K-12 Content Standards and Resources

Montana’s  constitutional requirement and duly enacted policy requires recognition of the distinct and unique cultural heritage of American Indians and a commitment in our educational goals to preserve their cultural heritage. Every Montanan, whether Indian or non-Indian, must learn about the distinct and unique heritage of American Indians in a culturally responsive manner. The OPI Indian Education for All (IEFA) Unit works with districts, tribes, and other entities to ensure all schools have the knowledge, tools and resources necessary to honor the IEFA requirement and integrate it into their teaching materials and methods. 

Visit, Indian Education for All main OPI page for implementation guidance, instructional resources, and professional learning! 

English Language Proficiency 

• Board of Public Education Adoption: 2023
• Implementation Date: July 1, 2025

Summer Institute Sessions

• WIDA Let's Play! Joyful Learning and Language for Multilingual Children in PreK-3 
  • Workshop is available as part of the 2025 WIDA eWorkshops available until Aug. 31, 2025
• WIDA Expanding Reading Instruction with Multilingual Learners, similar workshop-->
  • Reading Comprehension Across Content Areas with Multilingual Learners
    • Workshop is available as part of the 2025 WIDA eWorkshops available until Aug. 31, 2025
• OPI Home Language Survey Updates and English Language Learner Resources
  • Presentation Link and  Handouts Link

• WIDA Annual Conference, Seattle, WA October 27-30, 2025
  • Virtual Track October 27th
  • In-person October 28-30, 2025
• National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA)
  • NCELA supports the U.S. Department of Education's Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA)
    • Sign up for their  ListSERV
  • NCELA offers a variety of resources for educators to work with ELs as well as support to work with EL families
    • Educator support including Toolkits, Webinars, Grant Programs, Briefs, and a Resource Library
    • Student and Family Support including Toolkits, Infographics, Podcasts, and a Resource Library
    • Research and Data includes Fact Sheets, Reports, and a Resource Library
• WIDA offers Professional Learning that you can complete when you want, where you want, and at your own pace.
  • Log into your WIDA Secure Portal account.  Don't have an account yet? Visit your member/state page on the WIDA websiteto learn more
  • Click on the "Professional Learning" icon to view available workshops.
  • Review the workshop descriptions and choose the workshops that best meet your professional goals.
  • Video explaining the updates to the Home Language Survey
• Interviews with Serena Wright and Allyson Fraser from the Office of Public Instruction in Ep 5 and Rebecca Turke, Carrie Owen, and Aria Peters on English Language Learners
  • Last Best Learning Podcast Episode 5:Every Voice Every Day: Addressing an Expanding Need in Montana, with special guests Serena Wright and Allyson Fraser
  • Last Best Learning Podcast Episode 7:Every Voice Every Day: Embracing Diversity Through Inclusive Instruction with special guests, Carrie Owen, Rebecca Turk, and Aria Peters

Resources:

OPI's specialist on English Language Learners  Serena Wright, English Learner Specialist, 406-410-4098: English Language Learner OPI website

World Languages

• Board of Public Education Adoption: 2025
• Implementation Date: July 1, 2026

National Conference:

• American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
  • November 21*23 ACTFL 2025 New Orleans, Where Languages and Cultures Connect
• MALT: The Montana Association of Language Teachers
  • October 16-17 MALT Fall Conference (MFPE), Big Sky High School, Missoula, MT
  • 2025 Book Club Title:  Between Us How Cultures Create Emotions, by Batja Mesquita
    MALT Book Club Discussion lead by Kristen Wolf

Resources:

• Montana Association of Language Teachers (MALT)
• American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
• New  MT World Languages Content Standards Guidance Document 2026 - This document is intended to provide guidance to educators and administrators regarding the implementation of the new Montana World Languages Content Standards, adopted in 2024 and scheduled to be implemented July 1, 2026.1999  Montana Content Standards for World Languages (Satchel)
• 1999  Montana Content Standards for World Languages (Official OPI PDF)
• New Approved Content Standards Comparison Document with Rational -Scheduled to be implemented July 1, 2026

Mathematics

• Board of Public Education Adoption: 2025
• Implementation Date: July 1, 2026

Webinars:

• Big Sky Standards: Real-World Data:  Register Now!
  • Data Science 4 Everyone is partnering with OPI to bring a free, monthly, professional learning series to Montana’s educators.
    • This series will address why data skills are woven into the new MT math standards, why they matter for students today, how they can drive engagement in the classroom, and so much more!
    • Join us, startingAugust 19th, from 4-5 pm! 
    • This series will occur, from August 2025 through April 2026. 
• Montana Math: Monthly Math Implementation Series  Register Now!
  • This free webinar series is designed to support school-based Montana educators through the adoption and implementation of the new standards, effective July 2026.
    • This series will offer practical guidance, job-embedded strategies, support for curriculum alignment efforts, and create a community of professionals engaged in a shared learning experience.
    • Webinars will occur at 4 PM MT the third Thursday of every month, August 2025 - April 2026.
    • Join us, starting August 21st, from 4-5 pm!

Keep Apprised:

• MT Math Minute
  • The  Montana Math Minute contains news related to math in Montana, resources for teachers, and information on professional development. This month's features include recommendations for teachers seeking to implement IEFA, newly released resources for the new math standards, summer professional learning opportunities, and relevant, helpful resources. Future editions will include district and school spotlights when available. Districts, schools, or teachers interested in being featured in future Math Minute editions can fill out  this form. 

Coming Soon ~ English Language Arts

• Board of Public Education Adoption: TBD
• Implementation Date: TBD

To import Montana Standards to an Infinite Campus student information system use these resources.

• Import standards using the Import Standards Wizard - Video (4:13) Infinite Campus Knowledge Base

• Knowledge Base Article - How-to, Step-by-step instructions

The Board of Public Education (BPE) approved the Career and Technical Education, Computer Science, Library Media and Information Literacy, Social Studies, and Technology Integration Standards at their November 5, 2020 meeting.  The implementation date for the new standards is July 1, 2021.  See individual content area pages to access documents and other helpful information.

NEW Webinar: New Standards for 2021: Overview and Planning for Implementation (February 8, 2021)

• View Slides
• View Recording (48:14)

Districts should consider their 5-year curriculum review cycle in order to plan for a staggered approach to aligning to new standards.

To learn about the standards adoption process and how to get involved, take the  Montana Content Standards 101 course on the  Teacher Learning Hub (1 renewal unit)

OPI Curriculum Review and Selection Documents Now Available

The K-12 Content Standards team has revised and developed updated  Curriculum Review and Selection Documents to assist educators in conducting curriculum reviews and selecting new content-area curriculum for their districts. The documents detail the steps of the curriculum implementation cycle, provide checklists for reviewing and selecting curriculum, and defines curriculum, standards, and high quality instructional materials, in addition to providing resources, templates, and guidance on forming curriculum committees and communicating about the curriculum review and implementation process with educational and community stakeholders. 

RFI Curriculum Review Results for the Montana ARP/ESSER Plan

ARP-ESSER Aligned Evidence-Based Instructional Resources Review

The OPI’s Content Standards and Instruction team has completed reviewing vendor responses to a Request for Information regarding evidence-based curricular materials. Five vendors responded with information on twenty-six programs. Information provided includes Scope 1: Evidence-Based Digital Supplemental Programs and Scope 2: School Year Programs with Targeted Acceleration Using Evidence-Based Instructional Materials and Services to enrich and deepen K-12 students’ conceptual understanding of English language arts, mathematics, and/or science.  

Informational recording of RFI Review:

• RFI Review Results Table
• RFI Review Rubric Look-Fors
• Transcript for video

Contact OPICSI@mt.gov if you have any questions

Acceleration Guidance

• Acceleration and Evidence-Based Instruction page for guidance on instructional best practices 
• A Guide to Planning and Implementing Acceleration 

ESSA Tiers of Evidence

Evidence-based activities, strategies, or interventions are those that demonstrate a statistically significant effect on improving student outcomes or other relevant outcomes based on the listed criteria. When selecting evidence-based instructional materials, you may want to reference the ESSA tier of evidence for the resources in your selection process.

All tiers require ongoing efforts to examine the effects of such activity, strategy, or intervention.

Evidence Levels:

• Tier I: Strong Evidence-  Strong evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented experimental study.
• Tier II: Moderate Evidence-  Moderate evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study.
• Tier III: Promising Evidence-  Promising evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented correlation study with statistical controls for selection bias.
• Tier IV: Demonstrates a Rationale-  Demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality research findings or positive evaluation that such activity, strategy, or intervention is likely to improve student outcomes or other relevant outcomes.

Evidence-Based Resources:

For a quick reference on evidence-based definitions, districts can use this large-print definition provided by the IES. This tool provided by the Midwest REL provides a crosswalk between ESSA levels of evidence and existing clearinghouses, such as the WWC commonly used by educators.

The K-12 content standards describe what students shall know, understand, and be able to do in these content standards. These K-12 standards define end-of-year expectations and a cumulative progression designed to enable students to meet college and career readiness expectations no later than the end of high school. Montana content standards are guidelines school districts can use to develop their curriculum.  They are not the curriculum. In Montana, each school district develops its own curriculum and teachers decide on how they will provide instruction to ensure student learning meeting grade level content standards. 

 The content standards are found in Administrative Rule of Montana (ARM)  and shall be used by school districts to develop local curriculum and assessment in all the content areas including:

• English language proficiency;
• English language arts and literacy;
• Mathematics;
• Arts;
• Health and physical education;
• Science;
• Career and technical education;
• Computer science;
• Library media and information literacy;
• Social studies
• Technology integration
• World Languages

Financial Literacy in Montana

The Office of Public Instruction has developed this webpage to support local school districts concerning financial literacy instruction for K-12 schools.

• Graduation Requirements - ARM 10.55.904
  • Goes into effect for the 2026 graduating class
• Financial Literacy - Legislation - HB535
• Financial Literacy Standards Crosswalk
  • Economics-Financial Literacy throughout the Montana Content Standards
• Financial Literacy Course Codes
  • Montana financial literacy and economics courses are a subset of NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) standard codes. Along with the course code, a content description for each course is provided where financial literacy or economics is embedded within the course:
• Financial Literacy Curricular Resources
• Professional Development Optional Opportunities 
  • Next Gen Personal Finance Certification 
• Economics and Financial Literacy Steering Committee
• Presentation on Research Behind Financial Education in Montana Schools
• Financial Literacy Graduation Requirement Press Release - January 2023