Assessment

Statewide Assessments & Participation

Here are some things you can do to help:
  • Encourage your child to do their very best in everything they do in school, including the assessments.
  • Make sure he or she gets plenty of sleep the night before each test and has a healthy breakfast.  
  • Support your child by explaining the purpose of the tests. 
 
Here are some things to note about testing:
  • Your child’s privacy will be protected. State and federal laws, such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), ensure this data remains confidential.
  • Students with Individual Educational Plans (IEPs), Section 504 plans, or English Learner plans will be assessed based on individual student needs, consistent with all state and federal laws and regulations.
  • Montana school districts are required to provide parents/guardians with notice regarding student participation in statewide assessments in a timely manner before testing.
  • In Montana, there is no “opt out” law, and state law requires all students in public and accredited non-public schools to participate in statewide testing. Therefore, in accordance with ESEA-ESSA Section 1112(e)(1)(B)(ii), parents may refuse to have their child participate in statewide assessments, but the parent refusal will count negatively against the school’s participation rate within the accountability process. The MontCAS Policies and Procedures for Participation in Statewide Assessments explains the state participation policies and procedures.
  • It is important to remember that statewide assessments provide only one measure of student learning;  when combined with school attendance, grades, classroom activities, classroom quizzes and tests, and district-level assessment (NWEA MAP), statewide assessments can complete the picture of a child’s abilities and help him/her down a path toward academic success in reaching Montana’s Content Standards.
 
Information about school or school district achievement can be found on the OPI’s longitudinal data warehouse (GEMS) or the Montana ESSA Report Card
 

ACT with Writing is the general math, reading/language arts, and science assessment for academic achievement reporting in Grade 11. This assessment is required for general population students to participate under both state and federal laws and regulations. 

 

Montana Science Assessment is the general science assessment for academic achievement reporting in Grades 5 and 8. This assessment is required for general population students to participate under both state and federal laws and regulations. 

 

ACCESS for ELLs and WIDA Screener is the English Language Proficiency assessment for academic achievement reporting for English Learners (EL) in Grades K–12. This assessment is required for students identified as ELs under both state and federal laws and regulations. 

 

Multi-State Alternate Assessment is the alternate math and reading/language arts assessment for academic achievement reporting in Grades 3–8 and 11 for students with significant cognitive disabilities. This assessment is required instead of the SBAC assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities under both state and federal laws and regulations. 

 
Alternate Montana Science Assessment is the alternate science assessment for academic achievement reporting in Grades 5, 8, and 11 for students with significant cognitive disabilities. This assessment is required instead of the AMSA assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities under both state and federal laws and regulations. 
 

Montana Aligned to Standards Through-Year (MAST) The Montana OPI in partnership with New Meridian has developed an improved state assessment that will accurately reflect the needs of our students, teachers, and administrators while providing useful flexibility in terms of test administration. The MAST Assessment implements “through year” assessments across the state that satisfy federal testing requirements and better aligns assessment with instruction. The ultimate goal of the “through year” model is to support the formative instructional process that is closer to the local decisions required to support teaching and learning needs. Rather than a single end-of-year assessment, the MAST assessment is broken up into smaller testlets over the course of the academic year. 

Details about the 2024-2025 MAST administration:
Participants: 3-8 Grades Math and ELA
Administrations: 4 administration windows throughout the year
Total Estimated Testing Time: 15-30 minutes per testlet 

 

Testing Coordinator: Casey Norbeck [email protected]

Testing Coordinator (K-5): Britta Oliverson [email protected]