OPI's April 2023 Compass

The final MAST testing window will be April 17-28, 2023.

The MAST Pilot Program tests 5^th and 7^th-grade students in Math and Reading with a through-year model that aligns student testing closest to the learning of the skill. Currently, districts have administered three of four testing windows. More than 30 districts and nearly 5,000 students have participated in the MAST Pilot Program to date. The final spring testing window will be from April 17-28, 2023.

Public Comment Sought!

Please complete the Field Testing Flexibility for Montana Assessment System Waiver Survey

Superintendent Elsie Arntzen is expanding the Montana Alternative Student Testing (MAST) Pilot Program to grades 3-8 in Math and Reading for the 2023-2024 school year. Due to this expansion, the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) is seeking a Field Test Flexibility waiver to eliminate an undue burden on students, teachers, and district leaders by preventing double testing. Currently, the districts participating in the through-year MAST program for grades 5 and 7 are also required to complete the federally mandated end-of-the-year summative assessment. The Field Test Flexibility waiver is for one year and is granted to states that are changing their assessment system by the US Department of Education (DOE).

The Field Test Flexibility waiver will only affect districts and schools that are participating in the MAST Pilot Program. All other districts and schools will still be required to take the federally mandated end-of-the-year summative assessment. OPI is seeking public comment from parents, teachers, test coordinators, school leaders, and community members on the Field Test Flexibility waiver from March 30 – April 28, 2023. Public comment can be provided by:

• Submitting written comment to essainput@mt.gov
• Participating in one of three public comment webinars
  • Webinar 1 on April 12 from 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
  • Webinar 2 on April 19 from 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
  • Webinar 3 on April 25 from 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

The Field Test Flexibility waiver and a summary of public comment will be submitted to the DOE on May 2, 2023.

For more information on MAST, please contact Krystal Smith, Education Innovation Manager, at krystal.smith@mt.gov, or (406) 249.0758.

During the March 9-10 Board of Public Education (BPE) meeting the board approved the recommended changes to Chapter 55. BPE has offered the following pertaining to the graduation requirements:

Delayed Effective Date under consideration for new Graduation Requirements:

The Board of Public Education’s recently adopted rules for Title 10, Chapter 55, Standards of Accreditation, include new graduation requirements for:

• ½ unit of economics or financial literacy within the 2 units of social studies, the 2 units of mathematics, or the 1 unit of career and technical education; and
• ½ unit of civics or government within the 2 units of social studies.

In response to comments from school districts, and in consultation with the Office of Public Instruction, the Board of Public Instruction is considering a proposal to set a delayed effective date for these new graduation requirements. To make this change, the Board will need to hold a special board meeting to approve an amended notice of adoption for Rule 10.55.905. The Board plans to meet to consider this amendment in early April. 

ESSER Data Collection Year 3:

The ESSER Year 3 (Jul21-Jun22) Annual Federal Data Collection process has begun. This is a requirement of the ESSER grant and includes data from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022. The Annual Federal Data Collection Year 3 process will include: 

• Register for a “Work Session” with OPI between April 4^th-6^th or April 11^th-13^th. 
• Registration link here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHoqY-g6MW5Wie4SFiEOF4ECTk83mUn8Bt4PnFJwgrB8TaEw/viewform  

• Submission of an Excel file uploaded through portal by Friday, April 14^th, 2023  

VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS on the Data Collection process are here: https://youtu.be/PiZDrdcAUD8  

Deadlines for ESSER II is September 30, 2023

Deadline for ESSER III is September 30, 2024

Each month school board trustees are sent a monthly allocation report for ESSER funds. These reports can be found here.

The state-wide ESSER allocation through February 28, 2023, is:

The World Languages Standards Revision Task Force Application deadline had been extended to April 10th at noon.  If you have an expertise in World Languages instruction and best practices, please consider applying to serve on the World Languages Revision Task Force.  Thank you to our incredible educator leaders who have already applied to serve in various capacities on this important process. 

If you have questions, please contact project lead Stephanie Swigart at stephanie.swigart@mt.gov. 

The Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) is pleased to invite you to collaborate on the revision of Montana’s English Learner Standards. We want our task forces to be representative of the unique voices and perspectives in Montana! As a key education partner, we hope you will consider filling out the Montana English Learner Standards Task Force Application.

Additionally, we would be grateful if you would share the application with your networks by sharing this opportunity with your colleagues.

We need the help of education leaders like you to make sure teachers have an excellent framework through which to serve the growing number of English Learners/Multilingual Learners in our state. The work you do is so important, and we’d love for you to seize this opportunity to make a broader impact.

The application is now open and closes on April 16^th. Here is a timeline for the process:

Application Collection:                                         March 15 through April 16, 2023

Application Review:                                              April 16 through April 21, 2023

Writing/Revision Team Meets Virtually:               April 22 through May 15, 2023

For more information, please contact The English Learner Standards Review Team:

Michelle McCarthy,  MT OPI Science Instructional Coordinator and Project Lead, MMcCarthy5@mt.gov, or Destin Markland, MT OPI EL Coordinator, destin.markland@mt.gov  

The OPI will provide incentives, support and technical assistance to establish Innovation Zones in key LEAs where
underserved student populations demonstrate the greatest needs. The project is an innovative approach to unfinished
and impacted learning by blending adaptive digital curriculum with more traditional classroom study with an emphasis
on learner agency and student driven choice. This allows teachers to continuously offer feedback and co-assess
learning in real time. The OPI will use external partners to ensure effective practices around learner agency, blended
learning, formative assessments, and student ownership of learning are developed in LEA teachers.

How to participate in the MIZ pilot with your school or district:
1. Apply to participate in the program by April 27, 2023.
2. If selected as a MIZ grantee, schools will be required to participate in a Community of Practice in the
2023-2024 school year to co-design a personalized learning environment measured by proficiency that districts
will be required to implement in the 2024-2025 school year with a focus on mathematics.
3. Engage with your school community to prepare your local community for a shift to a more personalized
mathematics learning environment, measured by proficiency. Work to foster the enabling conditions for success,
specific to your school or district during the 2023-2024 school year.
4. Drive transition to personalized learning in math instruction in the 2024-2025 school year.

For more information, please click here.

In 2021, over 41% of high school students reported feeling sad or hopeless (Montana YRBS, 2021), the highest rate ever reported in the state of Montana. In the same year, nearly a quarter (23%) of high school students reported seriously considering suicide and over 10% actually made a suicide attempt (Montana YRBS, 2021). For all age groups, Montana has ranked in the top five for suicide rates in the nation for the past thirty years (Montana DPHHS, 20202).

Despite these stark numbers, schools across the state are taking important steps to support student mental health. At the Office of Public Instruction, we are working to highlight some of the successful programs being implemented in Montana’s schools to improve the mental health of their students, elevate the voices of students, and bring a message of hope and encouragement to continue to keep the mental health of students as a top priority in the state of Montana. We graciously thank the students and school staff who helped make this video possible, and all the students and school staff from across the state who are working tirelessly to support student mental health and wellness.

Please visit the OPI’s School Mental Health website for more information and resources.

Dear Part B Directors and 619 Coordinators:

It has come to our attention that in initial evaluations have sometimes been delayed or denied by local educational agencies (LEAs) until a child goes through the multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) process, sometimes referred to as Response to Intervention (RTI).  Although the term RTI is no longer commonly used to describe a State’s multi-tiered system of supports, the attached memoranda apply to all tiered systems of support, whether the State uses a RTI. MTSS or a unique State name. The basis for these memoranda is the child find requirements in Section 612(a)(3) of the IDEA.  Each IDEA Part B and Part C grantee must ensure it has a system in place for meeting the child find requirements as a condition for funding. 

OSEP reminds State educational agencies and LEAs that the Part B regulations at 34 C.F.R. §300.301(b) allow a parent to request an initial evaluation at any time to determine if a child is a child with a disability under IDEA.  As OSEP Memorandum 11-07 states, MTSS/RTI  may not be used to delay or deny a full and individual evaluation under 34 C.F.R. §§300.304-300.311 for a child suspected of having a disability. With respect to preschool children, IDEA does not require or encourage a local or preschool program to use a MTSS approach prior to referral for evaluation or as part of determining whether a 3-, 4-, or 5-year-old is eligible for special education and related services. Once an LEA receives a referral from a preschool program, the LEA must initiate an evaluation process to determine if the child is a child with a disability.  See: 34 C.F.R. §300.301(b). 

OSEP recommends that you review the attached memoranda and distribute them to LEAs and intermediate education units within your State.  Please let them know that because the content of these memoranda reflects IDEA statutory and regulatory requirements, they are still in effect. 

If you have any questions regarding this email, please contact your OSEP State Lead. 

1. OSEP Memorandum 11-07 [sites.ed.gov]--A Response to Intervention (RTI) Process Cannot Be Used to Delay-Deny an Evaluation for Eligibility under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (January 21, 2011); and 
2. OSEP Memorandum 16-07 [sites.ed.gov]--A Response to Intervention Process Cannot be Used to Delay-Deny an Evaluation for Preschool Education Services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education   Act (April 29, 2016). 

Sincerely,

Gregg Corr

Gregory R. Corr, Ed.D.

Division Director

Monitoring and State Improvement Planning

Office of Special Education Programs

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

U.S. Department of Education

202-245-7309

gregg.corr@ed.gov

The Montana State University Police Department and the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals, Northwest and Great Lake chapters are excited to announce that registration is open for the 2023 Western Regional Joint Threat Assessment Training May 31-June 1, 2023. 

This event will bring some of the best speakers and presenters that the threat assessment discipline has to offer and promises amazing networking opportunities. We know that you receive frequent training opportunities and want to take a moment to explain how this training is different.

The Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP) is a multidisciplinary non-profit organization comprised of law enforcement, prosecutors, school leadership, mental health professionals, corporate security professionals, probation and parole personnel, human resource professionals and others involved in threat violence risk assessment. ATAP's membership is comprised of experts in these areas, and they take pride in affording their members a professional and educational environment to exchange ideas and strategies to address such issues as stalking and domestic violence prevention, threats of violence, violence prevention, and homeland security. This training will provide attendees with the opportunity to learn from this shared expertise.

This year we are also very excited to partner with the Montana Disaster & Emergency Services and Montana Analysis and Technical Information Center to offer free registration for the first 100 Montana public employees including police officers, public school employees, firefighters, and more.  This is possible because of the Homeland Security Grant Program.  Please click on the registration link for more information and to see if you qualify.

To register, please click here.

David Frank, Training Coordinator Montana State University Police david.frank1@montana.edu (406) 994-5082