 OPI is excited to announce a partnership with Dawson Community College and LRP Direct Step for the Montana Para Pathways Project launching in 2025! For more information on the project, look for a link on our OPI Special Education website
The project will provide free, high-quality Professional Development Modules from LRP Direct Step for to all Montana paraeducators, pre-service teachers, educators, and administrators.
Additional Benefits of the Para Pathways Project:
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Increase recruitment and retention of qualified professionals working with students with disabilities.
- Licensed educators may earn Professional Learning Units for module completion.
- Eligible paraeducators may earn incentive pay for completion of specific modules in the Special Education Technician Pathway.
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Provide free tuition for eligible paraeducators* to enroll and complete the Special Education Technician Program at Dawson Community College.
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Proposal for Montana Administrative Rule: Upon completion of the Dawson courses, paraeducators would apply to be a licensed Special Education Technician.
*More information on eligibility, compensation, OPI Renewal Units for currently licensed educators, and the Special Education Technician License will be shared via the Para Pathways website.
 The Montana Office of Public Instruction is offering the Training for Interpreters in Public Schools (TIPS) course for educational interpreters. Spring 2025 Course dates are February 1 - May 17, 2025. Apply here for the Spring 2025 Cohort - Deadline is January 31, 2025.
Registration Now Open "Choose Your Path"
APRIL 2-3, 2025 | BUTTE, MT
MCEC will host the Montana Council of Exceptional Children's 2025 Conference in Butte, Montana at the Copper King Hotel April 2nd and 3rd, 2025! MCEC is the Conference for Montana's Special Education administrators and teachers, general education teachers, school specialists, paraprofessionals, leaders, and pre-service teachers!
Featuring:
Tim Odegard, Murfree Chair of Excellence in Dyslexic Studies, Middle Tennesee State University | Elizabeth Kaleva, Kaleva Law Firm | Rob Watson, SAM Executive Director | Danielle Thompson, Transformative Reading Teacher Group | Susie Hedalen, OPI Superintendent of Instruction | Genevieve Thomas, School Services of Montana | Shawna Heiser, Montana State University | Hank Bohanon, Loyola University of Chicago | Danni McCarthy, Montana State Director of Special Education | Marci Parks, Side by Side Consulting | Jessica Veach, Epilepsy Foundation | and more!!!
Presented by Marci Parks
Virtual Event | February 5, 12, & 19 from 4:00 - 6:00 PM
Session 1 February 5 – Understanding the basics to build a proactive approach.
Session 2, February 12 - Understanding the effects of trauma, why are we creating more?
Session 3 February 19 - Evidence based strategies to decrease behaviors and prime the brain for learning.
Presented by: Stephanie Lester
March 4, 2025 | 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM | Great Falls Hampton Inn
Join us for an immersive, all-day workshop designed specifically for PK-5th grade teachers, where you will explore the power of inquiry-based science education. This hands-on training will highlight how fostering continuous science inquiry in the classroom can unlock every child's potential as a natural scientist.
Children are inherently curious and eager to explore the world around them. By nurturing this curiosity through ongoing science inquiry, we provide young learners with the opportunity to ask questions, explore as they conduct investigations, and explain their discoveries. This approach not only builds their scientific reasoning skills but also lays the foundation for critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
Effective science inquiry requires more than just fun and engaging materials; it demands a strategic integration of activities that encourage deep, purposeful learning. Throughout the day, you'll learn how to balance engaging experiments with the intentional development of high-level critical thinking skills. Additionally, you'll discover how science naturally connects with literacy and math, creating a rich, interdisciplinary learning environment that keeps students motivated and cognitively engaged.
Montana Autism Education Project
The OPI Montana Autism Education Project offers free autism trainings and consultations to Montana public schools educating students with autism. For trainings, consultations or other needs please contact Katie Mattingley.
You can find information and registration links for MAEP Trainings here.
Presented by: Rhonda Birnie
Virtual | March 19, April 2, & April 23, 2025 | 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
How can we develop and support numeracy in our students as they progress through the grades? In this training series, participants will look closely at the progressions of big ideas, models, and strategies that develop as students become more numerate. Participants will walk away with a better understanding of the progression of models in the K-6 experience as well as tangible strategies they can use in the classroom to ensure student mastery of critical mathematical foundations.
Session 1: Exploring Best Practices and High Impact Routines in K-6 Math Instruction Session 2: Numeracy Basics (Part 1): Understanding Base Ten and Addition and Subtraction Progressions
Presented by: Eliza Thomas
March 20, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. | Havre -Best Western Inn & Suites | 1425 2nd St. NW
Join Eliza for a fast-paced day of Math instruction where participants will learn about how to enhance their math instruction through intentional Math routines, procedures, and vocabulary. Participants will actively engage in warm-up activities, games, and problem-solving throughout the day.
Participants will:
-- Experience and plan for data-driven routines,
-- practice and plan for student opportunities for productive struggle,
-- play and plan for games that can support routines and productive struggle,
-- experience a problem-solving strategy that can support productive struggle, student discourse, and the opportunity for students to write about their mathematical thinking.
 IDEA Leadership for Retention
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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