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Growth & Enhancement of Montana Students
The 63rd Legislative Session has adjourned, Sine Die, April 24, 2013.
Montana Office of Public Instruction's Executive Staff
OPI Staff
Have a Media Inquiry? Contact Allyson Hagen at AHagen2@mt.gov or
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GEMS - Data Warehouse
Growth & Enhancement of Montana Students
The 63rd Legislative Session has adjourned, Sine Die, April 24, 2013.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
On Tuesday, May 21, Montana’s First Lady Lisa Bullock joined me at Lincoln School in Helena to kick off the Summer Six Reading Challenge. Last summer, nearly 1,000 students took the Challenge. This year, I have set a goal of 2,000 students signing up for the Summer Six Reading Challenge! Students in K-12 are encouraged to participate, and if they sign up on the OPI webpage, they become eligible to win prizes.
Research shows that students who don’t read during the summer break run the risk of losing some of their reading comprehension skills and have a much harder time of catching up when school starts again in the fall. This is called the “summer slide.” Over the years, the achievement gap widens between students who read during the summer break and those who don’t. Research also demonstrates that reading just six books during the summer can help keep a struggling reader from falling behind.
As part of the challenge, the Office of Public Instruction has launched a webpage where students can read along with First Lady Bullock as she reads “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein and with me as I read “Red Parka Mary” by Peter Eyvindson.
Are you interested in supporting the Summer Six Reading Challenge or looking for ideas to spread the word in your community? Contact Colet Bartow at 406-444-3583 or cbartow@mt.gov.
This month, schools will be mailed a document showing their accreditation status for the 2012-2013 school year if the accreditation process that takes effect July 1, 2013 had been applied to the current year's accreditation. This information can be used by each school to get an understanding of how the new process will affect the school's accreditation in the future.
Referred to as the blended model, the new accreditation process will include both assurance standards and performance standards. Assurance standards are those standards that have been used to determine accreditation in the past. Performance standards are an average of CRT scale scores from the previous spring for grades 3-8 and grade 10.
Documents at this link provide examples of the color-coded levels of assurance standards and student performance standards.
If you would like assistance reviewing your sample accreditation document or have questions regarding the new accreditation process, please contact Teri Wing at twing@mt.gov or 406-444-4436.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 21-May-2013 13:02:45 MDT
"The Montana Office of Public Instruction provides vision, advocacy, support and leadership for schools and communities to ensure that all students meet today's challenges and tomorrow's opportunities."
The Montana Office of Public Instruction, Denise Juneau, Superintendent • P.O. Box 202501 Helena, Montana 59620-2501 • In-State Toll-Free 1.888.231.9393, Local (406) 444.3095
The Office of Public Instruction is committed to equal opportunity and non-discriminatory access to all our programs and services. For information or to file a complaint, contact OPI Title IX/EEO Coordinator at (406) 444.3161 or tantonick@mt.gov
The OPI is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. The OPI promotes equal opportunity for all individuals without regard to age, color, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion or creed, sex or gender, sexual orientation, or veteran status. The OPI has developed a written Affirmative Action Program which sets forth the policies, practices and procedures that the OPI is committed to in order to ensure that its policy of nondiscrimination and affirmative action for qualified individuals with disabilities and qualified protected veterans is accomplished. This Affirmative Action Program is available for inspection by any employee or applicant for employment upon request, during normal business hours, in the Human Resources Office. Interested persons should contact the Human Resources Manager at 406-444-3161 for assistance.
