen@mt.gov or (406) 444-5648.

OPI’s New Educator Licensing System

Our new educator licensing system, TeachMontana (TMT) launched on June 1. Between June 1 and June 22, the licensing unit approved and issued 895 licenses. TMT is the first project of OPI’s Data Modernization utilizing Covid relief dollars, which was made possible through HB 630, sponsored by Rep. Bedey, and HB 632, sponsored by Rep. Garner.     TMT offers educators: Self-guided application Streamlined access Portal for professional development and storage of all records A convenient link to employer

For more information, please contact Crystal Andrews, Educator Licensure Program Manager, crystal.andrews@mt.gov, or (406) 444-6325.

OPI Summer Institute

The 25^th Summer Institute took place from June 20 – 24 at Montana State University in Bozeman. This has been on pause for two years, it was good to be back in person. This year’s theme was Putting Montana Students First. The Institute featured over 150 sessions that focused on my Montana Hope, Montana Teach, Montana Learn, and Montana Ready initiatives.

There were 518 attendees and 121 presenters including 36 OPI staff. There were four keynote addresses by:

·              Dr. Peter Liljedahl – Building Thinking Classrooms

·              Tessie Rose Bailey – Lessons Learned from 20 Years of MTSS Implementation

·              Dr. Bella Bikowsky – Mental Health Embedded into MTSS

·              Tribal Elders and Youth Panel – Youth Like to Run, Our Elders Know the Path

For more information, please contact Tammy Lysons, Continuing Education Unit Manager Tamara.Lysons@mt.gov, or (406) 431-2309.

Montana Alternative Student Testing (MAST) Pilot Program

The Montana Alternative Student Testing (MAST) Program will utilize a new assessment model that supports Through-Year Assessments. These assessments are smaller tests taken closest to the learning of the skill throughout the school year. These tests will provide immediate feedback to parents, students, and teachers. The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) is working with  Education First, New Meridian, and the Center for Assessment to create a 24-member Task Force to write a Theory of Action for the development of the MAST program. This Task Force will meet four times between May 2022 and July 2022. Members of the Task Force represent: Policymakers School Leaders Test Coordinators Educators Specialized Instructional Staff Higher Education School Trustees School Business Officials Parents Students From July 11 to 15, Montana teachers with experience teaching math or English language arts in fifth or seventh grade will meet in Denver, Colorado for an assessment-writing workshop. These teachers will be trained on how to write assessment items and then play a role in creating tests for Montana’s new MAST Program. The MAST program will begin with a piloted test program in grades 5 and 7 during the 2022-2023 school year. Grades 4 and 6 will be added during the 2023-2024 school year. School districts will choose to participate in the pilot program. MAST will replace the statewide federally mandated tests. For more information, please contact Dr. Trenin Bayless at trenin.bayless@mt.gov or (406) 444-3449.

Chapter 55 (Accreditation of Schools)

The School Quality Task Force began meeting on January 11, 2022, and held its last meeting on May 19, 2022. The Negotiated Rulemaking Committee (NRC) began meeting on February 24, 2022, and will meet through June 30, 2022. All of my recommended changes have been submitted to the committee. In Chapter 55 there are 63 individual rules and the NRC has reached consensus on 58 of the proposed changes. Of the 63 rules, 13 have no recommended changes and five are new rules. An economic impact survey of 10 proposed rule changes was sent to school leaders, trustees, teachers, parents, and community members and will close on July 5. As of June 23, 102 people have completed the survey. This survey will be used to create the economic impact statement that will be forwarded to the Board of Public Education. The economic impact survey focused on proposed changes to 10 of the 63 rules: 10.55.601 (3) Replacing the continuous School Improvement Plan (CSIP) with an Integrated Action Plan 10.55.603 - Expanding multiple measures in the district assessment plans. 55.712 - Providing flexibility for local school districts to determine the resources needed when elementary classrooms are overloaded. 55.714 - Updating the Professional Development rule. 55.723 - Enhancing the existing Mentorship and induction plans that are required by local boards. 55.801 - Including a survey tool to measure perceptions of stakeholders for school climate. 55.803 - Adding the need to assess and supply the learning technology for each student within the Learner Access rule. 55.806 - Adding English Language Learners to the Special Education and Gifted and Talented subgroups, per a current federal requirement for districts to provide educational services for English learners. 55.904 and 10.55.905 - Including Civics/Government and Economic or Financial Literacy within the established required High School offerings and graduation requirements. 55.908 - Adding state to the federal accessibility standards for facilities. The 13 rules with no recommended changes are: 55.713: Teacher Class size middle and high school 55.715: Para-professional qualifications and supervision 55.719: Student protection procedures 55.720: Suicide Prevention and Response 55.805: Special Education 55.910: Student Discipline Records 55.911: High School Transcripts 55.1201: Arts Program Delivery Standards 55.1401: Math Program Delivery Standards 55.1501: Science Program Delivery Standards 55.1601: Social Studies Program Delivery Standards 55.2201: Computer Science Program Delivery Standards 55.2301: Technology Integration Program Standards The five new proposed rules are: 55.608 Charter School Application 55.722: Family and Community Engagement 55.723: Mentorship and Induction 55.724: Evaluation 55.806: English Language Learners For more information, please contact Julie Murgel, Chief Operating Officer at julie.murgel@mt.gov or (406) 444-3172.

ESSER and EANS Updates

These are Covid relief dollars from HB 630. Click to see school district ESSER_I,_II,_III Allocations.pdf (mt.gov).

ESSER Allocation and Status Information June 2022

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief

EANS Allocation and Status Information June 2022

(Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief)

EANS I (Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools) is part of the CRRSA Act. This relief funding is unique as it is designated to provide services or assistance to eligible non-public schools to address educational disruptions caused by COVID-19. In Montana, Non-Public Schools includes homeschool families and private schools.

The EANS II (Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools) is part of the ARP Act. The EANS II Intent to Apply application went live on October 24^th.  As the eligibility requirements for the ARP EANS funds differs from the CRRSA EANS funds, applicants will be asked to take a short survey to determine their eligibility. These requirements include meeting a 40% poverty level as well as residing in a Montana county that has been severely impacted by COVID-19. The other stipulation of the ARP EANS, funding is applicants can only request procurement of services and items. No reimbursements for previous purchases or expenses can be paid.

For information contact Wendi Fawns at wendi.fawns@mt.gov. 406-437-8595.

Flag Day

June 14 was Flag Day. Superintendent Arntzen was joined by Steve Allen, who gave the invocation, Aubrey and Catelyn Saunders, Children of the American Revolution who presented the flags and led the Pledge of Allegiance, Dylan Klapmeier, who read the Governor’s Flag Day Proclamation, Jane Hamman, who spoke on the history of the flag, and OPI’s Mike Jetty who performed an Honor Song.

Legislative Updates

State Diploma

Superintendent Arntzen presented the first Montana State Diplomas to nine cadets at the Montana Youth Challenge Academy in Dillon on June 18.

The 2021 Montana Legislature passed HB 556 (2021), establishing a Montana proficiency-based diploma for Montana residents who require an alternative path to completing their education. This bill is codified in § 20-3-110, MCA. After completing the required rulemaking process this diploma became effective on June 10.

The new rule for the state diploma is ARM 10.66.301. There are three requirements to obtain this diploma:

• completes a high school equivalency exam under ARM Title 10, chapter 66, subchapter 1 with a score at least 20% above the minimum passing score
• completes a program that includes a community-based mentorship for the individual and that the Superintendent of Public Instruction has determined meets the requirements of 20-3-110(1)(b), MCA
• prepares a written plan for the individual's pathway to college or career readiness that has been approved by the mentor and the program under (1)(b)(ii)

Congratulations to the 46^th class of cadets and thank you to Rep. Ken Walsh for sponsoring the legislation that made the diploma possible!

State Diploma example.

OPI Proposed Legislation

The OPI submitted the following for proposed agency-requested legislation:

1. Fulfill Legislative “Promise is a Promise” - Base Aid Plus Inflation:

The Montana public school district system of funding is primarily calculated from what is termed BASE aid defined in section §20-9-306, MCA.  BASE aid is made up of various components and includes the following:

(a) direct state aid for 44.7% of the basic entitlement and 44.7% of the total per-ANB entitlement for the general fund budget of a district;

(b) guaranteed tax base aid

(c) quality educator payment;

(d) at-risk student payment;

(e) Indian education for all payment;

(f) American Indian achievement gap payment;

(g) data-for-achievement payment; and

(h) special education allowable cost payment.

When the Superintendent of Public Instruction prepares the ensuing biennium’s budget these components must be adjusted for inflationary changes defined in section §20-9-326, MCA.  Currently, the rate of increase for these components is estimated at 2.7% for FY2024 and 3% for FY2025.  Additionally, cost estimates are adjusted for enrollment growth, taxable valuation adjustments as well as other factors.  At this time many of the needed factors are either not known or are currently being estimated but each will be known as we move closer to the legislative session and cost estimates will be adjusted accordingly.

     2. Redirecting Educator License Fees:

This is a new proposal to redirect teacher license fees to the Office of Public Instruction to fund the costs of administering the teacher licensing program. Currently, under 20-4-109, MCA, 66.7% of collected license fees are distributed to fund an Advisory Council, and the remaining 33.3% is distributed to fund general Board of Public Education activities. OPI will use the license fee revenues to offset the ongoing maintenance costs of the new TeachMT licensing system. This is also a support of the Board of Public Education's funding request.

     3. Supporting School Mental Health Programs:

This is a discussion with the Governor’s office and DPHHS on federal dollars. There is a steering committee that has been working toward possible solutions to implement and support a community-based mental health program.

Updates from Committees OPI Attended

• May 26, 2022 HB 632 ARPA Advisory Commission

OPI gave an update on Lead in Schools Funding with OPI CFO Jay Phillips and Paul Taylor Budget Analysis. A hand out was given click here.

• June 6, 2022 Joint Education Interim Committee and Constitutional Officers - Is there a case for change?

Superintendent Arntzen spoke about the flexible changes to Chapter 57 educator licensing, workforce redesign, Chapter 55 school accreditation/educational excellence, flexibilities offered for local control with an emphasis on student mental health.

• June 14, 2022 Economic Affairs Committee

OPI gave an update on Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3) and updated chapter 57 educator licensing rules that made it more flexible for our military families to get their teachers license quicker and easier.

• June 14, 2022 Education Interim Committee

An update on lead in the water school program sponsored by DEQ was presented by CFO Jay Phillips. Teachers of the Year were introduced and discussed challenges and successes of teaching during the pandemic. Agency legislation:

1. A promise is a promise - base aid plus inflation

2. Redirecting Educator Licensing Fees from the Board of Public Education

3. Supporting School Mental Health Programs

Please click here for committee documents.

• June 15, 2022 Education Interim Budget Subcommittee

Please click here for committee documents

• June 20,2022 Land Board

Common schools received $740,067 from timber sales, oil and gas lease sales, and easements.

• June 23, 2022 HB 632 ARPA Infrastructure Advisory Commission

Lead in the water updates with DEQ. Superintendent Arntzen created a working group of the agencies and other stakeholders.

Welcome to the OPI Organization Chart

Choice of location of work is being offered, as 60% of our employees are choosing to telework.

Questions? Contact: 

Brian O'Leary, Communications Director, (406) 444-3559

Tara Boulanger, Legislative Liaison, (406) 444-2082

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.