(Helena) – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen as submitted the Field Testing Flexibility Waiver for the Montana Assessment System to the US Department of Education.
The request ensures students, teachers, and district leaders participating in the Montana Alternative Student Testing (MAST) pilot program do not get double tested in the upcoming school year.
Mast will expand for 2023-2024, for Math and Reading in grades three through eight.
Districts not participating in MAST are still required to perform the year end assessment.
After a public comment period, the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) submitted a public comment summary with the waiver request. The summary of public comment revealed that 93% of respondents were in favor of the field testing waiver, 95% support the data gathering while publicly withholding test scores, and 97% support maintaining the federal school identification of participating MAST districts.
