The Montana Office of Public Instruction continues to lead standards revision for English Language Proficiency, Mathematics, and World Languages. Fellow educators, parents, and community members can find more information about the standards revision processes and materials on the new Montana Content Standards Revision site.
English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards held their first Negotiated Rulemaking Committee meeting on Thursday, August 24th. Meeting minutes and a meeting recording are available to the public on the ELP standards revision site. Future webinar meetings are open to the public and include some opportunities for public comment.
We are grateful for the partnership of invested, informed stakeholders in the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee who are undertaking the critical task of reviewing the work put together by the standards development committees to determine and recommend how the standards will best serve our Montana schools and students! Thank you for your service and dedication to Montana education.
The application for the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee for Mathematics and World Languages is still open for the following stakeholders: parents, school trustees, school business clerks, tribal education Representatives, K-12 educators, higher education representatives, administrators, business owners, and taxpayers. We encourage interested parties to apply and share widely with their networks. More information including the link to apply for the Negotiated Rulemaking Committees for OPI Standards Revision can be found on the OPI's K-12 Content Standards webpage.
ELA Standards Revision: Save The Date!
The Montana Board of Public Education has approved Superintendent Arntzen's proposed standards review timeline in which the English Language Arts and Literacy Standards will open for review and research in September of 2023. Please save the date and be prepared to lend your expertise and serve our state through the revision process. We need all hands on deck to support the revision process of the ELA and Literacy Across the Disciplines Standards that will guide our teachers and students to success in the years to come!
Questions? Reach out to ELA Standards Project Coordinator Stephanie Swigart
English Language Arts & Literacy News
Our Team is Hiring for Two Positions to Support Early Literacy!
Early Literacy Coordinator
The primary purpose of this position is to advance early literacy development initiatives across the state and ensure that all children have a strong foundation in literacy. The specialist will collaborate with educators, administrators, parents, and community stakeholders to design and implement evidence-based strategies that promote literacy skills among young children. Technical support for the field, providing professional learning, and keeping up on best practices are critical components of this position.
Does this sound like you? Find out more about the Early Literacy Coordinator position by checking out our job posting and applying online!
Early Literacy Research Analyst
The primary role of the Early Literacy Research Analyst is to collect, analyze and interpret data related to early childhood literacy programs. The data analyst will be responsible to evaluate the effectiveness of literacy interventions, identify trends, and generate insights to drive evidence-based decision-making. Additionally, the data analyst will leverage analytical skills to coordinate, collaborate, and communicate data relative to improving early childhood literacy outcomes.
The OPI ELA Webpage is Your Source for Montana ELA Announcements, Opportunities, and Resources
Keep up to date on high-quality professional learning conferences and workshops. Stay in touch with our Montana community and nationwide education partners' programs, resources, and news. Learn how to participate in exciting challenges and competitions for your students and school. Your ELA webpage is updated weekly to keep you in the loop on our ELA community’s events and opportunities.
Have an event you want to share with our Montana ELA community? Looking for resources or professional learning collaboration? Contact ELA Instructional Coordinator Stephanie Swigart for assistance!
Questions for our ELA & Literacy Instructional Coordinator?
Contact Stephanie Swigart | stephanie.swigart@mt.gov or 406.444.0736
Please Help Us Welcome Katrina Engledrum, Our New Mathematics Instructional Coordinator!
Katrina has a passion for and expertise in mathematics instruction, professional learning, and content standards work! An experienced educator with a vision for state leadership and support, Katrina is joining our team to provide statewide support and leadership in Mathematics standards, instruction and professional learning. Please join us in welcoming Katrina and building partnerships with her. Contact information will be available on the OPI's Mathematics Standards page after she starts on September 5th!
Are you an educator teaching provisionally or under an emergency authorization? Have you been assigned a grade or subject area for which you are not certified or are not prepared to teach due to staffing needs? Would you like to connect with a non-evaluative collegial mentor AND get paid for participating? Check out Montana State University's Mentee Information/Application for Enrollment!
Great news! You now have FREE access to Discovery Education’s award-winning PK–12 learning platform and professional development opportunities! Please join us at our professional learning sessions to learn more about our Montana partnership. OPI renewal credits will be offered to all participants.
Registration Links:
August 8: 9:30 – 10:30 am MST- Click to Join
August 8: 2:00 – 3:00 pm MST- Click to Join
August 15: 9:30 – 10:30 am MST- Click to Join
August 15: 2:00 – 3:00 pm MST- Click to Join
Title: Supporting Science Instruction with Discovery Education!
Audience: Educators, Administrators, Grades: K - 5
Session Description:
Motivate and inspire your students with active and engaging science resources, including timesaving, ready-to-use activities, fun interactives, and dynamic science-focused virtual field trips. Bring science learning to life with these engaging resources and useful instructional resources!
Registration Link:
August 10: 2:00 - 3:00 pm MST- Click to Join
The OPI Science webpage offers the following information for educators:
- Grant or paid opportunities,
- Challenges and competitions,
- Student and classroom opportunities,
- Conferences and professional development
- Connect with the STEM community!
Also available are:
- Science Fair Information across the state
- Refereed Curriculum
- Resources
- Science Content Standards
- News in the world of Science
Questions for our Science Instructional Coordinator?
Contact Michelle McCarthy | mmccarthy5@mt.gov or 406.444.3537
Teacher Learning Hub News
#1 - Last Chance to Picnic with Facilitated Courses!
The school year is ending and Facilitated course offerings are also coming to a close on the Teacher Learning Hub. June courses are the last time facilitated courses will run on the Hub. Beginning July 1st, we will no longer be able to offer our monthly facilitated course schedule. We are exploring ideas and options regarding bringing them back by charging a nominal fee to cover the costs of running them. We sincerely thank all of the educators who have enrolled in these great courses over the years. We also want to thank our many knowledgeable, and talented content experts who have graciously facilitated these courses over their time on the Hub. We will certainly miss all of you and the dimension that you and these courses brought to the Hub!
Enrollment opened on May 14th for the following final runs:
#2 - Summer Days and Self-Paced Courses!
Iced tea, a shady tree, your laptop, and some laid-back professional learning! Earn some free PDUs and relax! Your vacation has just begun!
Attention: School Nutrition Professionals! NEW from Montana Team Nutrition at Montana State University:
Participating school nutrition professionals will receive a thorough foundation in school nutrition basics including meal pattern components, weekly dietary specifications, and strategies to achieve compliance with USDA rules through training on school food forecasting and procurement. (Participants may take all or any number of courses from this training and in any order. All participation counts toward MSMC training hour totals.)
Check out our Hub Course List for additional learning opportunities!
#3 - OPI Welcomes Frontline Education
As we have shared, the Hub is undergoing a variety of changes! We always keep you posted on the Hub homepage, so be sure to cruise through it when you log on, so you don’t miss anything! One of the latest new items is a mini-series of courses from Frontline Education as curated by the OPI Superintendent’s office:
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Enrichment Courses for Educators and Support Staff — There are no PDUs for these courses, but completion certificates are offered. This series of courses is all housed under the above-linked title, and you may take any or all of them in any order. Course topics range from Substitute Teaching to Exceptional Student Education, to Advanced Classroom Management and more. Check it out!
Helpful Hub Tips of the Month:
- Please use your personal email when creating a Hub account!
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Please continue to save your completion certificates by downloading them until the integration issues with PDUs transferring properly to licensure are resolved. The system is still not working as it should. Updates will be available on our Hub homepage as they become available.
Visit us at www.opi.mt.gov/learninghub to set up an account and sign up for courses.
Course List | Catalog | Calendar
Questions? Contact Allyson Briese or Kimberly Evans
opilearninghub@mt.gov | 406.444.3557
OPIRUPS@mt.gov is now OPIPDUPS@mt.gov
The Professional Learning Team continues to transition our language and documents from "Renewal Units" (RUs) to "Professional Development Units" (PDUs) in alignment with the new Administrative Rules of Montana Chapter 57, 10.57.216 APPROVED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND RENEWAL ACTIVITY.
The former Renewal Unit Provider System (RUPS) has successfully transitioned to the Professional Development Provider System (PDUPS), and we are in process of updating documents, webpages, and systems to reflect the change.
Notably, Renewal Unit Certificates, or RUs, have been transitioned to Professional Development Unit Certificates (PDUs). The certificates remain the same and certificates that bear the term "Renewal Units" will still be valid for educator license renewal.
Please contact the Professional Learning Team at OPIDUPS@mt.gov with any questions.
Professional Learning Portal Reopening
The Professional Learning Portal is open! Thank you for your patience as we worked through tech updates.
With a calendar of already scheduled events and a catalog of professional learning available, the OPI Professional Learning Opportunities Portal is your free resource to learn about professional learning opportunities happening across Montana!
Visit the Professional Learning Portal to learn about professional learning opportunities in Montana and, for providers, to submit opportunities to be added to the portal.
Questions about Professional Learning?
Contact the Professional Development Unit Provider System Staff | OPIPDUPS@mt.gov or 406.444.3538
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.
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