|
The OPI is providing this newsletter every month for an update on current events and ongoing education-related issues in Montana. The next Navigator will be sent to you in
October 2023.
For previous editions of the Navigator click here.
Superintendent's Message:
Click on the picture to watch Superintendent Arntzen's Welcome Back to School Message!
Legislative Updates
Congratulations
to Interim Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs
Thank you for your service to Montana.
The Gavel provides updates on implementation of new laws, in-depth research, links to interesting topics, and timely items about the Legislature.
Calendar Updates
Upcoming September meetings:
September 4, 2023 Labor Day
September 6,2023 Criminal justice Oversight Council
September 6,2023, Broadband IIJA Communications Advisory Commission
September 7, 2023, Local Government
September 8, 2023, HB 872 Commission
September 11, 2023, Education Interim Committee
September 11, 2023, Law and Justice Interim Committee
September 12, 2023, Children, Families, Health and Human Services
September 12, 2023, Education Interim Committee
September 12, 2023, Joint Education and Budget Interim Committee
September 12, 2023, Select Committee on Corrections Facility Capacity (HB 5)
September 13, 2023, Transportation Committee
September 13, 2023, Interim Budget Subcommittee Section A (General Government)
September 13, 2023, Interim Budget Subcommittee Section B (Health and Human Services)
September 13, 2023, Interim Budget Subcommittee Section C (Natural Resources)
September 13, 2023, Interim Budget Subcommittee Section D (Public Safety)
September 13, 2023, Interim Budget Subcommittee Section E (Education)
September 13, 2023, Interim Budget Subcommittee Section F (Long Range Planning)
September 14, 2023, Legislative Finance Committee (A)
September 15, 2023, Study of State Budget Process and Personal Services Expenditures
September 18, 2023 Revenue Interim Committee
September 19, 2023, Revenue Interim Committee
September 22, 2023, Education and Workforce Data Governing, DOA
September 26, 2023, Economic Affairs Committee
September 27, 2023, Environmental Quality Council
September 28, 2023, Environmental Quality Council
Parent Discussions
Upcoming Events
Local Accountability: How Recent Legislation Affects Families, Students, and Communities.
All discussions will take place from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM via Zoom and will be moderated by the Office of Public Instruction's Chief Legal Counsel.
The discussions times and topics are:
-
June 21, 2023 - Comparing Charter School Bills: Public Charter Schools (HB 549) and Community Choice Schools (HB 562)
Recording | Meeting Agenda | Comparison of Charter School Bills
-
July 26, 2023 - Discussing Obscenity (HB 234), Notification Requirements (HB 744), and Religious Freedom (HB 745)
Recording | Meeting Agenda | Legislation Summary
-
August 23, 2023 - Special Needs Equal Opportunity Act (HB 393)
Recording | Meeting Agenda | Legislation Summary
-
September 20, 2023 - Parental Rights (HB 676 and SB 518)
Meeting Agenda
Additional discussions will take place during the fall.
JOIN EACH MEETING HERE
DNRC Interactive Fire Map
Click on the map for current DNRC Interactive Fire Map as of August 28, 2023
Join us in Celebrating
Welcome to our new Deputy Superintendent Rob Stutz
Superintendent Elsie Arntzen and Chief Legal / Deputy Superintendent Rob Stutz shake hands for the first time as Rob fills the Deputy Superintendent position!
Local Accountability Rocks!
Superintendent Arntzen and Attorney Brenton Craggs (not pictured: Chief Legal / Deputy Superintendent Rob Stutz and Director of Family Engagement Jenna McKinney) manning the helm during the third Local Accountability Zoom meeting on Wednesday evening for the Special Needs Equal Opportunity Act (HB 393).
Back-to-School Capitol Rotunda Event
Guest Speaker Karen Grosz spoke to OPI staff at the State Capitol rotunda on Wednesday. Thank you for your inspirational message, Karen!
Comprehensive Assessment Waiver Granted to Montana
 Superintendent Arntzen and Dr. Julie Murgel, Chief Operating Officer, meeting to receive the approval of the Testing Waiver. Montana rocks as this is the only comprehensive assessment waiver granted to states!
Teacher Residency Conference
Teacher Residency meeting in Great Falls. Solutions to putting qualified teachers in our MT classroom as school doors open. We have 13 districts and 23 teacher residents participating in the Montana Teacher Residency Project. #MTTeach!
For more information Montana Teacher Residency
Thank you yo Rep. Brad Barker for his hard work which will extend this opportunity.
Beginning in fiscal year 2025, House Bill 833 will provide funding for residency. For more information on House Bill 833, please visit the official Montana Legislature website.
Chokecherry and Huckleberry Season
 Montana families celebrate the rewards of chokecherry and huckleberry season!
Rocky Vista University Opens its Doors!
In Billings, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the completion of the Rocky Vista University Medical School.
Touro Medical School in Great Falls officially Opens its Doors!
Congratulations Great Falls! Another healthy example of #MTReady!
Purple Heart Schools and Champion Nominations are Open
The Military Interstate Children's Compact Commission (MIC3) has opened the Application/Nomination process for Purple Star Schools and Champions! Check here for guidelines and rules for Applicants and Nominees. Submissions will be open until November 24, 2023.
Perkins V Reauthorization is Open
 |
|
More to come! Team OPI is;
- Shannon Boswell Career Technical and Adult Education Director
- Mary Heller Montana Ready Coordinator
- Bill Ryan Educational Coordinator for Dick Anderson Construction
|
Our OPI team will join OCHE team in the reauthorization of the Federal Act for CTE.
Community Choice School Commission
In the 2023 Legislative Session, Montana lawmakers passed HB 562, authorizing the establishment of Community Choice Schools. Section 4 of the bill establishes the Community Choice School Commission, which is responsible for approving authorizers for choice schools throughout the state. Commission members "must collectively possess substantial experience and expertise in board governance, business, finance, education, management, and philanthropy. All members of the commission must have a demonstrated understanding of and commitment to choice schools as a strategy for strengthening public education."
The Commission is attached to the Board of Public Education for administrative purposes and falls under the supervision of the Board of Public Education. The Superintendent of Public Instruction, Elsie Arntzen, has the opportunity to appoint one member to this Commission. The Superintendent's appointee will serve an initial term of 3 years. Each member of the Commission is entitled to reimbursement for expenses upon approval of the treasurer of the Commission as provided in the Commission’s bylaws.
Here is the link to submit the Interest Form.
The full text of the bill can be found here: https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2023/billpdf/HB0562.pdf
|
Thank you to Rep. Vinton for this new opportunity to put our Montana students, parents, and schools first.
Apply to be a part of the Standards Revision Negotiated Rulemaking Committees
The Superintendent is seeking applications from interested parties to serve on the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee (NRC), one of three committees for English Learners, World Languages and Mathematics. Qualifying individuals are likely to be significantly affected by the proposed rule amendment, including individuals from the following groups:
- School District Trustees
- K-12 Administrators
- K-12 Teachers
- Higher Education Faculty
- School Business Officials
- Parents
- Taxpayers
Members of the NRCs will be selected based on the following criteria:
- Cultural Diversity
- Geography/Location
- Relevant Content Experience
- District and School Size
- Grade Levels Served
The NRCs will meet multiple times between:
- July and August 2023 – English Language Learners
- September and December 2023 – Math
- September and December 2023 – World Languages
Applications for all three NRCs can be found here
Chapter 55: School Accreditation
 |
|
- Think Tank Sessions have started. We have 27 stakeholders from across the state representing school district superintendents, principals, teachers, county superintendents, co-op supervisors, curriculum directors, and student service directors.
- Have held 3 sessions- August/September Think Tank Tasks-
Assurance Rubric: Review the rubric for the MT Criteria Ref. Guide.
|
Student Performance Rubric: Review the rubric for the MT Criteria Ref. Guide
 Task:
Review rubrics and make notes of any questions and/or suggestions (for your group areas).
Provide a list of evidence for each rubric.
Provide a list of definitions for any words that need to be defined.
Outcome/Purpose:
Provide feedback and guidance to the OPI for the Criteria Reference Guide which includes Accreditation scoring rubrics for both Assurance and Student Performance Standards. All guidance is based on Chapter 55 Accreditation rules that have been updated effective July 1, 2023.
Timeline:
This will be the task for our August and September meetings with a goal to have a draft from each group on September 18th to review with the whole group.
Meeting Dates:
August 15: 8:00-11:00 (ended at 10:00)
August 17: 8:00-11:00 (ended at 9:00)
September 11: 4:30-5:30
September 18: 4:30-5:30 (if necessary, or time for OPI to compile group info)
Goal: To have published with all necessary approvals and to districts on October 2, 2023.
Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Funds - ESSER
National and state comparison, views of allocated, spending, demographics and other categories are updated regularly. (Select Spent on left, then ESSER on right and Select MT from the map of squares to see specific district level data.)
Going forward OPI is continuing to ensure compliance through a broad and in-depth system of support which includes monitoring through Self-Assessment survey beginning in September and due in November along with ESSER II Final Expenditure Reporting. The ESSER Team is also conducting Annual Reviews with districts to help them update documentation as closing dates of September 2023 (ESSER II) and September 2024 (ESSER III) approach.
ESSER Information by district, individual request, and planned uses
|
For more information on ESSER please click here or contact Wendi Fawns at wendi.fawns@mt.gov.
Montana Alternative Student Testing (MAST) Pilot Program
|
Field-test Flexibility Waiver Update:
The big news this month is that Montana was granted its request for the field-testing waiver on Thursday, August 10, 2023. This field-testing flexibility waiver was issued by the U.S. Department of Education for the new Montana Alternative Student Testing (MAST) pilot program. This landmark program at the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI), the first in the nation, ensures that Montana students, teachers, and district leaders participating in the pilot will have the opportunity to focus their efforts on continuing to innovate without being burdened by double testing.
OPI’s pilot program will deliver real-time assessment data to educators and parents
throughout the school year, rather than a single assessment at the end of each year,
providing valuable insights into student performance. By securing the waiver, Montana educators can continue their commitment to student success and achievement without the added stress of double testing.
Upcoming Events:
As the 2023-24 school year has begun, many new changes in the Montana Alternative Student
Testing (MAST) pilot are in full swing. These include:
- Curriculum alignment survey sent out to newly participating districts
- Recruitment for teacher test item writing and review cadres
- Student, parent, teacher, and community stakeholder engagement opportunities
- Participating schools will soon be rostering students and preparing for the first window of testing in October
- Professional development opportunities (asynchronous and live Q & A sessions) to support schools and districts as they plan and prepare for the MAST assessment
Updated Testing Windows:
■ Testing Window #1: October 23 - November 10, 2023
■ Testing Window #2: November 27 - December 15, 2023
■ Testing Window #3: January 29 - February 16, 2024
■ Testing Window #4: March 11 - April 5, 2024 (performance tasks)
■ Testing Window #5: April 15 - May 10, 2024
For more information, please contact Krystal Smith at Krystal.Smith@mt.gov.
|
August-September 2023 Press Releases
Superintendent Arntzen's response to the interpretation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA)
Superintendent Elsie Arntzen to Host the 2023 Summer Virtual Teacher Job Fair
Superintendent Arntzen's re-appointment to the State Steering Committee for the Education Commission of the States 2023 - 2025 term
Superintendent Arntzen promotes the 2023 Jeremy Bullock Safe Schools Summit
Superintendent Arntzen Announces Approved Testing Waiver That Empowers Students and Educators
Superintendent Arntzen hosts the Montana Teacher Residency Orientation
Superintendent Arntzen insists on approval of more Flexibilities in Teacher Licensing
Superintendent Arntzen to Host Third Parental Night Discussion on Legislation Impacting Students of All Abilities
Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Proudly Announces 2024 Montana Teacher of the Year Finalists
Superintendent Arntzen announces the opening of applications for MIC3 Purple Star Schools and Champions
Superintendent Arntzen opens applications to the Community Choice School Commission
Superintendent Arntzen announces the First English Language Proficiency Standards Negotiated Rulemaking Session
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.
|
