|
Click here to play the shout out.
State Superintendent Message
Montana has many wonderful learning opportunities for families during the summer including our beautiful Capitol. August is Back to School Month! Our teachers and administrators are preparing to welcome our students back into the classroom for another year of learning. When school doors open with the first bell ringing, the focus will be on student learning. My office is always here to help our Montana schools have another successful school year! Let’s get back to the basics of math and reading to deliver educational excellence to our Montana students.
August is Water Quality Month
Lead remediation dollars are still available to schools. Please see the map of schools that have not been tested as of July 25, 2022.
For more information, please contact Greg Montgomery, Drinking Water Scientist, DEQ, at DEQleadinschools@mt.gov or (406) 444-5312.
Chapter 55 – School Quality
A big thank you to the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee (NRC). The final meeting was held on July 15, 2022. The NRC met 18 times, beginning February 24, and held the last round of negotiations on July 15. In total, a consensus was reached on 49 of the 50 individual negotiated rules.
The NRC did not reach a consensus on one rule: ARM 10.55.710 – Assignment of School Counseling Staff.
Three economic impact surveys were sent to over 20,000 public school advocates by Superintendent Arntzen at the request of the NRC. The first economic impact survey was released on June 20, 2022, and closed on July 5, 2022, with 652 responses. The second economic impact statement was released on July 1, 2022, and closed on July 8, 2022, with 128 survey responses. The third economic survey was released on July 15, 2022, and closed on July 21, 2022, with 277 responses. The survey responses reflect partial to full completion.
On July 22, 2022, Superintendent Arntzen sent an economic impact statement report, a final report of the Chapter 55 process, and all of the proposed recommended changes to Chapter 55 to the Montana Board of Public Education (BPE).
The BPE will hold a special meeting on August 15 to review the proposed changes. The rules will open for public comment under the Montana Administrative Procedure Act (MAPA) process. In early 2023, the BPE will adopt new school accreditation rules.
For more information, please contact Julie Murgel, Chief Operating Officer at julie.murgel@mt.gov or (406) 444-3172.
|
Montana Alternative Student Testing Pilot Program – MAST
|
During July, 32 Montana fifth and seventh-grade math and English teachers completed an assessment-writing workshop in Denver. During the workshop, these teachers developed test questions for the new Montana Alternative Student Testing (MAST) pilot program. The MAST pilot program is designed to replace the one-size-fits-all end-of-the-year summative assessment with smaller testlets that are taken closest to the learning of the skill throughout the school year.
New Meridian hosted the workshop in Denver, Colorado. This workshop focused on writing math and reading test questions for grades 5 and 7. These new test questions will align with Montana’s math and reading state teaching and learning standards. The MAST pilot program is designed to provide several testlets given throughout the year that will aggregate into a total score. These testlets will minimally disrupt day-to-day classroom teaching and learning while being reflective of the time when the skill is taught. The MAST pilot program is being developed with local Montana stakeholder input as a tool our Montana teachers can use to maximize student academic achievement and classroom learning.
|
 |
New Meridian will implement the MAST Pilot Program starting this school year. New Meridian will assist the OPI with piloting the “Through Year Assessment” in Grades 5 and 7 during the 2022-2023 school year and needs a minimum of 30 districts, 30 schools, 60 Teachers, and 2,000 students per grade tested.
To sign up or get involved, contact the Assessment Help Desk at 1-844-867-2569 or opiassessmenthelpdesk@mt.gov.
ESSER Funds Management Conference
To register and view the agenda, please click here.
For more information contact Wendi Fawns at wendi.fawns@mt.gov.
New Guidance from the U.S. Department of Education
On July 19, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education released new guidance to help schools support students with disabilities and avoid discriminatory use of discipline. Please use and review the links below to learn more about the federal guidelines.
The new resources include:
The Office of Special Education at the OPI is committed to supporting all Montana schools and students. If you have questions or immediate needs concerning special education matters, please contact the OPI Special Education office and connect with a representative for assistance.
For more information, please contact JP Williams State Director of Special Education, at jp.williams@mt.gov, or (406) 444-4426.
|
School Bus Safety
The Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) has been receiving a large volume of inquiries regarding school bus extended stop arms for the upcoming 2022-23 school year. The existing stop arm requirements were impacted by the adoption of:
The OPI has prepared guidance and will meet with the 2021 School Bus Standards Committee on August 4, 2022, to review drafted guidance about extended stop arms.
The overall objective is to ensure that this guidance will address frequently asked questions and eliminate further confusion about the extended stop arm requirements.
If you have questions, feel free to contact Donell Rosenthal or call (406) 461-9316.
|
2022-2023 U.S. Senate Youth Program Scholarship
The 2022-23 U.S. Senate Youth Program (USSYP) Scholarship will open on August 22, 2022, to Montana Juniors and Seniors who meet the USSYP qualifications!
Two students from Montana will be selected to receive one $10,000 scholarship each, along with a required Washington Week Program, March 4-11, 2023. Attending the entire Washington Week public service and leadership program and the college scholarship are one, inseparable award!
The application will be available beginning August 22, 2022, on the OPI Student Scholarships & Student Exchange webpage and must be submitted electronically by 11:59 pm, October 3, 2022.
For more information, please contact Kristen Bokovoy, USSYP Coordinator, at Kristen.Bokovoy2@mt.gov or (406) 444-2417.
Survey Coming
The OPI is dedicated to serving our Montana schools in the best possible way. One of these services is the OPI website. Over the next month, please visit our website and think of ways that the design and flow can better fit the needs of your schools, districts, teachers, and administrators. In the August Compass, there will be an opportunity to fill out a survey and provide feedback on this topic.
Single Sign-On
Many applications and their users are now accessing OPI applications via the single sign-on OPI Secure Portal. If you use your old application URL, and it directs you to the OPI Secure Portal, please open the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document in the link below the login button. It will tell you what you need to do the first time you ever login to the portal. Once you reset your password the first time, it will be good for 60 days. If you go to your regular URL for an application, and it does not redirect you to the OPI Secure Portal, use your regular username and password credentials for that application. There are still several applications that are in the process of being converted to Single Sign-on. They will appear in your portal as they are converted. There is a link on the OPI Website, as well as from the Secure Portal, to the July 2022 Compass newsletter that contains a link to a training webinar.
If you have trouble, please contact Bitsey Draur at (406) 444-2521 or (406) 461-5423 or bdraur@mt.gov.
Fulfill Legislative “Promise is a Promise” - Base Aid Plus Inflation
The Montana public school district system of funding is primarily calculated from what is termed BASE aid defined in section §20-9-306, MCA. BASE aid is made up of various components and includes the following:
(a) direct state aid for 44.7% of the basic entitlement and 44.7% of the total per-ANB entitlement for the general fund budget of a district;
(b) guaranteed tax base aid
(c) quality educator payment;
(d) at-risk student payment;
(e) Indian education for all payment;
(f) American Indian achievement gap payment;
(g) data-for-achievement payment; and
(h) special education allowable cost payment.
When the Superintendent of Public Instruction prepares the ensuing biennium’s budget these components must be adjusted for inflationary changes defined in section §20-9-326, MCA. Currently, the rate of increase for these components is estimated at 2.7% for FY2024 and 3% for FY2025. Additionally, cost estimates are adjusted for enrollment growth, taxable valuation adjustments as well as other factors. At this time many of the needed factors are either not known or are currently being estimated but each will be known as we move closer to the legislative session and cost estimates will be adjusted accordingly.
Telework at the OPI
The OPI offers flexibility in employee choice through a telework option. Currently, there are 72 teleworkers. This option has allowed the OPI to move from four office buildings to two. The OPI now leases two state-owned buildings and moved out of the private leased building, which had the most significant fiscal footprint. This action will permit more budgeting resources to serve our schools and students both in general fund and federal tax dollars.
|
OPI Organization Chart
Please see the OPI Org Chart with links to our teams.
Fire Report from Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
Click the links below to see updates from OPI's units.
Accreditation & Educator Preparation
Assessment
Career, Technical and Adult Education
Coordinated School Health
Educator Licensure
Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER)
Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS)
Indian Education for All
Montana Autism Education Project
School Finance
School Nutrition
Special Education
Standards, Instruction & Professional Learning
School Improvement
Title & Federal Programs
Transformational Learning & Advanced Opportunities
Tribal Relations & Resiliency
Questions? Contact:
Brian O'Leary, Communications Director, (406) 444-3559
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.
|
