Participation & Eligibility

Student Participation & Eligibility

The OPI has prepared these student eligibility and participation guidelines to support education stakeholders and school partners with the requirements for participation in state assessments. These resources will assist System Test Coordinators (STCs), Authorized Representatives/Building Coordinators, and Test Administrators, Parents, and Students with the expectations for state assessments. The primary goal of participation is to ensure these data are representative so results are accurate and meaningful.

Administering the Montana Comprehensive Assessment System (MontCAS) state summative assessments is required under federal and state law. In Montana, the Board of Public Education adopts rules for state-level assessment in all public schools and accredited non-public schools.

IMPORTANT TESTING ALERTS: On April 6, 2021, the OPI received a letter from the U.S. Department of Education (Department) declining approval of the strategic waivers for testing, accountability, and reporting submitted on February 5, 2021. The OPI had proposed the option to the Department to allow local assessments (e.g., interims) and other measures of student learning and progress to provide information to parents and educators. The Department indicated the OPI had not demonstrated the specific circumstances that would warrant granting a waiver of the annual statewide assessment requirements and, specifically, not administering statewide assessments at all. On March 26, 2021, the OPI secured the accountability and reporting waivers offered by the Department under ESSA Section 1111(c)(4)(E). These flexibilities grant school districts relief from the “Academic Achievement Indicator” participation rate calculation on the 95 percent requirement within the federal accountability process and school identification. Under ESSA Section 1111(b)(2)(B), school districts should plan on providing students the opportunity to assess when it is safe to do so. However, no student is expected to be brought into in-person learning for the sole purpose of taking state assessments. The safety, health, and well-being of school staff and students is the number one priority this spring. The Montana Strategic Waiver Actions Timeline is a document that lists the activities since December 2020 to present on the OPI’s efforts to secure federal waivers on behalf of Montana school districts.

Policies

Resources

Training Supports

ESSA State Plan - The purpose of the consolidated state plan is to provide parents with quality, transparent information about how Montana will meet all requirements for each federal program including state assessments.
MontCAS Test Security Collection Schedule 2020-21 - This document is the MontCAS data collection schedule and timeline.
NEW MontCAS Policies and Procedures for Participation in State Assessments - This guide explains the participation policies and procedures to register and include students in each of the state assessments.
Eligibility Criteria Worksheet for Alternate Assessments - Guidelines to assist IEP teams in determining whether a student should participate in the alternate MontCAS state summative assessments.
Eligibility and Identification Criteria for English Learners - Information to assist STCs with understanding the decision-making process and MontCAS criteria used to inform English Learner (EL) Specialists in the criteria for being considered an EL.
Special Circumstances for Test Registration and Participation - This document provides information on special circumstances and educational situations that do not fall under the typical accredited school and primary enrollment criteria for student registration and guidance on these unique special circumstances.

Six Things Stakeholders Should Know About Participation and Testing in Montana - This document is to ensure that readers are aware of the significant value to stakeholders (e.g., students, parents/guardians, teachers, school leaders, and others) of the information derived from participating in state-level tests.
OPI Guidance for MontCAS Application User Guide - step-by-step instructions for completing the tasks required of STCs in the MontCAS Application.
- Medical exemption submissions for over 10 students must be submitted to the OPI. Download the Over 10 Students Excel Template.
For sample parent notice and score report letters, visit the Parent Corner page.
FY2021 TIDE Student Upload Schedule - This document can be used by school personnel to know when the OPI will sync the AIM/Infinite Campus data to the Montana Testing Portal.
For more information on ELs and Title III, visit the English Learner Page.

Below are three documents to assist STCs and School Principals with reporting non-participation as a result of medical reasons to the OPI:

References to state and federal participation laws:

MontCAS Policies and Procedures for Participation in State Assessments PowerPoint Slide Deck
MontCAS Test Security PowerPoint Slide Deck
MontCAS Test Security Portal - materials provided in this toolkit allow STCs (or presenters) to facilitate a training session so Test Administrators can be trained in Test Security for a standardized administration of the MontCAS assessments.
Meaningful Participation in Statewide Assessments Training - This training focuses on increasing educator knowledge about federal requirements and options for participation in statewide assessments.

The restricted-use MontCAS Application allows school officials to report non-participation for proper identification within Montana's state accountability system and federal reporting.

Statewide Testing Home