The Last Best Learning Podcast
The mission of the Last Best Learning Podcast is to deliver digestible and relevant professional learning that honors educators’ capacity in an increasingly busy world.
Our state’s educators empower minds, elevate futures, and inspire self-discovery–and we walk beside them.
We invite you to join us in this innovative approach to professional development, tailored to address the unique challenges faced by educators in Montana's ever-changing educational landscape. At the end of each month, the podcast will be uploaded to the K-12 Content Standards webpage as well as the Podcast YouTube channel.
Check out our most recent episodes:
Coming Soon
- March - Ep. 20 - Culture to Curriculum: Valier's MTSS Blueprint, with Superintendent Joshua Reed
ELA
Montana's ELA Standards: Monthly Implementation Webinars beginning in August!
Join OPI’s free, statewide webinar series designed to support educators in implementing the 2027 Montana English Language Arts and Literacy Content Standards. 1 PDU is available per session. Sessions will include
- practical guidance
- job-embedded strategies and resources
- tips for alignment with your curriculum
- a community of professionals engaging in shared learning
See the PDF of the flier here, which includes a link to the webinar calendar and topics and the registration form.
Monthly Instructional Strategy Spotlight
For March’s MAST Memo video, Learn how you can use (and scaffold) a linear outline to help students plan and draft a practice response to the MAST Performance Task. Watch the short video here.
OPI ELA Updates
Check out the Montana OPI ELA page to learn about additional professional learning opportunities, instructional resources, standards revisions, and more!
Math
Announcement
The Office of Public Instruction is offering a math standards webinar series from August - April!
Register for the Montana Math Monthly Implementation webinar now!
We hope to see you at our next session, March 19th, at 4pm
You may register at any point in the series, so if you missed previous sessions, don’t worry! Recordings are available.
1 PDU is available for each live session engagement.
New Math Resources
New Resources have been added to the math standards revision website including:
Math Minute
February’s volume of the MT Math Minute is live and ready to view! Each month, our Math Coordinator compiles relevant features, classroom resources, IEFA implementation ideas, and sometimes, teacher spotlights! This month's edition features resources for integrating mathematics learning concepts with the context of winter counts, new math standards resources, professional learning opportunities, and helpful classroom resources. Future editions will include district and school spotlights when available. Districts, schools, or teachers interested in being featured in future Math Minute editions can fill out this form.
Want to receive these in your mailbox each month? Subscribe now!
Instructional Strategy Spotlight
Looking for a new classroom instructional strategy to get students excited about math and engaging in discourse? Check out this quick, 5-minute video on Small Number Counts!
Science and STEM
Community of Science Teacher Leaders
The Montana Office of Public Instruction's Science Instructional Coordinator invites K–8 science/STEM educators to join the Community of Science Teacher Leaders. This statewide community will collaborate to strengthen 3D science/STEM instruction, proficiency-based learning and assessment (MAST), and meaningful IEFA integration. Participants will engage every month in virtual meetings. March's meeting, Enriching Science Units: Embedding IEFA - levels of Implementation is scheduled for March 24 at 4 pm.
The purpose of the Community of Science Teacher Leaders is for Montana students to receive meaningful and rigorous STEM/science instruction that allows them to develop critical thinking skills that will assist them in their personal lives and in their careers, as well as lay a foundation of understanding of science content.
Members may assist in MAST item review, statewide professional development, (e.g. conferences, the Teacher Learning hub, etc.). Members may also create and referee lessons/units for the science repository, collect student feedback, and eventually connect them to the standards in the Satchel Website.
Find out about more opportunities on OPI’s science website!
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ELA Standards
Montana’s new English Language Arts and Literacy Content Standards have been formally adopted by the Montana Board of Public Education! The implementation date is July 2027. This date was selected to allow school districts adequate time to prepare between the implementation of new math and ELA standards. More information about the standards revision process can be found on the OPI’s ELA Standards Revisions Webpage.
See the 2027 MT ELA Standards and Coding (Google Sheet file) or the 2027 K-12 Standards (PDF file) for a full list of the new grade-level ELA standards and literacy practices.
Math Standards
Montana’s updated standards have an implementation date of July 2026!
Q: What does this mean?
A: All instruction in Montana schools is expected to be aligned with the state curriculum standards beginning July 2026.
Q: Will my textbook cover all the standards?
A: Your textbook likely covers the majority of the curriculum standards; however, educators should review the revised standards and conduct a curriculum audit to assess for gaps. For example, an existing gap that every educator will notice is the lack of IEFA alignment in “off the rack” textbooks. Montana’s standards have required mathematics instruction to embed contexts relevant to Indigenous Peoples of Montana for over 15 years, a need that textbooks rarely meet.
Q: Can I just keep teaching what I have always taught? The standards haven’t changed that much, have they?
A: Continuing practices without reviewing the revised standards could lead to a misalignment with state assessments, limited time in the classroom to cover all content, or gaps in instruction. Additionally, state law mandates that teaching and learning adhere to state curriculum standards. Therefore, educators are strongly encouraged to conduct an audit.
Q: What resources are available to help me with this change?
A: OPI offers tons of resources on our Math Revisions Website. Additionally, OPI is offering two professional learning webinars that occur monthly. You can watch recordings of past webinars, or register for future sessions on the website, or by clicking on the links provided later in this compass.
Additional guidance is being developed as we speak. To stay informed, visit the mathematics revision webpage. All published guidance documents will be visible on this page as they become available.
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