June 2023 Assessment Compass Update

June 2023 Assessment Compass Update

The June 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.

State Assessment Windows are Now Closed! 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 are required to provide parents/guardians with individual student reports no later than fall Parent Teacher Conferences. Score reports for the state assessments are available within the timelines noted below.

Templates for letters to include with the reports home can be found on the Parent Corner page of the State Testing pages of the OPI website.

*The score reports in the Montana Testing Portal are considered final reports unless a testing incident that may affect the score report has been submitted.

ACCESS for ELLs and WIDA Screener Results Notice Beginning with the 2023-24 administration, DRC will house the current year (2023-24) and the two previous years’ reports in WIDA AMS. Districts will need to download any reports from prior to 2021-22 from WIDA AMS before June 30, 2023, and should avoid relying on WIDA AMS as a permanent location to access WIDA Screener Online score reports and ACCESS for ELLs score reports moving forward.

Districts are encouraged to check for any historical test results currently in the WIDA AMS and download them at your earliest convenience. If you need assistance with logging on to the website or finding the reports, contact the OPI Assessment Help Desk at opiassessmenthelpdesk@mt.gov or 844.867.2569.

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 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)).

Opportunity to Provide Feedback The OPI Assessment Unit encourages System Test Coordinators (STCs) to share their feedback to assist the OPI Assessment Unit in enhancing the MontCAS program for future years.

STCs who have not already done so can complete the 2022-2023 STC MontCAS Debrief Form before July 1. Not only does the form provide feedback, but STCs can receive professional development units for their state assessment-related work over this past school year.

Staying Informed The OPI Assessment Unit will post its webinar plan for the 2023-2024 school year soon. Watch for updates on the ‘Stay Informed’ page of the State Testing pages of the OPI website.

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.