State of Montana Newsroom
Superintendent Arntzen Opens First Testing Window for Year Two of the MAST Program
HELENA – Superintendent Arntzen has opened the first testing window for the second year of the Montana Alternative Student Testing (MAST) pilot program. The first testing window for the MAST Through-Year Pilot runs from October 23 - November 10, 2023, for grades 3 through 8 in Math and English Language Arts (ELA). The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) has partnered with 54 Montana school districts and over 20,600 students for the MAST pilot program this school year.
“The MAST program reflects our Montana Constitutional promise of developing the full educational potential of each student,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “The through-year model focuses on individual student learning by offering immediate feedback on subject mastery. A big shout-out to all the students and teachers participating in the pilot program; you are leading the way in reimagining innovative assessments in our great state and our nation.”
The participating districts are fully committed to the innovative through-year design. As part of the pilot program, districts will administer the MAST assessments during all five testing windows throughout the 2023-2024 school year. By participating in the MAST Through-Year Pilot, districts will no longer be obligated to administer the federally mandated end-of-the-year Smarter Balanced Assessment, and their accountability measures will remain unaffected. Districts participating in the MAST Pilot are still required to administer the Montana Science Assessment (MSA) to students in grades 5 and 8. Districts with students enrolled in the Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA) for Grades 3-8 and 11, and the Alternate Montana Science Assessment (AMSA) for Grades 5, 8, and 11, are required to administer these alternative assessments as there is not an alternate version of MAST.
This pilot program revolutionizes the assessment experience for districts and provides valuable insights into student progress throughout the academic year. The next testing windows are:
- Testing Window #2: November 27 - December 15, 2023
- Testing Window #3: January 29 - February 16, 2024
- Testing Window #4: March 11 - April 5, 2024
- Testing Window #5: April 15 - May 10, 2024
Live listening and feedback sessions will be scheduled throughout the school year to ensure continuous improvement of the MAST pilot program. These sessions will serve as an opportunity for districts to share feedback, suggestions, and experiences to help enhance the usability of MAST. The first live session is scheduled for November 14th from 3:30-4:30 pm via Zoom.
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