State of Montana Newsroom
Superintendent Arntzen Sends Embargoed Accreditation Status to Schools
HELENA – Superintendent Arntzen has sent embargoed final accreditation statuses to Montana schools prior to the July 17-19 Board of Public Education (BPE) meeting. The accreditation status will be publicly available after the BPE meeting. This year, the accreditation process [vmm0dj30.r.us-west-2.awstrack.me] was based on the new Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM) 10.55 [vmm0dj30.r.us-west-2.awstrack.me] that were approved by BPE last year. School accreditation standards include rules on curriculum, class sizes, teacher and staff qualifications, Indian Education for All, and student learning assessment to ensure all students receive a quality education.
“The new accreditation process emphasizes the outcomes of teaching and learning while focusing on local control and community engagement,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “I am grateful to all of our schools for their dedication to the new process. Our experts are standing by to help our schools answer any questions on their accreditation status.”
This year, 833, or 100%, of Montana public, state funded, and private accredited schools submitted data. There are four accreditation determinations outlined in ARM 10.55.605 [vmm0dj30.r.us-west-2.awstrack.me]:
- Regular - the school has met the assurance standards and student performance standards as defined in ARM 10.55.606 [vmm0dj30.r.us-west-2.awstrack.me], and the Licensure Endorsement Requirements Related to Teaching Assignments
- Regular with Minor Deviation - the school does not meet all the requirements of regular accreditation. Schools have three years to remedy the deviation, or a lower category of accreditation will be assigned.
- Advice - the school exhibits serious and/or numerous deviations from the standards.
- Deficiency - the school is in advice status for two years, has not complied with the required corrective plan, and continues to have serious and/or numerous deviations, or has substantially increased the seriousness of deviations over the previous year.
The new accreditation process required schools to submit a narrative and evidence on assurance standards and performance standards. The assurance standards include:
- Integrated Strategic Action Plan
- School leadership requirements
- Appropriate assignment and licensure of staff
- Number of students in a classroom
- Family and community engagement plan
- Educational offerings
- Indian Education for All
The performance standards include:
- Student learning progression, growth, and proficiency in math and reading
- College and career readiness
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