Education Data Collection Team (EDUCATE)
May 2026 Updates
The Education Data Collection Team serves Montana students by assisting education agencies with Infinite Campus data reporting and providing accurate and timely education data to other OPI units for state and federal reporting.
Infinite Campus Data Collections
The 2025-26 Data Collection Schedule contains a complete list of all data collections occurring throughout the year. The 2026-27 Data Collection calendar will be posted to the website shortly!
Data Collections
It's that time of year again! Please review the following data collections that are due for year-end. Please complete these collections as soon as possible after the last day of school. We are now able to direct certifications to the districts that need to complete them - so, if you see a certification, please make sure you certify - even if your counts are zero!
End of Year Enrollment and Program Participation: May 11 - June 19, 2026
End of Year Program Participation is combined with End of Year Enrollment. Students must have accurate Program Participation Records for participation any time in the 25-26 school year. Programs to be validated include: FRAM - Free/reduced meal status (individual student entry not required for Community Eligible Provision Schools), English Learners (EL), Immigrant, Homeless/Unaccompanied Youth,
Gifted, Targeted Title I, Military Connected Status, Foreign Exchange, Section 504, 21st Century (verify student enrollments with the OPI AS21 system), District Residency (entered for non-resident students only), and Early Targeted
Interventions. Districts should also ensure that completed ERs and IEPs are locked - and Exit Date/Reason are entered for students no longer receiving Special Education Services. Districts should also verify demographic information - including
birthdate, race/ethnicity, and gender.
End of Year Attendance Totals: May 11 - June 19, 2026
The End of Year Attendance Certification is used for Average Daily Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism calculations for both state and federal reporting. It is combined with End of Year Enrollment and Program Participation for the creation of subgroups (e.g., Race/Ethnicity, Gender, Socio-Economic Status). End of Year Attendance Certification includes the following: Days Present and Days Enrolled for all students in the 2025-26 school year. Days Present is total instructional days in the regular school year minus the sum of student absences for the year. ESSA Days Absent is the number of days the student was absent .5 or more during the year.
End of Year Extracurricular Participation: May 11 - June 19, 2026
The End of Year Extracurricular Activities Certification collects information related to extracurricular participation for students who have a primary enrollment in non-public school (private or homeschool). Districts who report extracurricular participation for these students in the 2025-26 year may be eligible for additional ANB in the following year. Districts must report extracurricular participation and number of completed
activities.
End of Year Career and Technical Education: May 11 - June 19, 2026
This data is used for a variety of purposes to include funding determinations, as well as other state and federally mandated reporting. Identify all high school students with Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses for the 2025-26 school year,
including Pathway(s), Dual Enrollment, Out of District Credits, and Work-Based Learning.
End of Year Personnel: May 11 - June 19, 2026
The End of Year Personnel Certification (also used to populate the Compensation Expenditure report in MAEFAIRS) is the full-year personnel reporting collection. Districts should report any staff employed or paid between July 1, 2025, and June 30,
2026.
End of Year Teacher Class: May 11 - June 19, 2026
Verify the following Course information as of the last day of school: Courses and rosters from the Spring Count Date through the last day of school, including State Courses Code (SCED Subject Area and Course Identifier), Grade Low/Grade High, Credit (for HS courses), Course Level, Dual Enrollment, Distance Class, Alternative Education, Work-Based Learning, CTE Pathway, Session Type, Session Number, Section Placement, Section Staff History (Primary Teacher and other staff for classroom overload), and student rosters (Start Dates for students who enrolled after the start of school and End Dates for students who have exited). Teacher-Class data is used for compliance with Accreditation rules, state and federal reporting, and CTE funding.
Behavior Incident Reporting: May 11 - June 19, 2026
Enter Behavior data for any of the following scenarios: Any incident resulting in out-of-school suspension or expulsion, regardless of length of time, for any enrolled student, any incident resulting in an in-school suspension, regardless of the length of time, for an enrolled student or student participating in a 21st Century program, and any incident involving weapons, drugs, or violence for any enrolled student. There must be an incident, a resolution, and a duration.
Special Education Exiting: May 11 - June 19, 2026
Verify accuracy of data for students receiving special education services at the beginning of the school year but not receiving services at year end (6/30/2025). Ensure completed ERs and IEPs are locked and Exit Dates and Exit Reasons are current in the State Reporting tab of Infinite Campus. Confirm accurate exiting list in the SPED Application Portal by June 30, 2025.
Assessment Windows
DLM Alternate Math, ELA, and Science: February 2 - May 15, 2026
The spring round of the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) alternate math and ELA testing for students in 3 - 8 and 11th grades who are a part of the SwSCDs student group and Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) alternate science testing for students in 5th, 8th, and 11th grades who are a part of the SwSCDs student group. Process transfers (in and out) as quickly as possible.
ACT With Writing Window 1: March 24 - May 22, 2026
The ACT with writing is administered to appropriate students in the 11th grade during this window. Ensure that all student accommodations are finalized and entered prior to this window. Ensure that all appropriate students are registered prior to
this window where necessary.
MAST Test Window 3: March 30 - May 22, 2026
The second round of MAST tests are administered to appropriate students in grades 3 - 8 during this window. Ensure that all student accommodations are finalized and
entered prior to this window and that all appropriate students are registered prior to
this window. Process transfers (in and out) as quickly as possible.
To ensure students receive appropriate accommodations, please do NOT change accommodations for testing students during this window.
MT Science Assessment Window: March 30 - May 22, 2026
The MT Science Assessment is administered to appropriate 5th and 8th graders
during this window
To ensure students receive appropriate accommodations, please do NOT change accommodations for testing students during this window.
Student Records Transfers
Student records transfers are an important tool for ensuring that students receive the proper services as soon as possible after transferring to a new district. A records transfer is automatically initiated when a student is new to the district and enrolled using the Student Locator Wizard. When a student has been previously enrolled in the district or the district uses the file upload process, a records transfer must be initiated manually (Student Information>General>Records Transfer - New State Transfer Request). Important elements to import include Special Education records (ER, IEP, SPED Documents), English Learner (EL) status, and Enrollment History.
Enrollment Overlaps
We have a significant number of enrollment overlaps! Please go to Student Information>Reports>State Enrollment Overlap Report and clear your overlaps. This will help with End of Year Enrollment reporting.
CTE Data
Extended Contract Days for CTE Teachers (reach out to your CTE specialist for more information on what qualifies as Extended Contract Days) has been a separate collection for the last several years. This information is now collected in the educator's District Assignment in Infinite Campus. Please review the District Assignments for educators with Extended Contract Days to ensure they are accurate for 2025-26 (this may require ending a prior Assignment at the end of 2024-25 and creating a new assignment for 2025-26, if the contract days are different for 25-26 than they were for 24-25).
In addition to Extended Contract Days, districts should be running validations for CTE Courses. Ensure that courses are correctly indicated with Pathway and Credit. This will help with the End of Year CTE Collection.
Infinite Campus Training Opportunities
End of Year Preparation:
Soak up the sunshine and bring clarity to your end-of-year reporting—let’s finish the year strong together. ☀️
You’re invited to join our FREE Here Comes the Sun: End-of-Year State Reporting Series - Presented by OPI's EDUCATE Unit and School Services of MT, designed to guide you step-by-step through key reporting areas and help you wrap up the year with confidence.
🌞 Series Overview
🌅 Session 1: Setting the Sunrise – 26-27 Calendars & Rolling Forward Build a strong foundation with calendar setup, validation, and rolling forward.
☀️ Session 2: Shining a Light – Teacher Class, Personnel & EOY CTE Ensure accurate reporting for staff and programs.
🌻 Session 3: Paths to the Sun Fiesta– Graduates, Dropouts, Cohorts & Future Ready Verify student outcomes and cohort data. Learn more about Future Ready requirements.
🌞 Session 4: Every Ray Counts – EOY Attendance, EOY Program Participation & EOY Enrollment Reconcile attendance and confirm participation and enrollment data.
🌤️ Session 5: Summer Sunrises – Jumpstart, Extracurricular Calendars & EOY Behavior Capture the full student experience and close out reporting with confidence.
📅 Series Details
Dates: April 17-May 15th, 2026 Time: Fridays from 10-11:30 AM MST Format: Virtual (link provided after registration)
👉 Register here: HERE COMES THE SUN - End of the Year State Reporting Series – Fill out form [forms.office.com]
Recordings will be available for all who register.
We hope you’ll join us as we bring clarity, confidence, and a little sunshine to end-of-year reporting!
MASBO Pre-Conference Workshop:
We will be at the MASBO Summer Conference again this year! We will have a full-day, year in the life of IC training on Monday, with open time to work with districts on Tuesday. You don't have to be a district clerk to attend these trainings! Registration Information (no registration required to come to open office hours on Tuesday!): MASBO Summer Conference
Contact the EDUCATE Unit at (406) 444-3800 or
opiaimhelp@mt.gov for assistance.
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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