Montana Launches Innovative New Student Assessment Pilot Project

• Anastasia Burton
• October 25 2021

HELENA—State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen today announced Montana is initiating a new student growth assessment pilot. The Montana Alternative Student Testing (MAST) Pilot Program is a partnership with participating school districts and MetaMetrics, Inc., and is overseen by the Montana Office of Public Instruction.  The pilot is designed to lessen the burden of federally mandated testing on local school districts.  It also allows for measuring student growth using locally-selected interim assessments.  At this time, the MAST Pilot Program will measure third through eighth- grade student achievement in reading and math.

“Montana is the first state in the nation to undertake a study like this,” said State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “As a former fifth-grade teacher for 23 years, I know that one-size high-stakes assessment at the end of the school year is not the best indicator of student success.  Federally mandated tests do not accurately reflect student learning and growth in a timely or meaningful manner. The MAST Pilot Program is an opportunity for Montana to re-imagine student assessment using tools at the local level that are closer to the teacher and student,” Arntzen added.

The MAST Pilot Project timeline is:

• Phase I: (2021-2022):   School district partnership and data acquisition
• Phase II: (2022-2023):  Support for federal defensibility
• Planned implementation in (2023-2024) or (2024-2025) of less restrictive interim testing requirements for districts

The MAST study is funded by federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER I) dollars to spark innovative ways to address lost learning time caused by COVID-19.  At this time, 30 school districts have committed to participating in the MAST Pilot.  Proctored tests will be given to 1,500 students per grade level per local assessment.

For more information, contact OPI Project Manager Dr. Trenin Bayless at (406) 444-3449, or click here.