Montana Awarded State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG): "Montana's Integrated Multi-Tiered System of Supports and Para Pathways Project"
On Oct. 1, 2025, the Montana OPI was awarded a new 5-year SPDG grant from the Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs. The award brings $3.59 million in total to be utilized over a 5-year award period.
Montana’s 2025 SPDG GOALS:
Goal 1: Strengthen the capacity of state, district, and building level teams, inclusive of
administrators, educators, and families to implement an Integrated Multi-Tiered System of Supports (I-MTSS) utilizing data-driven, systems-level problem solving and evidence-based practices to improve academic and behavioral outcomes for students with disabilities.
Goal 2: Enhance the implementation of Data-based Individualization (DBI) and person-centered IEPs to improve the effectiveness of intensive intervention at the Tier 3 level. This includes administrators, special education staff, general education staff, families, and students, to achieve better academic and behavioral outcomes for students with disabilities.
Goal 3: Leverage paraeducator experience and knowledge to strengthen career pathways for paraeducators to become fully licensed special educators at little to no cost, in collaboration with the Montana Para Pathways Project, Montana University System, and Montana Teacher Residency Program.
For more information on the Montana 2025 SPDG, contact Tammy Lysons, tamara.lysons@mt.gov.
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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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Presented by Sheila Lovato
Friday, November 7, 2025 | 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Richland County Extension Office, 1499 N Central Ave., Sidney, MT
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Presented by Shawna Heiser, MA, BCBA
Friday, November 14, 2025 | 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Best Western Plus Havre Inn & Suites, 1425 2nd Street Northwest Havre, MT 59501
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Presented by Carrie Cole, Side-by-Side Consulting
3-Part Series | 4:00 - 6:00 PM | VIRTUAL
- January 13, 2026: Science of Reading for Grades 4-12: What Every Teacher Should Know
- January 20, 2026: Building Reading Foundations and Vocabulary Across Content Areas
- January 27, 2026: Boosting Literacy with Informational Reading and Writing Strategies
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Special Education Professional Development
OPI has contracted with LRP Publications for Montana’s use of their LRP Direct Step online professional learning modules for Montana districts. Access to these modules is available to all Montana public school employees for FREE!
Create an account and start accessing the LRP Modules today.
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:
The OPI Special Education Team and Dawson Community College are excited to celebrate the growing success of the Para Pathways Project!
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 the Para Pathways Project on our website. For any questions regarding the Special Education Technician program, please contact DCCParaPathways@dawson.edu or Anne.Carpenter2@mt.gov.
The Institute for Neurodiversity at Montana State University Billings’ (MSUB) Montana Center for Inclusive Education (MCIE)
The Institute for Neurodiversity at Montana State University Billings’ (MSUB) Montana Center for Inclusive Education (MCIE) are launching virtual support groups for neurodiverse individuals, their families and caregivers starting in November. There are two virtual support groups meeting each month. The Youth and Young Adult (ages 14 to 27) will meet the first Monday of each month from 6:00 to 7:00 PM starting November 3. The Support Systems Group (parents, siblings, guardians, etc.) will meet on the third Monday of every month from 6:00 to 7:00 PM starting November 17.
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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.
Rural School Outreach Program Concludes
The Rural School Outreach Program, funded by the Montana Office of Public Instruction and coordinated by the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities, has concluded. This initiative provided training, resources, and technical assistance to help Montana schools support students with disabilities in the areas of postsecondary transition, deafblindness, and assistive technology. Although the program has ended, educators can still access support. MonTECH continues to provide assistive technology training and device loans; the Montana DeafBlind Project offers technical assistance and professional development; and the Montana Transition and Employment Projects shares tools and guides for planning the shift from school to adulthood. These projects remain available to help schools and families across Montana.
Montana DeafBlind Project Contact Information:
MonTech Contact Information:
Montana Transition and Employment Projects Contact Information:
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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