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There are two statewide directors calls to discuss the recent ruling pertaining to FAPE until age 22. (You do not need to attend both meetings.)
One will be held on Wednesday, August 27th 1:15-1:45 at the following TEAMS link:
A repeat will be held Wednesday, September 3rd 9:15-9:45 at the following TEAMS link:
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Infinite Campus Forms Updated
The following forms have been updated in Infinite Campus:
- Annual Medicaid Billing Notice
- Consent To Bill Medicaid
- Consent to Invite Outside Agency
- IEP Excusal
- Manifestation Determination
- Notice Of Evaluation Plan
- Notice Of Team Meeting
- Prior Written Notice - Combined
- Prior Written Notice - Eval
- Prior Written Notice - IEP
- Private School Offer
- Referral
- Transfer Student Documentation
- Transfer Student Rights - Parent
- Transfer Student Rights - Student
The following form will be removed from Infinite Campus:
For more information, contact Kristie Sears or Danni McCarthy.
The Montana Center for Inclusive Education and Institute for Neurodiversity at Montana State University Billings (MSUB), in collaboration with the OPI Montana Autism Education Project, is pleased to host the first annual Mountain West Neurodiversity Conference at MSUB, September 19-20, 2025, with a pre-conference intensive behavior workshop for educators on September 18, 2025.
This is a free conference designed for educators, related service providers, families, and advocates. The conference will feature leading experts in the field alongside autistic and neurodiverse individuals, sharing their lived experiences, evidence-based approaches, and tools to support meaningful inclusion across educational and community settings. Vendor registration for MWNC is available here.
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Montana Autism Education Project
The OPI Montana Autism Education Project offers free autism trainings, technical assistance, and student consultations to Montana public schools.
Statewide Coordinator of the MAEP: Katie Mattingley
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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Recognition, Response & Risk Management: High Risk Contacts with Autistic Individuals is designed for law enforcement, first responders, and school administrators. This training is sponsored by the Montana Office of Public Instruction Montana Autism Education Project and is free of charge to attendees.
A lesson plan and session handout will be provided in digital format.
LOCATIONS
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Monday 9/29/25 @ Flathead High School | Flex Room, 644 4th Ave W. Kalispell
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Tuesday 9/30/25 @ Missoula Schools | Admin Building B - Professional Learning Lab, 909 South Ave W., Missoula
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Wednesday 10/1/25 @ Helena Schools | Lincoln Center, 1325 Poplar St., Helena
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Thursday 10/2/25 @ Belgrade Schools | Learning Center, 106 North Broadway St., Belgrade
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Friday 10/3/25 @ Billings Schools | Lincoln Center, 415 N. 30th St., Billings
This 4-hour training (8:30am - 12:30pm) will focus on identification of individuals at varied independence levels.
- recognition & disclosure of autism spectrum disorder (ASD);
- communication tips;
- sensory and scene management tips;
- search and rescue of missing & vulnerable children and adults;
- development of vulnerable/voluntary informational data bases;
- suspicious persons contacts;
- persons in crisis emergencies with aggression;
- use of force/custody;
- interview of an autistic victim, witness, or suspect;
- threat assessment;
- partnership opportunities with autism support organizations & related training policies.
VIRTUAL SERIES
September 4th, 11th, & 25th @ 4:00-5:30 PM
The world of Special Education is filled with challenges and distractions, especially for a person new to the field. The OPI Special Education Nuts n Bolts training provides attendees with a basic understanding of and best practice suggestions for Special Education providers. The intended audience of case-managers, SPED teachers, Related Service Providers, and LEA Administration will gain a better understanding of procedures and practices.
Hosted by OPI Staff members Kristie Sears, Desiree Johnson and John Gorton topics will cover but not limited to:
- Building households in Infinite Campus
- SPED Referrals, Evaluations, IEP and Transition IEP development
- Graduation, Transfer and Prior Written Notice Documentation
Three 1.5 hour virtual sessions from 4-5:30 on September 4, 11 and 25. OPI CEU’s will be available upon conclusion.
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Overview of Local School District Early Childhood Special Education Requirements
Presented by Lucy Beltz, OPI
Audience: IEP team members for preschool children ages 3-5
- School district/Co-op early childhood special education teachers and administrators
- School district regular early childhood education teachers
- School district/Co-op related service providers
- Part C early intervention providers
- Head Start disability services coordinator
- Private/nonprofit preschool, child care teachers/directors
- Families
The session provides a general overview of local school district early childhood special education requirements including transition from Part C to Part B, preschool environments, and child outcomes. Together indicator data will be reviewed and guided questions discussed to improve practices when serving children with disabilities ages 3-5.
Objectives
- Review requirements for transition from Part C to Part B, preschool environments, and child outcomes.
- Review resources available on the OPI website.
- Review and discuss early childhood special education indicator data.
Two-Hour Sessions- Dates & Locations
The OPI Special Education Team and Dawson Community College are excited to celebrate the growing success of the Para Pathways Project and access to the online learning modules! The agency has contracted with LRP Publications for Montana’s use of their LRPDirectStep online professional learning modules. Access to these modules is available to all Montana public school district employees for FREE!
Licensed educators can receive OPI Professional Learning Units for modules designed for teachers and administrators, to receive PLUs, please complete this form.
Special Education Paraprofessionals:
LEVEL 1: If you are currently working in a special education role for all or part of your day and interested in professional growth, you qualify for the incentive pay ($20/module) for the Special Education Technician set of modules. Completion of the identified 40 modules is also one of the pre-requisites to entering Dawson Community College’s (DCC) Special Education Technician Level 2 courses.
LEVEL 2: Take and pass 4 courses (13 credits) at Dawson Community College. Qualified paras are eligible for tuition payment via OPI, provided they meet the qualifications and have worked for at least 1,000 hours in a Montana public school with students with disabilities for a portion of their day.
Find more information on our website. For any questions regarding the Special Education Technician program, please contact DCCParaPathways@dawson.edu or Anne.Carpenter2@mt.gov.
Training and Assessment Systems for K-12 Educational Interpreters (TASK12)
Training and Assessment Systems for K-12 Educational Interpreters (TASK12) is a multi-state assessment program designed to support sign language interpreters in educational settings. In partnership with OPI and the center for Technical Assistance for Excellence in Special Education (TAESE), we endeavor to provide educational interpreters an opportunity to evaluate and improve their skills.
Dates set for 2026 EIPA Assessment:
Great Falls, MT (Written Test)
MSDB | May 1, 2026
Great Falls, MT
MSDB | May 2-3, 2026
San Francisco State University and California Deafblind Services (CDBS) collaborate to offer this online, university-based training program to prepare paraeducators to effectively serve learners who are deafblind (i.e., a child who is both deaf/hard of hearing and blind/visually impaired). Interveners are paraeducators with specialized knowledge and skills in deafblindness. Trained interveners allow school districts and agencies to effectively meet the unique individualized support needs of students who benefit from intervention services.
This online program uses content from the deafblind training modules developed by the National Center on Deafblindness and CDBS staff members serve as the online instructors of the course.
Students completing the training program receive a Certificate of Completion of Intervener Training from SFSU College of Professional and Global Education which demonstrates the candidate has completed formal intervener training.
The cost for two courses over two semesters (Fall 2025 and Spring 2026) will be $480 ($240 per course). Click hear to learn more about SFSU's Intervener Training Program.
Dr. John Ravenscroft, CVI Scotland
When: Thursday, October 16th. 9;30-4:30 with a lunch break - food trucks will be on site.
Where: Butte Civic Center, Butte Montana
Cost: This event is free for a three state region: Montana, Wyoming, Idaho
Registration: Please register using the link Please know there are only 600 seats and this event will fill quickly. Register as soon as possible to save your seats.
This day course will:
1. Examine the intricate relationship between visual impairment and cerebral visual impairment (CVI) and delve into the visual challenges that children with CVI.
2. Explore the co-occurring disabilities that many children with CVI experience.
3. Highlight the problem of definitions, assessment, collaborative working with other professionals and will cover intervention strategies that are used.
4. We will look at the importance of understanding brain structures, so that we can focus on higher and lower processing of vision.
Attendees:
- Part C - FSS, Admin
- Part B - Gen ED, SPED, OT, PT, SLP, Para-Educators, Administrators
- Medical - Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Pediatricians, Family Practice
- Families - Guardians and family members
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Grants of up to $3,000 are available to special needs educators, therapists, medical professionals, and caregivers in the United States. These competitive grants can be used for a wide range of projects and materials designed to improve the lives of individuals with special needs.
The Hambrick Foundation (THF) is dedicated to supporting professionals and organizations that serve individuals with disabilities. Through grants, scholarships, and resources, we empower educators, therapists, medical professionals, and caregivers by funding specialized programs, adaptive equipment, and other meaningful initiatives. Click here to learn more about these grants.
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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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