Superintendent Arntzen to Host Second MAST Roadshow

• Brian O'Leary
• July 24 2024

HELENA – Superintendent Arntzen and New Meridian [vmm0dj30.r.us-west-2.awstrack.me] will host a second statewide Montana Aligned to Standards Through-Year [vmm0dj30.r.us-west-2.awstrack.me] (MAST) Roadshow from August 8-16, 2024, in nine Montana communities. This roadshow will focus on providing professional learning opportunities for parents, teachers, educators, and school administrators on the statewide implementation of MAST for the 2024-2025 school year. Please register [vmm0dj30.r.us-west-2.awstrack.me] for the roadshow by August 1, 2024. The MAST Roadshow is scheduled to take place in:

• Havre on August 8
• Wolf Point on August 9
• Miles City on August 9
• Lewistown on August 12
• Lockwood on August 12
• Great Falls on August 14
• Belgrade on August 15
• Missoula on August 16
• Kalispell on August 16

“I listened when our parents, families, and educators asked me to replace the antiquated ‘pencils up’ model of measuring student success,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “Montana set an example for the nation by reimagining student assessments through the innovative MAST program.  Testing closest to the learning of the skill and aligning testlets to our Montana content standards propels our students toward educational excellence.”

During the 2024-2025 school year, the MAST program will be used as the federally required student assessment for Math and English Language Arts in grades 3-8. The MAST pilot took place during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years. The pilot included nearly half, or 30,000 students in grades 3-8, and 200 schools across Montana. The through-year assessment, based on state content standards, is given during four testing windows per school year to directly connect teaching to the learning of the skill. This program aims to accurately represent the unique needs of Montana students and teachers while providing flexibility.