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Ninety-three districts, 212 schools, and approximately 30,000 students from across Montana are playing an active role in driving innovative change in statewide testing. The final testing window for the MAST Pilot began on April 15, 2024, and will conclude on May 10, 2024, for grades 3 through 8 in math and reading/language arts.
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In its second year of piloting, the MAST assessment will operationalize as the statewide assessment for grades 3-8 in math and ELA in SY 2024-2025. This innovative assessment offers flexibility in test administration, delivers timely feedback on student learning to enhance instructional utility, and assesses students more closely to when the learning occurs. In addition to its instructional utility, the MAST assessment will also produce a summative score that will be utilized for federal accountability purposes.
The OPI extends sincere appreciation for the collaborative efforts of all MAST stakeholders and acknowledges the substantial contributions they've made to developing this Montana-made assessment. We highly value the feedback provided by participating districts and commend their flexibility as we utilize this feedback to refine and innovate this assessment.
Upcoming Events
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Montana OPI Summer Institute Join us June 17-20, 2024 for dedicated sessions spotlighting educational innovation with the Montana Aligned to Standards Through-Year (MAST) Assessment—a transformative approach to assessment that aligns with our commitment to enhancing learning and teaching experiences across Montana. As the MAST progresses through its second year of pilot (SY23-24), it represents a significant step towards using assessment to support student learning and achievement. This innovative assessment, structured as a through-year model, is designed to assess content standards aligned closely with the timing of content learning in the classroom. Its primary goals include providing instructional utility and generating a summative score for federal accountability purposes. MAST is on track to operationalize as the statewide assessment for Montana's general populations in grades 3-8 for ELA and Math, scheduled to replace Smarter Balanced in 2024-2025. Registration coming soon on the OPI Summer Institute webpage.
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Participating MAST Pilot Districts Live Listening/Feedback Cycles have been scheduled throughout the school year to ensure continuous improvement of the MAST. These sessions serve as an opportunity for pilot districts to share feedback, suggestions, and experiences to help enhance the usability of the MAST. We value our participating district’s input and active engagement in these live listening/feedback sessions. The fifth live listening/feedback session for MAST Through-Year participating districts is scheduled for May 14, 2024, 4:00-4:30 pm. The MAST Form B Summative live listening/feedback session is scheduled for May 15, 2024, from 3:30-4:00 pm. A Zoom link will be shared in the weekly outreach to district STCs and ARs.
Gearing Up for 2024-2025 MAST Implementation
The OPI Assessment Unit offers a 1-hour webinar once a month from September to June annually for a total of 10 webinars during the school year. These focused webinars are designed to support educational practitioners involved in managing district assessments, accountability, and reporting requirements under state and federal law. April’s focused webinar features information regarding the 2024-2025 MAST implementation. The April “Gearing Up for MAST” recording and slide deck are now available on the MontCAS Stay Informed webpage or the MT OPI Assessment YouTube channel.
MAST Accommodations
A MAST accommodation drop-down menu has been added to Infinite Campus. Districts have the option to start making changes to student IEPs if desired. Alternatively, districts can choose to use the MAST Accommodations Crosswalk Document to translate current SBA accommodations into MAST PNPs for SY2024-2025. A MAST Accessibility Guide is now available to help provide guidance and support when making testing accommodations decisions for students.
Stakeholder Engagement Opportunities
The development of an innovative assessment necessitates ongoing user feedback throughout the development cycle. In our endeavor to create MAST, our testing partner, New Meridian, has devised a comprehensive user feedback schedule. This framework will guide the collection, analysis, and integration of user input. By fostering a dynamic feedback loop, we aim to continuously refine the assessment, drawing upon your invaluable insights.
The Montana OPI and New Meridian cordially invite school districts to participate in shaping the future of state assessment. We urge you to lend your voice to this transformative initiative, helping to enhance assessment practices and better serve all students. Here are some ways you can get involved:
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Educator Item Review & Range-finding Cadres: Teachers, instructional coaches, administrators, and other specialists can directly participate in the test development process through select committees. These committees meet at a specified date and time to review test content and help determine scoring parameters for performance tasks. These may be held in person or virtually, depending on the meeting.
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User Interviews: Share your insights and feedback on various aspects of testlet configuration, reporting, and testlet design through individual interviews.
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Focus Groups: Join focus groups aimed at discussing specific components of the assessment and providing input for improvement.
To sign up for any of these opportunities, please visit the MAST Engagement Opportunities website. Your participation is invaluable in shaping the future of state assessment.
Resources
For comprehensive resources and relevant information about the MAST, be sure to explore the MAST Portal and the OPI MAST webpage, the landing pages for all MAST-related information and professional-learning resources.
Questions?
Please contact Tressa Graveley, Assessment Specialist
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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