State of Montana Newsroom
Superintendent Arntzen Gives Update on Assessment Participation
HELENA – Superintendent Arntzen is pleased to announce that 3,493 or 41.6% of 11th-grade students have completed the online ACT during the first testing window. The first window was opened on March 28, 2023, and closes on April 6, 2023. During the 2021-2022 school year, 90.5% of high school juniors completed the Reading portion of the ACT and 91.9% completed the Math portion.
During the March 28-30 ACT testing window, OPI’s State Assessment Director Cedar Rose observed an administration of the ACT. “For many Montana schools, this was the first full online administration of the ACT with Writing. Through field observations, the OPI Assessment Team was able to observe the benefit of moving to the online platform, and feedback from school personnel has been overwhelmingly positive. While we continue to support schools with ACT with Writing administration, the transition has been smooth and well-received,” said Director Rose.
“The number of high school students that have completed the ACT using the new online system is encouraging,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “Our goal was to streamline facilitation and increase access for Montana students. I am thankful to our Assessment Director Cedar Rose and her team for the work they have done to ensure a smooth and positive testing experience for our Montana students.”
The federally mandated end-of-the-year summative assessment for grades 3-8 testing window opened on March 6, 2023. Completion rates during the first month of the summative assessments are:
- 11% of students have completed the English Language Arts portion
- 11% of students have completed the Math Computer-Adapted portion
- 5% of students have completed the Math Performance Tasks portion
The federal US Department of Education requires a 95% participation rate for the summative assessment. Schools have until May 26, 2023, to complete the summative assessment. In the 2021-2022 school year, 98.2% of 3-8 grade students participated in the Reading assessment and 96.7% of 3-8 grade students participated in the Math assessment.
Daily participation rates for the ACT and all other state summative assessments can be found here.
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