June 2024 Assessment Compass Update
The June 2024 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. Also included in each issue are references to the state and federal requirements, resources to support professional learning, testing alerts and updates, and frequently asked questions. School districts are encouraged to share the Assessment Bulletin with any school staff who must be aware of these tasks and responsibilities to prepare for state assessments.
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Statewide Assessment Windows are Now Closed!
We thank school districts for their planning, preparation, training, and overall effort to deliver these statewide assessments at the local level in compliance with federal and state law.
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School districts are required to provide parents/guardians with individual student reports no later than fall Parent Teacher Conferences. Score reports for the statewide 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.
ACCESS for ELLs
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Available now on the WIDA AMS site; and have been delivered to districts.
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Multi-State Alternate Assessment
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Available on the MSAA System from July 15 through September 6, 2024.
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Alternate Montana Science Assessment
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Available on the Montana Testing Portal 10 days after being submitted by students.
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ACT with Writing
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Available on the ACT Success site within 5 to 8 weeks of the test being submitted by students; also delivered to districts on this same timeline.
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Montana Aligned to Standards Through-Year Assessment
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The School Score Report Dissemination Guidance document will help support your district in sharing MAST student score reports with parents/guardians while in extended field testing.
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Smarter Balanced Assessment
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Available on the Montana Testing Portal 10 days after being submitted by students.
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Montana Science Assessment
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Available on the Montana Testing Portal 10 days after being submitted by students.
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The score reports in the assessment portals are considered final reports unless a testing incident that may affect the score report has been submitted.
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MAST Assessment Replaces Smarter Balanced Assessment Starting 2024-2025 School Year
Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, Smarter Balanced, the required statewide assessment for ELA and mathematics will be replaced by Montana Aligned to Standards Through-Year Assessment (MAST).
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System Test Coordinators should prepare to plan for statewide assessments and ensure district-wide test security assurances earlier in the school year than in the past as the first MAST testing window will open on October 14, 2024.
There will be various professional learning opportunities to assist schools and districts in preparing for this change and transitioning to this new assessment. The Assessment Unit’s April Focused Webinar recording provides a good overview of what next year will look like. Additionally, there will be a presentation during the MT Summer Institute which will share MAST information.
More details and information will be available on the OPI MAST webpage.
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School Districts Must Report Test Incidents and Submit Non-Participation Requests No Later than June 17, 2024
Any testing incidents (or irregularities) that occurred during the end-of-year statewide assessment windows must be submitted to the OPI via the MontCAS Application. The MontCAS Test Security Manual includes examples of test incidents.
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Reporting for incidents and non-participation must be completed by June 17, 2024. 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)).
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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.
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STCs who have not already done so can complete the 2023-2024 STC MontCAS Debrief Form before July 1. Not only does the form provide feedback, but STCs can receive professional development units for their statewide assessment-related work over this past school year.
The OPI will be hosting a webinar on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, on 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 preliminary statewide participation rates, share upcoming changes for testing, accountability, and reporting. Attendees will also have the opportunity to see a live walk-through of reporting non-participation.
Subscribe to the OPI Assessment Unit’s YouTube Channel to view recorded versions of the monthly webinars, program overviews, and STC Workshop sessions.
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.
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