Superintendent Arntzen Seeks Members for the English Language Arts and Literacy Content Standards Negotiated Rulemaking Committee

• Brian O'Leary
• July 30 2024

HELENA – Superintendent Arntzen has opened applications for the English Language Arts (ELA) and Literacy Content Standards [vmm0dj30.r.us-west-2.awstrack.me] Negotiated Rulemaking Committee (NRC). The ELA Content Standards Revision Task Force met from April through August 2024. The Task Force included two teams: the Writing Team and the Review Team. The Writing Team utilized research and data analysis to develop our Montana ELA Content Standards. The Review Team met at the Capitol on July 29-30, 2024, to review the work of the Writing Team and provide feedback on the proposed changes. The next step of the process requires the use of an NRC, in accordance with § 20-7-101, MCA [vmm0dj30.r.us-west-2.awstrack.me]. Members of the ELA NRC will include:

• Parents
• Taxpayers
• School District Trustees
• K-12 Administrators
• K-12 Teachers
• Higher Education Faculty
• School Business Officials
• Montana Indian Tribe Representative

“Statewide reading scores for grades 3-8 have been trending down since the 2015-2016 school year,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “Revising the decades-old standards and innovating student assessments strengthen the academic success of our children. Members of the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee will reflect the uniqueness of Montana to represent the needs of all Montana students and teachers.”

Interested persons must complete an application [vmm0dj30.r.us-west-2.awstrack.me] by August 15, 2024. NRC meetings are scheduled to begin in September with a virtual orientation. Formal rulemaking is scheduled from October until the completion of rulemaking, with hybrid (virtual/in-person) meetings held in Helena.

For more information, please contact Marie Judisch, Teaching and Learning Senior Manager at the Office of Public Instruction.

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