HELENA – Superintendent Elsie Arntzen extends her gratitude to the 46 Montana school districts that have agreed to participate in the Montana Alternative Student Testing (MAST) Pilot Program. The Superintendent set a minimum participation goal of 30 districts and 3,200 5th and 7th grade students in the first year of the MAST pilot. The first year of the pilot includes grades 5 and 7, the second year expands to grades 4 and 6, and the third year will include grades 3 and 8. The Mast pilot utilizes a through-year model that consists of smaller testlets taken closer to the learning of a skill.
“Montana school districts have stood up and said that our students deserve better, our teachers deserve better, and our families deserve better than a one-size-fits-all federally mandated test,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “I am so thankful for the 46 districts that said yes to this new innovation model of through-year assessments. Montana is leading the way in reimagining how student academic achievement is measured throughout the school year.”
The 46 districts participating in this year’s MAST pilot include:
The number of students participating in the Math testlet is:
The number of students participating in the Reading testlet is:
The MAST pilot has four testing windows that include three Math and two Reading testlets, each testlet takes less than ten minutes to complete. The first testing window is November 7-22, 2022, the other testing windows will be in January, March, and April 2023. These testlets can be completed using digital devices such as Chromebooks, laptops, desktops, and iPads. The MAST pilot will provide immediate feedback to teachers, students, and families. Participating districts and students will still be required to participate in the federally mandated end-of-the-year summative assessments.
In preparation for the first test administration window that opens on November 7, 2022, the Office of Public Instruction held a Q&A Session for participating districts and teachers. Professional Development sessions for teachers will begin on October 18 with two sessions per day. Teachers can access the professional development sessions that will prepare them to use the testing platform and other administrative steps.
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