OPI's May 2024 Compass

Check out the Calendar of Events for our Unit's Weekly Office Hours, trainings, important deadlines, and more!

As graduation approaches, I would like to remind everyone that in 2017 SB 319 was passed. This bill allows tribal regalia to be worn during graduation ceremonies in our public schools.

§2-1-315. Tribal regalia and objects of cultural significance — allowed at public events.

(1) The purpose of this section is to help further the state's recognition of the distinct and unique cultural heritage of the American Indians and the state's commitment to preserving the American Indians' cultural integrity as provided in Article X, section 1(2), of the Montana constitution.

(2) A state agency or a local government may not prohibit an individual from wearing traditional tribal regalia or objects of cultural significance at a public event.

(3) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:

(a) "Individual" means a human being regardless of age.

(b) "Local government" has the meaning provided in 2-2-102.

(c) "Public event" means an event held or sponsored by a state agency or a local government, including but not limited to an award ceremony, a graduation ceremony, or a public meeting.

(d) "State agency" has the meaning provided in 1-2-116.

Blessings to you, your students, and your school families,

Ninety-three districts, 212 schools, and approximately 30,000 students from across Montana are playing an active role in driving innovative change in statewide testing. The final testing window for the MAST Pilot began April 15, 2024 and will conclude on May 10, 2024 for grades 3 through 8 in math and reading/language arts.

In its second year of piloting, the MAST assessment will operationalize as the statewide assessment for grades 3-8 in math and ELA in SY 2024-2025. This innovative assessment offers flexibility in test administration, delivers timely feedback on student learning to enhance instructional utility, and assesses students more closely to when learning occurs. In addition to its instructional utility, the MAST assessment will also produce a summative score that will be utilized for federal accountability purposes.

The OPI extends sincere appreciation for the collaborative efforts of all MAST stakeholders and acknowledges the substantial contributions they've made to developing this Montana-made assessment. We highly value the feedback provided by participating districts and commend their flexibility as we utilize this feedback to refine and innovate this assessment.

For more information, contact Tressa Graveley, Assessment Specialist.

The OPI is actively recruiting for the third year of the Resident Teacher program, a comprehensive year-long student teaching initiative designed to provide aspiring educators with immersive, hands-on experience in real classroom settings. This full-year student teaching program aims to foster the growth and development of future educators while simultaneously supporting the needs of schools and districts.

The Resident Teacher program is structured to offer a symbiotic relationship between the resident teacher, mentor educators, and the school community. Resident teachers are selected through a collaborative process and are paired with experienced mentor teachers to facilitate their professional growth and learning.

Throughout the duration of the residency placement, the resident teacher will actively engage in classroom instruction, curriculum development, student assessment, and other essential aspects of teaching under the guidance and mentorship of seasoned educators. The goal is to provide them with a well-rounded experience that prepares them for a successful and lasting career in education, striving to improve the recruitment and retention rates of Montana teachers. 

If your school is interested in participating in our Resident Teacher program for the 2024-25 school year, please contact Krystal Smith to discuss the details further and answer any questions you may have. 

Below is the link to complete the district survey if you're interested in participating.  

https://forms.gle/E9H5w2S58GVDV9y17

On March 18, 2024, Superintendent announced the creation of the Budget and Education Working Group. Over 170 Montana teachers, parents, taxpayers, school clerks, and superintendents submitted their names to be a part of the working group. Due to overwhelming interest, there will be seven breakout groups based on the areas of interest expressed on the application:

• Special Needs students and programs
• Teacher pay, retention, recruitment.
• Rural, Population, & Culture
• Sustainability & tax burden
• Programs & Curriculum
• Funding Formula
• School Budgeting

The first meeting was held on April 24, 2024, at 7:00 PM via Zoom. The meeting included:

• A review of the purpose and logistics of the working group
• A presentation on the budget process and formula
• Questions

A recording of the meeting can be viewed here.

The following meetings will be held in May, June, & July.

For more information, please contact Katie Bloodgood, Legislative Liaison, at katherine.bloodgood@mt.gov.

May 10, 2024 is the deadline to have ALL documentation labeled and  uploaded into Spring monitoring portfolios (on Google) for districts who were notified in January that they were selected for a Spring 2024 ESEA/ESSA Title I, II, III, IV-A, and Title IX desk monitoring review. 

For more information or questions, please contact Kimberly Rebich, Federal Grants Coordinator. 

Please look for an email on May 8^th with directions and information to log into Teach MT to confirm the 5 areas of data for accreditation. These areas include:

• confirming teacher licensure
• assignment
• class rations
• PD hours
• program offerings

You can log in to your AIM account now and correct any errors before the download.

For more information or questions, please contact Dr. Julie Murgel, Chief Operating Officer.

As part of Montana’s Federal Flexibility Testing Waiver for the Montana Aligned to Standards Through Year (MAST) assessment pilot this school year (2023-2024), the U.S. Department of Education required OPI to indicate how it will measure the other academic indicator (student growth) in the 2024-2025 school year. Because about half of grades 3 to 8 students participated in the SBAC statewide assessment and half participated in the MAST in the 2023-2024 school year, the OPI is required to propose how it will address the growth indicator for the 2024-2025 school year.  While addressing the growth indicator, the OPI is simultaneously proposing to maintain school designations for the 2024-2025 school year. 

Montana’s federally required school accountability system includes the following indicators:

1-4 Federally Required Indicators

• Academic Achievement on Statewide Assessments: ELA/Reading & Math
• Academic Growth on Statewide Assessments ELA/Reading & Math (K-8 Only)
• English Learner Progress
• Graduation Rates (HS only)

5th Indicator for Montana Flexibility

• Attendance
• College & Career Ready (HS Only)
• Science Assessment

Note that the achievement and growth indicators must be based on statewide assessments only.

All indicators can be computed for school year 2024-2025, with a modification to how the growth indicator is calculated. Currently, growth is measured as the change in performance from one year to the next. However, since only approximately half of the schools will have test scores in 2023-2024, the current growth model indicator, based on consecutive years, will not work for all schools. 

Therefore, OPI proposes a “skip-year” growth model for evaluating growth for 2024-2025, where growth will be evaluated between 2022-2023 and 2024-2025. This approach has been used successfully throughout the country when evaluating learning challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when students were not tested in 2020.

Public Comment Opportunities:

• Please complete this survey by May 24, 2024
• Email feedback, input, and questions to ESSAinput@mt.gov
• Attend the public comment webinar-details below

Timeline for growth indicator proposed amendment to the MT ESSA Plan:

• April 24, 2024…………..All-day meeting with the Center for Assessment
  • Create a draft for the proposed amendment
• April 29, 2024………..…. ½ day TAC (Technical Advisory Committee) Meeting
• May 1, 2024…………….. MACIE Meeting
• May 3, 2024……………… Open public comment and post survey
• May 9-10, 2024 ………… Board of Public Education Meeting
• May 2024 ……………….. Governor consultation
• May 21, 2024……………. Ed Advocate Meeting 9:30-10:30 am
• May 24, 2024……………. Public Comment Survey Closes
• May 28, 2024……………. Public Comment Webinar: Respond to public comment
  • 3:30-4:30 pm https://mt-gov.zoom.us/j/88410002909?pwd=dkpLZmE3V1dYMzAzZGVrTlYzUWRKdz09
• June 1, 2024…………… ..Submit Amendment Proposal to the Department of Education

Please see the Frequently Asked Questions here.

For more information or questions, please contact Dr. Julie Murgel, Chief Operating Officer.

Please read Superintendent Arntzen's latest OpEd, Court Order on Public Charter Schools is a Win for Montana Students where she discuss the recent court order that stated that the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) “is charged with opening, the Board (of Public Education) with preopening; the Board establishes schools, OPI opens them.”

A summary of the positions that the Board of Public Education (BPE), the Montana Quality Education Coalition (MQEC), and my office took on the implementation of Public Charter Schools:

• OPI’s position was that Title 20, Chapter 6, Part 5 (Opening and Closing of Schools) applied to public charter schools.
• BPE’s position was that the Board could declare the public charter schools open and direct the public charter school opening process.
• MQEC’s position was that Title 20, Chapter 6, Part 5 (Opening and Closing of Schools) did not apply to public charter schools and that, instead, the Board’s directive should be required.
• OPI and MQEC reiterated their opposing positions during the briefing on the preliminary injunction motion.
• The District Court determined that OPI, not the Board, is responsible for public charter school opening.
• The District Court neither ordered OPI to comply with the Board’s directive nor enjoined OPI from enforcing Title 20, Chapter 6, Part 5, with one exception regarding only elementary schools: “OPI is preliminarily enjoined from requiring compliance with the parental petition, county superintendent approval and county commission approval provisions of Mont. Code Ann. § 20-6-502 as a condition to issuing schools codes and other support provided by OPI to charter schools.”

Superintendent Arntzen released the following statement after the court order: “Unaccountable associations and woke organizations will continue to attack me for being a conservative and putting students, parents, and families first. The district court’s recent order clarifies that I am following the laws of our great state and NOT ignoring my constitutional duty to our students and schools. I have been a champion of school choice for children and parents during my time in office. I look forward to continuing to work with our school districts to open the Public Charter Schools in accordance with the law and the court’s order.” 

Immediately upon receiving the court’s decision OPI reached out to the Board of Public Education and notified the 11 school districts that have the 19 Public Charter School contracts. Superintendent Arntzen is excited to announce that the process of opening the new Public Charter Schools has begun, despite the delays by woke associations. As of April 24, 2024, the following Public Charter Schools have opened:

• Billings Early College School
• Billings Multilingual Academy
• Billings Opportunity School
• Corvallis Distance Learning Center
• Corvallis Pathways Learning Center
• Core School in Great Falls
• Missoula CONNECT Academy
• Missoula TEACH Academy

The request to open a BPE-approved charter school can be found on the OPI’s charter school webpage.  If you have any questions, reach out to our School Finance Unit at OPISchoolFinance@mt.gov.

For more information, please contact Rob Stutz, Chief Legal Counsel, at Rob.Stutz@mt.gov.

A timeline of the Education Savings Account:

• On April 27, 2023, HB 393, the Montana Legislature passed the Students with Special Needs Equal Opportunity Act, which created the Education Savings Account (ESA).
• On May 18, 2023, HB 393 was signed by the Governor.
• On July 1, 2023, HB 393 became effective.
• On November 28, 2023, the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) opened applications for the ESA Steering Committee.
• On December 10, 2023, OPI announced the ESA Steering Committee members.
• On January 9 and February 12, 2024, OPI held the first two ESA Steering Committee meetings.
  • January 9, 2024, meeting Agenda and Recording
  • February 12, 2024, meeting Agenda and Recording
• On January 23, 2024, the Montana Quality Educators Coalition (MQEC) and Disability Rights Montana filed a lawsuit against HB 393.
• On January 23, 2024, MQEC and Disability Rights Montana filed a lawsuit against HB 393, the Education Savings Account (ESA). Superintendent Arntzen responded, “As the daughter of a special education teacher, I have always supported children of all abilities. Local accountability starts with the family. Montana parents know the educational needs of their students better than the government. The special education savings account has specific parameters for the use of state dollars and a rigorous accountability process. Our children deserve the best education that they can receive. HB 393 aims to provide this by putting Montana students first.”
• On March 11 and April 8, 2024, OPI held two more ESA Steering Committee meetings.
  • March 11, 2024, meeting Agenda and Recording
  • April 8, 2024, meeting Agenda and Recording
• On April 8, 2024, OPI hired an account specialist to handle the flow of ESA dollars
• On April 11, 2024, OPI published that the ESA applications would be available on May 1, 2024.
• On April 15, 2024, OPI released a Family Interest Survey. About 60 Montana parents and families contacted OPI with interest in utilizing the ESA.
• On April 22, 2024, a motion for a preliminary injunction was filed by MQEC to stop the implementation of HB 393. Superintendent Arntzen responded: “Unaccountable organizations and associations utilize our court system when they can’t win in the Legislature. Montanans elect representatives to be their voice and pass legislation at our Capitol. These stuck-in-the-mud education groups are hurting children of all abilities and parental choice by standing in the way of Montana’s constitutional promise to develop the full educational potential of all children. I have always been and will continue to be a fierce advocate for transparency, parental rights, and expanding educational choices for our children."

For more information, please contact Rob Stutz, Chief Legal Counsel, at Rob.Stutz@mt.gov.

During the 2021 legislative session, SB 99, Establish parameters for K-12 human sexuality education, was passed. On April 9, 2024, Empower MT, the Montana School Counselors Association, The Association of School Psychologists, two educators, and two students filed a lawsuit against the Governor, the Board of Public Education, and my office. Superintendent Arntzen responded: “Woke organizations are once again attacking me because I am a conservative and I’m standing for parental rights. Government bureaucracy doesn’t own our children. I stand with Montana parents who are rightfully concerned over sexual indoctrination in the classroom. Montana families have the right to know what their children are being taught and the right to opt-out of participating. I will continue to fiercely defend parental rights.”

For more information, please contact Rob Stutz, Chief Legal Counsel, at Rob.Stutz@mt.gov.

DreamBox Learning’s programs differentiate instruction at scale with personalized lessons for every student to accelerate learning. Students, teachers, and administrators will have OPI provided access (FREE) to award-winning and highly efficacious learning platforms, DreamBox Math and DreamBox Reading Plus. Both programs are designed to adapt problems and questions based on how each student learns. DreamBox personalizes the learning experience for students while providing district administrators and educators access to tools and resources that help save time and accelerate students' learning. 

Remember MAST Pilot schools have access to DreamBox THIS year (grades 3-8) and ALL districts will have NEXT year for students in grades K-12!  Are you ready to learn more? Check out our Montana website [info.discoveryeducation.com] or schedule [calendly.com] a quick chat with your PD Specialist, Natalee Hawks.  

Lots of inclusion events have taken place across the state in Unified Champion Schools! From Spread the Word events, Freezin’ for a Reason fundraisers, national media filming of unified pairs, College Championship Week, Unified PE activities and unified sports events, there are great things happening to spread awareness of inclusion and acceptance all across the state! Check out the photos below to see some of these great activities in action!

MHSA Unified Track is here! There are currently 19 schools statewide registered to participate this spring in Unified Track! The following schools are participating this year: Big Sandy, Box Elder, Bozeman, Browning, Butte, Columbia Falls, Darby, Florence-Carlton, Gallatin, Glacier, Hamilton, Lockwood, Medicine Lake, Park, Polson, Sentinel, Shepherd, Sunburst and Thompson Falls. Special thanks to MHSA for your collaboration with Special Olympics Montana to provide unified events during MHSA track meets across the state. Play Unified!

Not yet a Unified Champion School? Click here to complete the UCS Commitment Form and start the inclusion revolution in your school, district, and community! Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® is a program for schools Pre-K through university that intentionally promotes meaningful social inclusion by bringing together students with and without intellectual disabilities to create accepting school environments utilizing three interconnected components: Special Olympics Unified Sports®, inclusive youth leadership, and whole school engagement.

For questions, contact Terri Norman, UCS Senior Director at tnorman@somt.org.

Compost Grant Applications for schools are open! We will be awarding 4 grants for $500 each. All public and private K-12 schools in Montana are eligible to apply for funding. The grant cycle runs from September 15, 2024 to September 15, 2025. September 15th is the deadline to apply. Apply now by clicking here.

Juneteenth is a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on June 19, 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, enslaved people learned they had been set free under the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation. Montana became the forty-sixth state to recognize the holiday when it named the third Saturday in June as Juneteenth National Freedom Day.
In honor of the holiday, the Montana Historical Society and Holter Museum of Art invite students in all grade levels from across Montana to participate in a statewide call for art to exhibit at the Holter Museum in Helena. Submissions are due by May 15.

The theme of the exhibition is “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”

The art will be displayed at the Holter from June 17 to 23 and there will be an opening reception for viewing the community exhibit on Friday, June 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. The Holter will also be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 21 with free admission for all, and community members will be able to create art on site to add to the exhibit. Other Juneteenth programming will be happening in downtown Helena from June 19 to 21.

Students should use the quote “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free” by American civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer as the inspiration for their art. Submissions must be drawn or painted on 9 x 12 in. drawing paper, and the artists name, grade, teacher, and school should be written on the back.

Submissions should indicate the teacher’s name on the front of the envelope and be mailed to:
    Holter Museum of Art
    Re: Juneteenth Call for Art
    12 E Lawrence St
    Helena, MT 59601

Submissions will not be mailed back after the exhibit, but if students would like to keep their art it can be picked up in person from the Holter between June 23 and July 1.
Questions? Contact Laura Marsh at 406-444-4789 or laura.marsh@mt.gov.