Report Card Information for Families

 

The Every Student Succeeds Act requires that data about Montana schools be shared with the public. Montana has created a report card to share this information, giving parents and families a straightforward, family-friendly look at how your child's school is performing.

 

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Read the FAQ's below for more information about school report cards.

What does the Report Card show?

The report card measures how well each Montana school is performing across several areas. It highlights areas of success, as well as areas of challenge for the school. 

Using measures required by the federal government, each report card will show how your child's school is performing in these areas:

  • Academic Achievement on Statewide Assessments in English Language Arts/Reading & Math
  • Academic Growth on Statewide Assessments in English Language Arts/Reading & Math in grades K-8 only
  • English Language Learner Progress
  • Graduation rate (high school only)

Montana will also be including information about schools in these areas:

  • Attendance
  • College & Career Readiness (high school only)
  • Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM)

NOTE: In March 2020, the US Department of Education waived key requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.  In March 2021, the Montana Office of Public Instruction received an accountability waiver.  The 2021 waiver addressed elements within the accountability system that continued to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2020-2021 academic year.  Montana's 2020-2021 ESSA report cards do not contain updated school designation details, student growth calculations, and college readiness details.  Please visit the 2020-2021 ESSA Report Card Information page for more information.

Learn about Report Card Definitions

Where do I find the Report Card for my child's school?

When report cards are released, you have two options to see your school's report card:

  1. You can go to your child's school website to see that school's ESSA Report Card. Schools will share their report cards with parents and families, and may also include additional information information they believe is important for you to understand how students in your school are being supported and prepared for the future.
  2. Go to the Montana School Report Card website and select your school from the dropdown.
  3. You can also find your district's report card by going to the Montana District Report Card website and select your district from the dropdown.

Why is so much of the information on the Report Card not visible?

If you cannot see all the report card data for a school, it means that portions have been "masked" to protect student privacy and confidentiality. Masked data (*) supresses the number of students because if this data were not supressed, it would be possible to identify individual students. This standard meets national and state laws and policies. 

Learn about Report Card Definitions

I think there is a mistake on the Report Card. How do I report it?

If you suspect errors or omissions on a report card, you should first contact the school or district whose data you believe is in error. They typically can explain their data best and determine if an error or omission has occurred. The OPI has also published information about Data Integrity and Errors and Omissions that may also answer your questions. 


OPI Staff are here to help:

GEMS Help Desk, 406-444-5222

 

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