May 2023 Assessment Compass Update

May 2023 Assessment Compass Update

The May 2023 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. 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 Testing Opportunities The final testing window for online ACT with Writing, Window #3, is open until May 4 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday testing only). Ensure all Grade 11 students in your district who have not yet taken the test are scheduled prior to the window ending to ensure full participation.

Smarter Balanced and Montana Science Assessment (MSA) Windows Closing Soon! If your district has not completed Smarter Balanced and/or MSA testing, plan to schedule the tests to ensure they are complete prior to the close of the testing windows: May 26, 2023.

The summative assessments are required for all general education students.

• Smarter Balanced: Grades 3 through 8
• MSA: Grades 5 and 8

Alternate Assessment Testing Windows Closed April 28 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 its 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

Test Completion Update In accordance with ESSA, schools are required to annually measure the achievement of at least 95 percent of all students and 95 percent of students in each subgroup, including students with disabilities, on annual statewide assessments.

The OPI Assessment Team conducts daily assessment monitoring to track district and state completion rates. To view up-to-date state completion data, visit the Current Completion Rates for State Assessments.

The following charts show overall district completion rates for open assessments as of Thursday, March 20, 2023.

School Districts Must Report Test Incidents and Submit Non-Participation Reports by June 9, 2023 Any testing incidents (or irregularities) that occurred during the end-of-year state summative assessment windows must be submitted to the OPI via the MontCAS Application. The MontCAS Test Security Manual includes examples of test incidents. Reporting for incidents and non-participation must be completed by June 9, 2023 as cited in the MontCAS Application Test Security Collection Schedule. This ensures a timely state-level results release for the public to see how schools are performing over time and compared to other schools in Montana (see Montana’s longitudinal data warehouse (GEMS)).

Staying Informed The OPI will be hosting a webinar on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 on the “Wrapping Up and Looking Forward” from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM. The purpose of this focused webinar is to provide school districts with guidance on winding down and wrapping up assessment activities. You will have the opportunity to voice needs for the state assessment process and have the opportunity to ask questions.

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.