Advanced Placement
The Advanced Placement program provides guidance for Montana schools in developing Advanced Placement courses and preparing students to successfully pass the Advanced Placement exams.
The Office of Pubic Instruction has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to waive the AP and International Baccalaureate program test fees for low income students.
Advanced Placement Information
- AP Exam Fee Information for Spring 2012
- Online Distance Learning Providers must register with the Office of Public Instruction
- Advanced Placement Course Audit Letter to School District Officials and Frequently Asked Questions
- Checklist for Evaluating Online Courses
- AP Teachers - take a look at College Board's online resource for professionals. Go to http://apcentral.collegeboard.com and register to be a user (it is easy). You can get information about courses, exams, and even get on a subject-specific listserve. It also brings you the latest changes and other AP news.
For additional information, contact Michael Hall, Assistant Division Administrator 406.444.4422
Title III Part A English Acquisition & Enhancement
Bilingual/World Languages/Language Acquisition
The purpose of the program is to help ensure that LEP students become proficient in English and attain state standards.
Related Links
2010-2011 English Language Proficiency (ELP) Report
Essential Understandings of Montana Hutterites: A Resource for Educators and Students
2010 - 11 Title III Final Allocations
Listing of 2012-2013 Title III Grant Sites
Title III Purpose and required and allowable
activities
Title III Consortium Information
Criteria for LEP Identification
Program Guidelines
- Trigger – If the appropriation exceeds $650 million, authorizes formula awards to States based on the State’s share of limited English proficient and recent immigrant students. States, in turn, make subgrants to local educational agencies. If a State does not apply, the Secretary makes competitive awards directly to “specially qualified agencies” (school districts).
- Discretionary Programs – If the appropriation is less than $650 million, continues to authorize three discretionary grant programs for instructional services, three support services programs, four professional development programs, and Immigrant Education formula grants. These programs are similar to those in the previous law.
- State Plans – Requires States to submit State plans establishing standards and benchmarks for LEP students aligned with State standards.
- Continuations – Provides for continuation grants to current instructional service and professional development grantees for the original period of their grant. Consequently, diverts an estimaWorkted $209 million from the formula in 2002 and declining amounts thereafter.
- National Leadership Activities – Authorizes National Leadership Activities: National Professional Development Project, National Clearinghouse, and evaluation activities. Under the National Professional Development Project, the Secretary makes 5-year competitive grants to institutions of higher education for professional development activities that will improve classroom instruction for limited English proficient students.
- Small-State Minimum – Guarantees all States at least $500,000 under the formula program.
Accountability
- States must establish annual achievement objectives for limited English proficient students that are related to gains in English proficiency and meeting challenging State academic standards and that are aligned with Title I achievement standards.
- States must assure that subgrantees will comply with the Title I requirement to annually assess in English children who have been in the United States for 3 or more consecutive years. States must hold subgrantees accountable for making adequate yearly progress as described in Title I and meeting all annual achievement objectives.
Allocations
- Federal to State – The Secretary determines formula allocations based on the State’s share of limited English proficient students (80 percent) and recent immigrant students (20 percent). In 2002 and 2003, the Secretary calculates State shares using 2000 Census data. Thereafter, the Secretary may use either American Community Survey data from the Department of Commerce or data submitted by the States.
- State to Local – States allocate funds to school districts based on share of the limited English proficient student population except that States can reserve up to 15 percent for school districts that have experienced significant increases in the percentage or number of immigrant students or that have limited or no experience in serving immigrant students.
Set-Asides
- One-half of one percent or $5 million (whichever is higher) for schools operated predominantly for Native American students; one-half of one percent for the outlying areas; 6.5 percent for National Leadership Activities; and such sums as necessary for continuation awards.
The Department of Education Services
The Department provides leadership and supervision to the divisions listed below:
Accreditation
Dr. Linda Vrooman Peterson
Division Administrator
406.444.5726
Career,
Technical and Adult Education
TJ Eyer
Division Administrator
406.444.7915
Educational Opportunity and Equity
BJ Granbery
Division Administrator
406.444.4420
Health Enhancement and Safety
Karin Billings
Division Administrator
406.444.0829
Indian Education
Lynn Hinch
Interim Division Administrator
406.444.3482
Special Education
Frank Podobnik
Division Administrator
406.444.4428
Related Links
Nancy Coopersmith
Assistant Superintendent
406.444.5541
Steve York
Assistant Superintendent
406.444.4434
Effie Benoit
Administrative Specialist
406.444.2417
Sally Cohen
Receptionist
406.444.3693
Gifted & Talented Education
Information for educators and parents of gifted and talented students.
Educators
- Gifted Education Programming Criterion
- Guidelines for Developing an Academic Acceleration Policy
- Montana Gifted Program Planning Guide
- Resource List of Gifted Student Identification Instruments
- Response to Intervention and Gifted and Talented
- Teacher Licensure - Area of Permissive Special Competency for K-12 Gifted Education
Parents
Providing Educational Programs - Resources and State G/T Grants
Writing Your Montana State Funded Gifted Education Grant* To view the above presentation with audio, you must have PowerPoint.
PDF (no audio): Writing Your Montana State Funded Gifted Education Grant
- Gifted and Talent Grant Writing Assistance: Goals, Objectives, Indicators, Strategies and Activities Defined
- A Look at the Gifted and Talented Grant Application in E-Grants: Overview and Instructions
- Annual Budget and Program Modification Request for Federal and State Programs Fill-in Form
- Montana Association of Gifted and Talented Education, Inc. (AGATE)
Gifted Education Resource Guide
- Chapter 1: Getting Started
- Chapter 2: Philosophy
- Chapter 3: Theories and Definitions of Giftedness
- Chapter 4: Identification of Students
- Chapter 5: Programming
- Chapter 6: Meeting Students' Academic Needs Through Program Options
- Chapter 7: Meeting Students' Social/Emotional Needs Through Program Options
- Chapter 8: Program Evaluation
- Appendix A: Gifted Education Standard 10.55.804 Montana State Law for Gifted Education 20-7-901-904
- Appendix C:Responses
- Appendix D: Glossary of Terms
- Complete Guide: Download Full Gifted Education Resource Guide (77 pages)
Health Enhancement
This program is designed to strengthen the capacity of local school districts to plan, design, implement, and evaluate health and physical education (health enhancement programs). It also assists in the review and development of teacher preparation standards for Montana's units of higher education, and the review of accreditation standards at the K-12 local district level.
Curricula, Activities, and Toolkits
- K-12 Montana Model Lesson Plans
- Healthy Body Image
- Bullying Prevention Programs
- Bullying Prevention Toolkit
Health Enhancement Resources
- 2010 Shape of the Nation
- 2010 Status of PE – Montana
- Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool
- Healthy Youth Online (CDC)
- Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool
- Sexuality Education in Health Enhancement
- Relationships in Health Education
Health Enhancement Standards
HIV/AIDS/STD Education
Purpose:
The program is designed to prevent the spread of HIV infection, and to expand and strengthen the capacity of local education agencies to plan, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of health education, including HIV/STD education.
Program priorities are:
- Policy - Promote LEA adoption of HIV/STD policies consistent with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines.
- Curriculum - Assist LEAs in developing, strengthening and implementing planned, sequential, skills-based comprehensive school health curricula intended to prevent behaviors that will result in HIV/STD infection. Curricula should conform to accepted practice guidelines and have credible evidence of effectiveness in impacting the behaviors that place young people at risk of HIV infection.
- Teacher Training - Provide staff development for teachers to acquire the skills they need for effectively delivering skills-based health education curriculum.
- Classroom Implementation - Work toward the effective delivery of HIV/STD curricula and the integration of HIV/STD prevention education within the context of coordinated school health education in the classroom.
- Efforts Targeting Youth in High-Risk Situations - Develop the capacity for schools, alternative schools and other agencies to provide education for preventing important health-risk behaviors among indigent youth, minority youth, youth with special education needs and other youth in high-risk situations, including staff development for those who work with youth in high-risk situations.
- Involvement of Young People - Involve youth in planning, implementing and evaluating HIV/STD prevention efforts to help assure that program efforts address the needs of youth.
- Data Collection - Conduct surveys to establish the health risk behaviors of youth, and to determine the implementation level of coordinated school health education.
- Evaluation - Assess the work plan for school-based HIV prevention education at regular intervals.
- Resources on the Bully Free Montanawebpage include: model policies and procedures for schools, sample investigation and reporting forms, actions students can take if they are being bullied or cyber-bullied, tips for parents to help them recognize bullying and ways schools can assess the effectiveness of their bullying prevention and intervention efforts. Go to http://opi.mt.gov/bullyfree to check out the resources.
- LGBT Health
- OPI Safe Schools - Bullying, Harassment and Intimidation
- Stop Cyberbullying
- “The ABC’s of Bullying” – an online course
The Office of Public Instruction's HIV/AIDS Teacher Trainings are FREE 5-6 hour educational opportunities for K-12 teachers, administrators and school staff. The training is often scheduled as a PIR day by the professional development committee in your school. The trainings are offered for renewal units toward education re-licensure.
A training will include an HIV/AIDS "101," Policy for Infected Students/Staff, Education and Work Site Safety issues, Blood borne Pathogen and Universal Precaution guidelines, Human Sexuality, Reasons for Abstinence and Age-Appropriate HIV/AIDS/STD Teaching Strategies for use within a K-12 comprehensive school health program.
If you would like to arrange a training at your school please contact Susan Court at 406-444-3178 or scourt@mt.gov
