Stay Informed

Learn more about things to do in each assessment through the school year.

The OPI Assessment Bulletin is specifically designed for System Test Coordinators (STCs), subscribers, and any school personnel with a responsibility to administer state assessments. It is carefully crafted each month by the OPI Assessment Unit to provide timely access to key test administration responsibilities and actionable content within each of the program checklists. Also included in each issue are references to the state and federal requirements, resources to support professional learning, testing alerts and updates, and frequently asked questions. School districts are encouraged to share the Assessment Bulletin with any school staff who must be aware of these tasks and responsibilities in order to prepare for state assessments. The newsletter is distributed via the OPI Compass , and in addition to being posted on this page, also populates under the RSS Feed heading on the OPI's State Testing homepage.

​Virtual Science Phenomena Workshop Opportunity!

The Montana OPI and Cambium Assessment are recruiting educators to participate in the Phenomena Writing Workshop for the Montana Science Assessment - Grades 5 and 8. The workshop oppoturnity is a virtual event scheduled for October 2 and October 3, 2023. Participants will receive a daily honorarium and have the oppotunity to develop items and clusters for Montana's state science assessment. In addition, Professional Development Units will be offered.

Learn more about this exciting opportunity by viewing this notice, or by contacting the OPI Assessment Unit at 1-844-867-2569 or OPIAssessmentHelpDesk@mt.gov. 

Teacher Learning Hub STC Course

NEW! A new System Test Coordinator Hub Course is currently being developed and will be available for the 2023-2024 school year. Watch this page for updates, including registration information! 

The primary purpose of the OPI Teacher Learning Hub has been to address the challenges of cost, distance, time, and equity of access to high-quality professional development for Montana educators. Please explore professional learning for assessment offered on the Hub via the Course List, Course Catalog, and/or using the "Search Courses" feature.

Teacher Learning Hub

REGISTER FOR THE 2023-2024 STC WORKSHOP SERIES SESSIONS COMING OCTOBER 5, OCTOBER 12, AND OCTOBER 26!

The purpose of the “STC Workshop Series” is to provide each Montana school district System Test Coordinator (STC) with the opportunity to learn the “how-to’s” for each of the assessment related components listed. New for the 2023-2024 school year, the workshop will work in tandem with the new STC Hub Course.

The workshop will be held over three Thursdays in October with each day providing four sessions. Each session will focus on a different part of the assessment cycle, STC duties, or other content pertinent to the administration of state assessments. Use the STC Workshop Series Schedule to register for sessions. 

STC participants will leave the series with content to complete the five required testing plans and be provided with step-by-step instructions on how to accomplish the various STC activities. The OPI Assessment Team will share tips and tricks to accomplish said activities and invite veteran STCs to share their experience(s) as well.

Note: only confirmed System Test Coordinators will be allowed allowed to participate in sessions. If you are a new STC this year, confirm with the OPI Assessment Unit that your district has been updated with the current year's STC prior to the workshop sessions. 

The Assessment Unit offers a 1-hour webinar once a month from August/September to June annually for a total of 10-11 webinars during the school year. These focused webinars are designed to support educational practitioners involved in managing district assessments, accountability, and reporting requirements under state and federal law. These professional learning sessions are intended to support local data-driven decision-making actions and/or continuous improvement processes using student achievement data. 

For the 2023-2024 school year, the OPI Assessment Unit will host a monthly webinar focused on timely content each month on Wednesday from 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM from August 2023 to June 2024. 

• View the MontCAS Monthly Webinar Schedule for dates, times, and content. Follow the links in the schedule to join the webinar. 
• All focused webinars can be viewed on the Focused Webinar Playlist on the Montana OPI Assessment YouTube Channel.