**Montana**

**Consolidated State Application**

**Accountability Workbook**

**for State Grants under Title IX, Part C, Section 9302 of the
Elementary and**

> **Secondary Education Act (Public Law 107-110)**

**APPROVED**

**JUNE 10, 2003**

**AMENDED**

**OCTOBER 15, 2004**

**(Submitted December 8, 2004)**

**Further Amended and Submitted**

**September 30, 2005**

**Further Amended and Submitted**

**August 25, 2006**

**Further Amended and Resubmitted**

**October 13, 2006**

**Further Amended and Resubmitted**

**November 20, 2006**

**Further Amended and Resubmitted**

**July 23, 2007**

**Further Amended and Resubmitted June 11, 2008**

**Further Amended and Resubmitted July 3, 2008**

![](media/image1.png){width="2.1875in" height="2.1875in"}

**Linda McCulloch**

**State Superintendent**

**Instructions for Completing Consolidated State Application
Accountability Workbook**

By January 31, 2003, States must complete and submit to the Department
this Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook. We
understand that some of the critical elements for the key principles may
still be under consideration and may not yet be final State policy by
the January 31 due date. States that do not have final approval for some
of these elements or that have not finalized a decision on these
elements by January 31 should, when completing the Workbook, indicate
the status of each element which is not yet official State policy and
provide the anticipated date by which the proposed policy will become
effective. In each of these cases, States must include a timeline of
steps to complete to ensure that such elements are in place by May 1,
2003, and implemented during the 2002-2003 school year. By no later than
May 1, 2003, States must submit to the Department final information for
all sections of the Consolidated State Application Accountability
Workbook.

**Transmittal Instructions**

To expedite the receipt of this Consolidated State Application
Accountability Workbook, please send your submission via the Internet as
a .doc file, pdf file, rtf or .txt file or provide the URL for the site
where your submission is posted on the Internet. Send electronic
submissions to conapp@ed.gov.

A State that submits only a paper submission should mail the submission
by express courier to:

Celia Sims

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Ave., SW

Room 3W300

Washington, D.C. 20202-6400

\(202\) 401-0113

# PART I: Summary of Required Elements for State Accountability Systems 

# Instructions 

# 

# The following chart is an overview of States\' implementation of the critical elements required for approval of their State accountability systems. States must provide detailed implementation information for each of these elements in Part II of this Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook. 

# 

# For each of the elements listed in the following chart, States should indicate the current implementation status in their State using the following legend:

# 

# F: State has a final policy, approved by all the required entities in the State (e.g., State Board of Education, State Legislature), for implementing this element in its accountability system. 

# 

# P: State has a proposed policy for implementing this element in its accountability system, but must still receive approval by required entities in the State (e.g., State Board of Education, State Legislature). 

# 

# W: State is still working on formulating a policy to implement this element in its accountability system. 

# 

#  

# Summary of Implementation Status for Required Elements of

# State Accountability Systems

+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| * |    | **State Accountability System Element**                      |
| * |    |                                                              |
| S |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| * |    |                                                              |
| * |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| * |    |                                                              |
| * |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| 1 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| S |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| h |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
| * |    |                                                              |
| * |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 1  | Accountability system includes *all schools and districts in |
| ~ | .1 | the state*.                                                  |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 1  | Accountability system holds *all schools to the same         |
| ~ | .2 | criteria*.                                                   |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 1  | Accountability system incorporates the *academic achievement |
| ~ | .3 | standards*.                                                  |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 1  | Accountability system provides *information in a timely      |
| ~ | .4 | manner*.                                                     |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 1  | Accountability system includes *report cards*.               |
| ~ | .5 |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 1  | Accountability system includes *rewards and sanctions*.      |
| ~ | .6 |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 2 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| S |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 2  | The accountability system includes *all students*            |
| ~ | .1 |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 2  | The accountability system has a consistent definition of     |
| ~ | .2 | *full academic year*.                                        |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 2  | The accountability system properly includes *mobile          |
| ~ | .3 | students*.                                                   |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 3 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| M |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| h |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| f |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| Y |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| D |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| m |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 3  | Accountability system expects *all student subgroups, public |
| ~ | .1 | schools, and LEAs to reach proficiency by 2013-14*.          |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 3  | Accountability system has a method for determining whether   |
| ~ | .2 | *student subgroups, public schools, and LEAs made adequate   |
| P |    | yearly progress.*                                            |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 3. | Accountability system establishes a *starting point*.        |
| ~ | 2a |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 3. | Accountability system establishes *statewide annual          |
| ~ | 2b | measurable objectives*.                                      |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 3. | Accountability system establishes *intermediate goals*.      |
| ~ | 2c |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 4 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| D |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 4  | The accountability system *determines annually the progress* |
| ~ | .1 | of schools and districts.                                    |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+

**STATUS Legend:**

**F** -- Final state policy

**P** -- Proposed policy, awaiting State approval

**W** -- Working to formulate policy

+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 5 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| S |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| b |    |                                                              |
| g |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| b |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| y |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 5  | The accountability system *includes all the required student |
| ~ | .1 | subgroups*.                                                  |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 5  | The accountability system holds *schools and LEAs            |
| ~ | .2 | accountable for the progress of* *student subgroups*.        |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 5  | The accountability system includes *students with            |
| ~ | .3 | disabilities*.                                               |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 5  | The accountability system includes *limited English          |
| ~ | .4 | proficient students*.                                        |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 5  | The State has determined the minimum number of students      |
| ~ | .5 | sufficient to yield statistically reliable information for   |
| P |    | each purpose for which disaggregated data are used.          |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 5  | The State has strategies to protect the privacy of           |
| ~ | .6 | individual students in reporting achievement results and in  |
| P |    | determining whether schools and LEAs are making adequate     |
| ~ |    | yearly progress on the basis of disaggregated subgroups.     |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 6 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| B |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| m |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| m |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 6  | Accountability system is based *primarily on academic        |
| ~ | .1 | assessments*.                                                |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 7 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| I |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 7  | Accountability system includes *graduation rate for high     |
| ~ | .1 | school*s.                                                    |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 7  | Accountability system includes an *additional academic       |
| ~ | .2 | indicator for elementary and middle school*s.                |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 7  | Additional indicators are valid and reliable.                |
| ~ | .3 |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 8 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| S |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| D |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| f |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| R |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| g |    |                                                              |
| / |    |                                                              |
| L |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| g |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| g |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| A |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| M |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| h |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| m |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 8  | Accountability system holds students, schools and districts  |
| ~ | .1 | separately accountable for *reading/language arts* and       |
| P |    | *mathematics*.                                               |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 9 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| S |    |                                                              |
| y |    |                                                              |
| s |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| m |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| V |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| y |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| R |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| b |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| y |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 9  | Accountability system produces *reliable decisions*.         |
| ~ | .1 |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 9  | Accountability system produces *valid decisions*.            |
| ~ | .2 |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 9  | State has a plan for addressing *changes in assessment and   |
| ~ | .3 | student population*.                                         |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| # |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| [ |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| 1 |    |                                                              |
| 0 |    |                                                              |
| : |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| P |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| c |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| p |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| o |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| R |    |                                                              |
| a |    |                                                              |
| t |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| ] |    |                                                              |
| { |    |                                                              |
| . |    |                                                              |
| u |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| d |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| r |    |                                                              |
| l |    |                                                              |
| i |    |                                                              |
| n |    |                                                              |
| e |    |                                                              |
| } |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 10 | Accountability system has a means for calculating the *rate  |
| ~ | .1 | of participation* in the statewide assessment.               |
| P |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~ | 10 | Accountability system has a means for *applying the 95%      |
| ~ | .2 | assessment criteria to student subgroups* *and small         |
| P |    | schools.*                                                    |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
| ~ |    |                                                              |
|   |    |                                                              |
| F |    |                                                              |
+---+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+

**STATUS Legend:**

F -- Final policy - P -- Proposed Policy, awaiting State approval

W-- Working to formulate policy

**PART II: State Response and Activities for Meeting State
Accountability System Requirements**

Instructions

In Part II of this Workbook, States are to provide detailed information
for each of the critical elements required for State accountability
systems. States should answer the questions asked about each of the
critical elements in the State\'s accountability system. States that do
not have final approval for any of these elements or that have not
finalized a decision on these elements by January 31, 2003, should, when
completing this section of the Workbook, indicate the status of each
element that is not yet official State policy and provide the
anticipated date by which the proposed policy will become effective. In
each of these cases, States must include a timeline of steps to complete
to ensure that such elements are in place by May 1, 2003, and
implemented during the 2002-2003 school year. By no later than May 1,
2003, States must submit to the Department final information for all
sections of the Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook.

**PRINCIPLE 1. A single statewide Accountability System applied to all
public schools and LEAs.**

+------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| **CRITICAL ELEMENT**   | **EXAMPLES FOR**     | **EXAMPLES OF**      |
|                        |                      |                      |
|                        | **MEETING STATUTORY  | ***NOT* MEETING      |
|                        | REQUIREMENTS**       | REQUIREMENTS**       |
+------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| 1.  How does the State | Every public school  | A public school or   |
|     Accountability     | and LEA is required  | LEA is not required  |
|     System include     | to make adequate     | to make adequate     |
|     every public       | yearly progress and  | yearly progress and  |
|     school and LEA in  | is included in the   | is not included in   |
|     the State?         | State Accountability | the State            |
|                        | System.              | Accountability       |
|                        |                      | System.              |
|                        | State has a          |                      |
|                        | definition of        | State policy         |
|                        | "public school" and  | systematically       |
|                        | "LEA" for AYP        | excludes certain     |
|                        | accountability       | public schools       |
|                        | purposes.            | and/or LEAs.         |
|                        |                      |                      |
|                        | -   The State        |                      |
|                        |     Accountability   |                      |
|                        |     System produces  |                      |
|                        |     AYP decisions    |                      |
|                        |     for all public   |                      |
|                        |     schools,         |                      |
|                        |     including public |                      |
|                        |     schools with     |                      |
|                        |     variant grade    |                      |
|                        |     configurations   |                      |
|                        |     (e.g., K-12),    |                      |
|                        |     public schools   |                      |
|                        |     that serve       |                      |
|                        |     special          |                      |
|                        |     populations      |                      |
|                        |     (e.g.,           |                      |
|                        |     alternative      |                      |
|                        |     public schools,  |                      |
|                        |     juvenile         |                      |
|                        |     institutions,    |                      |
|                        |     state public     |                      |
|                        |     schools for the  |                      |
|                        |     blind) and       |                      |
|                        |     public charter   |                      |
|                        |     schools. It also |                      |
|                        |     holds            |                      |
|                        |     accountable      |                      |
|                        |     public schools   |                      |
|                        |     with no grades   |                      |
|                        |     assessed (e.g.,  |                      |
|                        |     K-2).            |                      |
+------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND   |                      |                      |
| STATE ACTIVITIES FOR   |                      |                      |
| MEETING REQUIREMENTS** |                      |                      |
+------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| 1.1 The State will     |                      |                      |
| move toward enhancing  |                      |                      |
| the current            |                      |                      |
| accreditation system   |                      |                      |
| by adding a separate   |                      |                      |
| Adequate Yearly        |                      |                      |
| Progress (AYP)         |                      |                      |
| achievement-based      |                      |                      |
| system that is         |                      |                      |
| congruent with the     |                      |                      |
| requirements of the No |                      |                      |
| Child Left Behind      |                      |                      |
| (NCLB) Act of 2001.    |                      |                      |
| The Montana State      |                      |                      |
| Accountability System  |                      |                      |
| will include every     |                      |                      |
| public school and      |                      |                      |
| every school district  |                      |                      |
| in the state. All      |                      |                      |
| public schools and     |                      |                      |
| districts will be      |                      |                      |
| required to make       |                      |                      |
| adequate yearly        |                      |                      |
| progress. The State    |                      |                      |
| Accountability System  |                      |                      |
| will produce AYP       |                      |                      |
| decisions for all      |                      |                      |
| public schools,        |                      |                      |
| including public       |                      |                      |
| schools with variant   |                      |                      |
| grade configurations   |                      |                      |
| (e.g., K-1, K-2, K-3,  |                      |                      |
| 5--6, etc.). There are |                      |                      |
| no public charter      |                      |                      |
| schools in Montana.    |                      |                      |
| Public schools with no |                      |                      |
| grades assessed will   |                      |                      |
| be included in the     |                      |                      |
| system by examining    |                      |                      |
| the schools into which |                      |                      |
| they feed. The State   |                      |                      |
| Superintendent will    |                      |                      |
| incorporate AYP        |                      |                      |
| policies and           |                      |                      |
| procedures into the    |                      |                      |
| Office of Public       |                      |                      |
| Instruction (OPI)      |                      |                      |
| State and Federal      |                      |                      |
| Grants Handbook.       |                      |                      |
|                        |                      |                      |
| The Montana definition |                      |                      |
| for school is found at |                      |                      |
| Montana Code Annotated |                      |                      |
| (MCA) 20-6-501. The    |                      |                      |
| trustees of a district |                      |                      |
| shall designate the    |                      |                      |
| grade assignments for  |                      |                      |
| the schools of the     |                      |                      |
| district, but for the  |                      |                      |
| purposes of this title |                      |                      |
| each school is known   |                      |                      |
| as: (1) *an elementary |                      |                      |
| school* when it        |                      |                      |
| comprises the work of  |                      |                      |
| any combination of     |                      |                      |
| kindergarten, other    |                      |                      |
| preschool programs, or |                      |                      |
| the first eight grades |                      |                      |
| or their equivalents;  |                      |                      |
| a *middle school* is a |                      |                      |
| school comprising the  |                      |                      |
| work of grades 4       |                      |                      |
| through 8 or any       |                      |                      |
| combination of grades  |                      |                      |
| 4 through 8 that has   |                      |                      |
| been accredited as a   |                      |                      |
| middle school under    |                      |                      |
| the provisions of MCA  |                      |                      |
| 20-7-102. When an      |                      |                      |
| accredited *junior     |                      |                      |
| high school* is        |                      |                      |
| operated by the        |                      |                      |
| district, grades 7 and |                      |                      |
| 8 or their equivalents |                      |                      |
| may not be considered  |                      |                      |
| as elementary grades;  |                      |                      |
| (2) a high school when |                      |                      |
| it comprises the work  |                      |                      |
| of one or more grades  |                      |                      |
| of schoolwork of the   |                      |                      |
| equivalents            |                      |                      |
| intermediate between   |                      |                      |
| the elementary schools |                      |                      |
| and the institutions   |                      |                      |
| of higher education in |                      |                      |
| the state of Montana.  |                      |                      |
| Types of high schools  |                      |                      |
| are designated as      |                      |                      |
| follows: (a) a *junior |                      |                      |
| high school* is a      |                      |                      |
| school comprising the  |                      |                      |
| work of grades 7       |                      |                      |
| through 9 or their     |                      |                      |
| equivalents that has   |                      |                      |
| been accredited as a   |                      |                      |
| junior high school     |                      |                      |
| under the provisions   |                      |                      |
| of MCA 20-7-102; (b) a |                      |                      |
| *senior high school*   |                      |                      |
| is a school that       |                      |                      |
| comprises the work of  |                      |                      |
| grades 10 through 12   |                      |                      |
| or their equivalents   |                      |                      |
| and that is operated   |                      |                      |
| in conjunction with a  |                      |                      |
| junior high school;    |                      |                      |
| and (c) a *4-year high |                      |                      |
| school* is a school    |                      |                      |
| comprising the work of |                      |                      |
| grades 9 through 12 or |                      |                      |
| their equivalents.     |                      |                      |
|                        |                      |                      |
| Students who attend    |                      |                      |
| alternative education  |                      |                      |
| programs within their  |                      |                      |
| districts are included |                      |                      |
| in their "parent"      |                      |                      |
| school (the public     |                      |                      |
| school they would have |                      |                      |
| attended in the        |                      |                      |
| absence of the         |                      |                      |
| alternative program)   |                      |                      |
| for assessment and     |                      |                      |
| accountability         |                      |                      |
| purposes.              |                      |                      |
|                        |                      |                      |
| State operated schools |                      |                      |
| are not under the      |                      |                      |
| jurisdiction of the    |                      |                      |
| State Superintendent   |                      |                      |
| and are not included   |                      |                      |
| in AYP determinations. |                      |                      |
| The Department of      |                      |                      |
| Corrections Pine Hills |                      |                      |
| School in Miles City   |                      |                      |
| and Riverside Facility |                      |                      |
| in Boulder are         |                      |                      |
| correctional           |                      |                      |
| facilities for         |                      |                      |
| incarcerated youth.    |                      |                      |
| These two lock-up      |                      |                      |
| facilities for         |                      |                      |
| juveniles convicted of |                      |                      |
| criminal offenses      |                      |                      |
| receive their funding  |                      |                      |
| through the            |                      |                      |
| legislative            |                      |                      |
| appropriation for the  |                      |                      |
| Department of          |                      |                      |
| Corrections, are       |                      |                      |
| operated by that       |                      |                      |
| department, and        |                      |                      |
| concentrate primarily  |                      |                      |
| on the detention and   |                      |                      |
| behavioral aspects of  |                      |                      |
| the inmates.           |                      |                      |
|                        |                      |                      |
| Another state operated |                      |                      |
| school, the Montana    |                      |                      |
| School for the Deaf    |                      |                      |
| and Blind, receives    |                      |                      |
| its funding through a  |                      |                      |
| legislative            |                      |                      |
| appropriation that     |                      |                      |
| goes directly to the   |                      |                      |
| school, which is       |                      |                      |
| operated by the        |                      |                      |
| Montana Board of       |                      |                      |
| Public Education, not  |                      |                      |
| by the State           |                      |                      |
| Superintendent or the  |                      |                      |
| Office of Public       |                      |                      |
| Instruction. This      |                      |                      |
| school is also not     |                      |                      |
| under the jurisdiction |                      |                      |
| of the State           |                      |                      |
| Superintendent.        |                      |                      |
+------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **CRITICAL ELEMENT**  | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | **MEETING STATUTORY   | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                       | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 1.  How are all       | All public schools    | Some public schools   |
|     public schools    | and LEAs are          | and LEAs are          |
|     and LEAs held to  | systematically judged | systematically judged |
|     the same criteria | on the basis of the   | on the basis of       |
|     when making an    | same criteria when    | alternate criteria    |
|     AYP               | making an AYP         | when making an AYP    |
|     determination?    | determination.        | determination.        |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | If applicable, the    |                       |
|                       | AYP definition is     |                       |
|                       | integrated into the   |                       |
|                       | State Accountability  |                       |
|                       | System.               |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND  |                       |                       |
| STATE ACTIVITIES FOR  |                       |                       |
| MEETING               |                       |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**        |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 1.2 As a Title I      |                       |                       |
| compliance agreement  |                       |                       |
| state, Montana will   |                       |                       |
| use its current       |                       |                       |
| assessment, Montana   |                       |                       |
| Comprehensive         |                       |                       |
| Assessment System     |                       |                       |
| (MontCAS), Phase 1,   |                       |                       |
| consisting of the     |                       |                       |
| norm-referenced Iowa  |                       |                       |
| Tests at grades 4, 8, |                       |                       |
| and 11 as the basis   |                       |                       |
| for adequate yearly   |                       |                       |
| progress for all      |                       |                       |
| public schools and    |                       |                       |
| districts in reading  |                       |                       |
| and math (determined  |                       |                       |
| separately) during    |                       |                       |
| the transition period |                       |                       |
| of 2002-03 until the  |                       |                       |
| state's new           |                       |                       |
| assessment (MontCAS,  |                       |                       |
| Phase 2) and          |                       |                       |
| accountability system |                       |                       |
| becomes effective     |                       |                       |
| with the first full   |                       |                       |
| administration of the |                       |                       |
| new assessment in     |                       |                       |
| April 2004, with      |                       |                       |
| delayed               |                       |                       |
| identifications for   |                       |                       |
| that year as          |                       |                       |
| described below.      |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| [2002-03 Process --   |                       |                       |
| Use of Previous       |                       |                       |
| Method]{.underline}   |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| The Montana Office of |                       |                       |
| Public Instruction    |                       |                       |
| will use its current  |                       |                       |
| assessment system and |                       |                       |
| the former "Title I   |                       |                       |
| only" process to      |                       |                       |
| identify **all**      |                       |                       |
| public schools and    |                       |                       |
| districts in need of  |                       |                       |
| improvement. In terms |                       |                       |
| of accountability,    |                       |                       |
| during the transition |                       |                       |
| school year of        |                       |                       |
| 2002-03, each school  |                       |                       |
| and district must     |                       |                       |
| achieve an average    |                       |                       |
| score for all         |                       |                       |
| students in the       |                       |                       |
| school or district as |                       |                       |
| a whole and for each  |                       |                       |
| disaggregated         |                       |                       |
| subgroup in the grade |                       |                       |
| or grades tested in   |                       |                       |
| that school or        |                       |                       |
| district of 45 NCE or |                       |                       |
| higher on the basis   |                       |                       |
| of combined data for  |                       |                       |
| up to three years     |                       |                       |
| (2000-01, 2001-02,    |                       |                       |
| and 2002-03) or the   |                       |                       |
| 2002-03 school year   |                       |                       |
| alone, dependent upon |                       |                       |
| obtaining the minimum |                       |                       |
| "n" of 10 students.   |                       |                       |
| The minimum "n" of 10 |                       |                       |
| used for reporting    |                       |                       |
| will also be used for |                       |                       |
| AYP determinations at |                       |                       |
| both the school and   |                       |                       |
| district levels for   |                       |                       |
| this transition year  |                       |                       |
| except (The \"n\" was |                       |                       |
| amended to 20 for     |                       |                       |
| 2002-03 as per emails |                       |                       |
| between Linda         |                       |                       |
| McCulloch and Celia   |                       |                       |
| Sims attached to this |                       |                       |
| document.) All        |                       |                       |
| schools and districts |                       |                       |
| with an average score |                       |                       |
| of less than 45 NCE   |                       |                       |
| in any subgroup       |                       |                       |
| including all         |                       |                       |
| students will be      |                       |                       |
| deemed as not making  |                       |                       |
| adequate progress.    |                       |                       |
| The following chart   |                       |                       |
| shows how the         |                       |                       |
| performance levels    |                       |                       |
| have been designated  |                       |                       |
| and applied in the    |                       |                       |
| past for designating  |                       |                       |
| percentages in each   |                       |                       |
| performance level and |                       |                       |
| for identifying Title |                       |                       |
| I schools and         |                       |                       |
| districts for         |                       |                       |
| improvement:          |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| ###### Chart 1        |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|   -------             |                       |                       |
| ------ ------------ - |                       |                       |
| ----- ------------ -- |                       |                       |
| ---- --------- ------ |                       |                       |
|   *                   |                       |                       |
| *Montana              |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|   P                   |                       |                       |
| erformance            |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|   C                   |                       |                       |
| ategories             |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|   U                   |                       |                       |
| sed With              |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|   N                   |                       |                       |
| orm                   |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|   R                   |                       |                       |
| eferenced             |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|   T                   |                       |                       |
| esting**              |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|              Percenti |                       |                       |
| le          Normal Cu |                       |                       |
| rve        Stanine    |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|              Ranking  |                       |                       |
|             Equivalen |                       |                       |
| t                     |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|          Low          |                       |                       |
|  High   Low           |                       |                       |
| High   Low       High |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|   No                  |                       |                       |
| vice        1         |                       |                       |
|     23     1.0        |                       |                       |
|    34.7   1         3 |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|   Ne                  |                       |                       |
| aring       24        |                       |                       |
|     40     34.8       |                       |                       |
|    44.9   4         4 |                       |                       |
|   P                   |                       |                       |
| roficiency            |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|   Pr                  |                       |                       |
| oficient    41        |                       |                       |
|     89     45.0       |                       |                       |
|    76.3   5         7 |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|   Ad                  |                       |                       |
| vanced      90        |                       |                       |
|     99     46.4       |                       |                       |
|    99.0   8         9 |                       |                       |
|   -------             |                       |                       |
| ------ ------------ - |                       |                       |
| ----- ------------ -- |                       |                       |
| ---- --------- ------ |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| In addition to the    |                       |                       |
| average NCE threshold |                       |                       |
| of 45 NCE for each    |                       |                       |
| subgroup (including   |                       |                       |
| all students) schools |                       |                       |
| and districts will be |                       |                       |
| held to the           |                       |                       |
| following:            |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| -   95% participation |                       |                       |
|     rate              |                       |                       |
|     requirement - The |                       |                       |
|     95% participation |                       |                       |
|     rate will be      |                       |                       |
|     calculated by     |                       |                       |
|     comparing the     |                       |                       |
|     actual number of  |                       |                       |
|     students tested   |                       |                       |
|     to the actual     |                       |                       |
|     enrollment at     |                       |                       |
|     time of testing   |                       |                       |
|     multiplied by     |                       |                       |
|     .95.              |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| -   The other         |                       |                       |
|     required          |                       |                       |
|     indicator of      |                       |                       |
|     attendance rates  |                       |                       |
|     for elementary    |                       |                       |
|     and middle        |                       |                       |
|     schools will be   |                       |                       |
|     applied. The      |                       |                       |
|     State             |                       |                       |
|     Superintendent    |                       |                       |
|     will establish    |                       |                       |
|     the attendance    |                       |                       |
|     rate standard by  |                       |                       |
|     July 1, 2003.     |                       |                       |
|     Schools and       |                       |                       |
|     districts will be |                       |                       |
|     considered as     |                       |                       |
|     having met AYP if |                       |                       |
|     they met the      |                       |                       |
|     standard or if    |                       |                       |
|     they made         |                       |                       |
|     improvement       |                       |                       |
|     toward the        |                       |                       |
|     standard.         |                       |                       |
|     ***Note: This     |                       |                       |
|     standard has now  |                       |                       |
|     been set at 80    |                       |                       |
|     percent.***       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| -   The other         |                       |                       |
|     required          |                       |                       |
|     indicator for     |                       |                       |
|     high schools,     |                       |                       |
|     graduation rate,  |                       |                       |
|     will be applied   |                       |                       |
|     by using the last |                       |                       |
|     year of complete  |                       |                       |
|     data which are    |                       |                       |
|     school year       |                       |                       |
|     2001-02 rates.    |                       |                       |
|     Those high        |                       |                       |
|     schools not       |                       |                       |
|     meeting the State |                       |                       |
|     target will be    |                       |                       |
|     judged on         |                       |                       |
|     progress from the |                       |                       |
|     previous year     |                       |                       |
|     toward meeting    |                       |                       |
|     the State target. |                       |                       |
|     ***This target    |                       |                       |
|     threshold has now |                       |                       |
|     been set at 80    |                       |                       |
|     percent.***       |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| [2003-04              |                       |                       |
| Process]{.underline}  |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| The compliance        |                       |                       |
| agreement specifies   |                       |                       |
| that Montana will set |                       |                       |
| cut scores and        |                       |                       |
| academic achievement  |                       |                       |
| standards by July 31, |                       |                       |
| 2004. The agreement   |                       |                       |
| further specifies     |                       |                       |
| that the state will   |                       |                       |
| review the standards  |                       |                       |
| setting work and      |                       |                       |
| formally adopt the    |                       |                       |
| cut scores and        |                       |                       |
| academic achievement  |                       |                       |
| standards by August   |                       |                       |
| 31, 2004. It is not   |                       |                       |
| possible to set cut   |                       |                       |
| scores earlier using  |                       |                       |
| pilot test data from  |                       |                       |
| April 2003 because    |                       |                       |
| only the new          |                       |                       |
| custom-developed      |                       |                       |
| items were included,  |                       |                       |
| not the full test.    |                       |                       |
| Scores from the first |                       |                       |
| full administration   |                       |                       |
| of the new assessment |                       |                       |
| will be produced in   |                       |                       |
| September 2004 and    |                       |                       |
| used to set baseline  |                       |                       |
| data.                 |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| In October 2004, the  |                       |                       |
| percent proficient    |                       |                       |
| and above for all     |                       |                       |
| subgroups in each     |                       |                       |
| school and district   |                       |                       |
| on the April 2004     |                       |                       |
| assessment will be    |                       |                       |
| compared to the       |                       |                       |
| starting points in    |                       |                       |
| order to determine    |                       |                       |
| adequate yearly       |                       |                       |
| progress separately   |                       |                       |
| for reading and       |                       |                       |
| mathematics for each  |                       |                       |
| school and district.  |                       |                       |
| Those with            |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| percentages below the |                       |                       |
| starting point as     |                       |                       |
| well as those not     |                       |                       |
| making the 95%        |                       |                       |
| participation rate or |                       |                       |
| progress on the other |                       |                       |
| indicator will be     |                       |                       |
| notified during late  |                       |                       |
| October/early         |                       |                       |
| November 2004 that    |                       |                       |
| adequate yearly       |                       |                       |
| progress was not      |                       |                       |
| made.                 |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| Since these           |                       |                       |
| determinations using  |                       |                       |
| April 2004 test       |                       |                       |
| results cannot be     |                       |                       |
| made for districts    |                       |                       |
| with identified Title |                       |                       |
| I schools early       |                       |                       |
| enough to notify      |                       |                       |
| parents of their      |                       |                       |
| school choice options |                       |                       |
| by the first day of   |                       |                       |
| school, public school |                       |                       |
| choice and            |                       |                       |
| supplemental services |                       |                       |
| will be offered to    |                       |                       |
| parents and students  |                       |                       |
| as soon as possible   |                       |                       |
| in the 2004-05 school |                       |                       |
| year or not later     |                       |                       |
| than the start of the |                       |                       |
| second semester. In   |                       |                       |
| Montana, public       |                       |                       |
| school choice within  |                       |                       |
| the district is only  |                       |                       |
| possible in the seven |                       |                       |
| largest districts     |                       |                       |
| plus a handful of     |                       |                       |
| medium sized          |                       |                       |
| districts with more   |                       |                       |
| than one school at a  |                       |                       |
| particular grade      |                       |                       |
| span. So for the vast |                       |                       |
| majority of Montana's |                       |                       |
| 866 public schools    |                       |                       |
| and 444 districts,    |                       |                       |
| school choice will    |                       |                       |
| not be available      |                       |                       |
| anyway unless an      |                       |                       |
| interagency agreement |                       |                       |
| with a neighboring    |                       |                       |
| district is           |                       |                       |
| practicable. Where    |                       |                       |
| public school choice  |                       |                       |
| is not possible,      |                       |                       |
| supplemental          |                       |                       |
| educational services  |                       |                       |
| will be offered in    |                       |                       |
| Title I schools in    |                       |                       |
| the first year of     |                       |                       |
| improvement if        |                       |                       |
| approved providers    |                       |                       |
| are available. When   |                       |                       |
| schools and districts |                       |                       |
| are identified in     |                       |                       |
| July 2005 on the      |                       |                       |
| basis of the April    |                       |                       |
| 2005 assessments,     |                       |                       |
| they will be notified |                       |                       |
| by the first week in  |                       |                       |
| August so those who   |                       |                       |
| must do so will be    |                       |                       |
| able to notify        |                       |                       |
| parents and students  |                       |                       |
| of their school       |                       |                       |
| choice and            |                       |                       |
| supplemental services |                       |                       |
| options prior to the  |                       |                       |
| first day of school.  |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| All Montana public    |                       |                       |
| schools and LEAs will |                       |                       |
| be systematically     |                       |                       |
| judged on the basis   |                       |                       |
| of the same criteria  |                       |                       |
| when making an AYP    |                       |                       |
| determination. The    |                       |                       |
| accountability of     |                       |                       |
| public schools        |                       |                       |
| without grades        |                       |                       |
| assessed (i.e., K-2   |                       |                       |
| schools) will be      |                       |                       |
| based on the          |                       |                       |
| aggregate score for   |                       |                       |
| all students tested   |                       |                       |
| in the school that    |                       |                       |
| the feeder school     |                       |                       |
| students currently    |                       |                       |
| attend. Students who  |                       |                       |
| attend alternative    |                       |                       |
| education programs    |                       |                       |
| are included in their |                       |                       |
| "parent" school (the  |                       |                       |
| public school they    |                       |                       |
| would have attended   |                       |                       |
| in the absence of the |                       |                       |
| alternative program)  |                       |                       |
| for assessment and    |                       |                       |
| accountability        |                       |                       |
| purposes.             |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| [2005-06              |                       |                       |
| Process]{.underline}  |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| Based on the need to  |                       |                       |
| complete a            |                       |                       |
| standards-setting     |                       |                       |
| process and develop   |                       |                       |
| new assessments to be |                       |                       |
| administered for      |                       |                       |
| grades 3, 5, 6, and 7 |                       |                       |
| beginning spring of   |                       |                       |
| 2006, we will need to |                       |                       |
| make final AYP        |                       |                       |
| decisions following   |                       |                       |
| the start of the      |                       |                       |
| 2006-07 school year.  |                       |                       |
| Pending final AYP     |                       |                       |
| determinations, we    |                       |                       |
| will hold all schools |                       |                       |
| and districts in      |                       |                       |
| their current AYP     |                       |                       |
| status and continue   |                       |                       |
| to apply NCLB         |                       |                       |
| consequences, as      |                       |                       |
| applicable. Included  |                       |                       |
| in these actions are  |                       |                       |
| the following:        |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| 1.  Any school        |                       |                       |
|     previously        |                       |                       |
|     identified for    |                       |                       |
|     improvement will  |                       |                       |
|     continue to       |                       |                       |
|     provide that      |                       |                       |
|     level of          |                       |                       |
|     intervention at   |                       |                       |
|     the beginning of  |                       |                       |
|     the year.         |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| 2.  Any school that   |                       |                       |
|     is identified for |                       |                       |
|     improvement, or   |                       |                       |
|     that may be       |                       |                       |
|     identified for    |                       |                       |
|     improvement based |                       |                       |
|     upon the          |                       |                       |
|     2005-2006         |                       |                       |
|     results, will     |                       |                       |
|     begin preparing   |                       |                       |
|     to offer the next |                       |                       |
|     level of          |                       |                       |
|     interventions.    |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| 3.  Schools will act  |                       |                       |
|     immediately on    |                       |                       |
|     the preliminary   |                       |                       |
|     data when it is   |                       |                       |
|     released in       |                       |                       |
|     November.         |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| 4.  Schools that      |                       |                       |
|     begin offering    |                       |                       |
|     interventions at  |                       |                       |
|     the start of the  |                       |                       |
|     school year will  |                       |                       |
|     continue to offer |                       |                       |
|     those             |                       |                       |
|     interventions for |                       |                       |
|     the remainder of  |                       |                       |
|     the school year,  |                       |                       |
|     even if the       |                       |                       |
|     school is no      |                       |                       |
|     longer identified |                       |                       |
|     for improvement.  |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| As part of this       |                       |                       |
| process, we will be   |                       |                       |
| establishing annual   |                       |                       |
| measurable objectives |                       |                       |
| to reach 100%         |                       |                       |
| proficiency by        |                       |                       |
| 2013-14. The AYP      |                       |                       |
| determinations will   |                       |                       |
| be made in accordance |                       |                       |
| with the following    |                       |                       |
| timeline. Montana     |                       |                       |
| will observe all      |                       |                       |
| timelines for         |                       |                       |
| reporting AYP         |                       |                       |
| decisions as listed   |                       |                       |
| in Attachment B of    |                       |                       |
| the USED letter of    |                       |                       |
| March 7, 2006, from   |                       |                       |
| Dr. Henry Johnson.    |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| June and July, 2006   |                       |                       |
| Conduct standards     |                       |                       |
| setting (cut scores)  |                       |                       |
| for grades 3-8 and 10 |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| October 2006 Test     |                       |                       |
| scores for grades 3-8 |                       |                       |
| and 10 scheduled to   |                       |                       |
| be received from      |                       |                       |
| contractor            |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| November 2006 Set new |                       |                       |
| starting points for   |                       |                       |
| AYP and issue AYP     |                       |                       |
| decisions, subject to |                       |                       |
| appeal                |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| December 2006 30 day  |                       |                       |
| review period for     |                       |                       |
| schools and districts |                       |                       |
| to appeal, with all   |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| > post-appeal AYP     |                       |                       |
| > decisions made      |                       |                       |
| > before start of     |                       |                       |
| > second semester     |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| **New starting        |                       |                       |
| points, AMO\'s, and   |                       |                       |
| intermediate goals    |                       |                       |
| are shown in the      |                       |                       |
| below chart:**        |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| ![](media/image2.     |                       |                       |
| wmf){width="5.9375in" |                       |                       |
| height="4.15625in"}   |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| All students with     |                       |                       |
| disabilities in       |                       |                       |
| Montana public        |                       |                       |
| schools as defined    |                       |                       |
| under section 602(3)  |                       |                       |
| of the Individuals    |                       |                       |
| with Disabilities     |                       |                       |
| Education Act (IDEA)  |                       |                       |
| amendments of 1997    |                       |                       |
| and limited English   |                       |                       |
| proficiency (LEP)     |                       |                       |
| participate in the    |                       |                       |
| Montana Comprehensive |                       |                       |
| Assessment Program.   |                       |                       |
| The Individualized    |                       |                       |
| Education Program     |                       |                       |
| (IEP) Team determines |                       |                       |
| how students with     |                       |                       |
| disabilities will     |                       |                       |
| participate in the    |                       |                       |
| statewide assessment  |                       |                       |
| program. A team of    |                       |                       |
| educators familiar    |                       |                       |
| with the language     |                       |                       |
| abilities of LEP      |                       |                       |
| students determines   |                       |                       |
| how LEP students will |                       |                       |
| participate. These    |                       |                       |
| requirements are      |                       |                       |
| contained in ARM      |                       |                       |
| 10.56.101, the        |                       |                       |
| assessment rules of   |                       |                       |
| the Board of Public   |                       |                       |
| Education found in    |                       |                       |
| the Administrative    |                       |                       |
| Rules of Montana      |                       |                       |
| (ARM). The Montana    |                       |                       |
| ***CRT*** Alternate   |                       |                       |
| Assessment Program    |                       |                       |
| ***(based on          |                       |                       |
| alternate achievement |                       |                       |
| standards)*** yields  |                       |                       |
| reading and           |                       |                       |
| mathematics           |                       |                       |
| assessment results    |                       |                       |
| ***for students with  |                       |                       |
| the most significant  |                       |                       |
| cognitive             |                       |                       |
| disabilities*** for   |                       |                       |
| inclusion in AYP      |                       |                       |
| determination***s,    |                       |                       |
| utilizing Montana's   |                       |                       |
| approved exception to |                       |                       |
| the 1% rule.***       |                       |                       |
| **Note: This approval |                       |                       |
| has been extended for |                       |                       |
| use in AYP            |                       |                       |
| determinations for    |                       |                       |
| 2006-2007. Note: This |                       |                       |
| approval has been     |                       |                       |
| extended for use in   |                       |                       |
| AYP determinations    |                       |                       |
| for 2007-2008.**      |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| ~~Guidance will be    |                       |                       |
| provided for use by   |                       |                       |
| LEP teams in          |                       |                       |
| determining whether   |                       |                       |
| an LEP student should |                       |                       |
| be included in the    |                       |                       |
| Alternate Assessment  |                       |                       |
| Program. Most~~ LEP   |                       |                       |
| students will be      |                       |                       |
| included in the       |                       |                       |
| regular assessment    |                       |                       |
| with accommodations   |                       |                       |
| if necessary. ~~This  |                       |                       |
| additional option is  |                       |                       |
| intended to be        |                       |                       |
| limited to the very   |                       |                       |
| few newly arrived     |                       |                       |
| immigrant students    |                       |                       |
| and will provide      |                       |                       |
| criteria to be used   |                       |                       |
| in making judgments   |                       |                       |
| about a student's     |                       |                       |
| abilities and the     |                       |                       |
| need to utilize the   |                       |                       |
| Alternate Assessment  |                       |                       |
| Program in extreme    |                       |                       |
| cases.~~              |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| Montana has           |                       |                       |
| identified four       |                       |                       |
| performance levels    |                       |                       |
| for the new           |                       |                       |
| assessments (MontCAS, |                       |                       |
| Phase 2). See         |                       |                       |
| response 1.3.         |                       |                       |
| MontCAS, Phase 2 is   |                       |                       |
| comprised of          |                       |                       |
| partially             |                       |                       |
| custom-developed      |                       |                       |
| criterion-referenced  |                       |                       |
| assessments that      |                       |                       |
| include multiple      |                       |                       |
| measures in the areas |                       |                       |
| of reading,           |                       |                       |
| mathematics and       |                       |                       |
| science. The          |                       |                       |
| assessments will be   |                       |                       |
| administered in       |                       |                       |
| grades 3 through 8    |                       |                       |
| and grade 10 on the   |                       |                       |
| following timetable:  |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| April 2004 -- Reading |                       |                       |
| and Mathematics,      |                       |                       |
| Grades 4, 8, and 10   |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| April 2005 -- Reading |                       |                       |
| and Mathematics,      |                       |                       |
| Grades 4, 8, and 10   |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| April 2006 -- Reading |                       |                       |
| and Mathematics,      |                       |                       |
| Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, |                       |                       |
| 8, and 10             |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| April 2007 -- Reading |                       |                       |
| and Mathematics,      |                       |                       |
| Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, |                       |                       |
| 8, and 10             |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| April 2008 -- Reading |                       |                       |
| and Mathematics,      |                       |                       |
| Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, |                       |                       |
| 8, and 10 and         |                       |                       |
| Science, Grades 4, 8, |                       |                       |
| and 10                |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| With MontCAS, Phase 2 |                       |                       |
| data of April 2004,   |                       |                       |
| student scores from   |                       |                       |
| the Montana ***CRT*** |                       |                       |
| Alternate Assessment  |                       |                       |
| Program will be       |                       |                       |
| aggregated with those |                       |                       |
| from the MontCAS,     |                       |                       |
| Phase 2 for all       |                       |                       |
| students and each     |                       |                       |
| subgroup in reading   |                       |                       |
| and mathematics.      |                       |                       |
| ***Montana's approved |                       |                       |
| exception to the 1%   |                       |                       |
| rule will be used.*** |                       |                       |
| **Note: This approval |                       |                       |
| has been extended for |                       |                       |
| use in AYP            |                       |                       |
| determinations for    |                       |                       |
| 2006-2007. Note: This |                       |                       |
| approval has been     |                       |                       |
| extended for use in   |                       |                       |
| AYP determinations    |                       |                       |
| for 2007-2008.** All  |                       |                       |
| of the required       |                       |                       |
| subgroups, including  |                       |                       |
| students with         |                       |                       |
| disabilities and LEP  |                       |                       |
| students, who are     |                       |                       |
| enrolled in a public  |                       |                       |
| school for a full     |                       |                       |
| academic year will be |                       |                       |
| included in the       |                       |                       |
| performance measures  |                       |                       |
| that determine AYP    |                       |                       |
| for reading and       |                       |                       |
| mathematics           |                       |                       |
| separately ***(except |                       |                       |
| as noted in Section   |                       |                       |
| 5.4 with regard to    |                       |                       |
| LEP students in their |                       |                       |
| first year in a       |                       |                       |
| United States         |                       |                       |
| school)***.           |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **CRITICAL ELEMENT**  | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | **MEETING STATUTORY   | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                       | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 2.  Does the State    | State has defined     | Standards do not meet |
|     have, at a        | three levels of       | the legislated        |
|     minimum, a        | student achievement:  | requirements.         |
|     definition of     | *basic*, *proficient* |                       |
|     *basic*,          | and *advanced*.[^1]   |                       |
|     *proficient* and  |                       |                       |
|     *advanced*        | Student achievement   |                       |
|     student           | levels of             |                       |
|     achievement       | *proficient* and      |                       |
|     levels in         | *advanced* determine  |                       |
|     reading/language  | how well students are |                       |
|     arts and          | mastering the         |                       |
|     mathematics?      | materials in the      |                       |
|                       | State's academic      |                       |
|                       | content standards;    |                       |
|                       | and the *basic* level |                       |
|                       | of achievement        |                       |
|                       | provides complete     |                       |
|                       | information about the |                       |
|                       | progress of           |                       |
|                       | lower-achieving       |                       |
|                       | students toward       |                       |
|                       | mastering the         |                       |
|                       | *proficient* and      |                       |
|                       | *advanced* levels.    |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND  |                       |                       |
| STATE ACTIVITIES FOR  |                       |                       |
| MEETING               |                       |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**        |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 1.3 Administrative    |                       |                       |
| Rules of Montana      |                       |                       |
| (ARM) 10.54.2502 (3)  |                       |                       |
| provide the following |                       |                       |
| definitions of        |                       |                       |
| performance levels    |                       |                       |
| for Montana Content   |                       |                       |
| and Performance       |                       |                       |
| Standards in five     |                       |                       |
| subjects including    |                       |                       |
| reading and           |                       |                       |
| mathematics:          |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| a)  "Performance      |                       |                       |
|     level" means the  |                       |                       |
|     level of          |                       |                       |
|     achievement in    |                       |                       |
|     broad, general    |                       |                       |
|     terms;            |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| b)  "Advanced level"  |                       |                       |
|     means superior    |                       |                       |
|     performance;      |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| c)  "Proficient       |                       |                       |
|     level" means      |                       |                       |
|     solid academic    |                       |                       |
|     performance for   |                       |                       |
|     each benchmark,   |                       |                       |
|     reaching levels   |                       |                       |
|     of demonstrated   |                       |                       |
|     competency over   |                       |                       |
|     challenging       |                       |                       |
|     subject matter,   |                       |                       |
|     including         |                       |                       |
|     subject-matter    |                       |                       |
|     knowledge,        |                       |                       |
|     application of    |                       |                       |
|     such knowledge to |                       |                       |
|     real-world        |                       |                       |
|     situations, and   |                       |                       |
|     analytical skills |                       |                       |
|     appropriate to    |                       |                       |
|     the subject       |                       |                       |
|     matter;           |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| d)  "Nearing          |                       |                       |
|     proficiency       |                       |                       |
|     level" means a    |                       |                       |
|     student has       |                       |                       |
|     partial mastery   |                       |                       |
|     of the            |                       |                       |
|     prerequisite      |                       |                       |
|     knowledge and     |                       |                       |
|     skills            |                       |                       |
|     fundamental for   |                       |                       |
|     proficient work   |                       |                       |
|     at each           |                       |                       |
|     benchmark; and    |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| e)  "Novice level"    |                       |                       |
|     means a student   |                       |                       |
|     is beginning to   |                       |                       |
|     attain the        |                       |                       |
|     prerequisite      |                       |                       |
|     knowledge and     |                       |                       |
|     skills that are   |                       |                       |
|     fundamental for   |                       |                       |
|     work at each      |                       |                       |
|     benchmark.        |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| For each of the       |                       |                       |
| content standards in  |                       |                       |
| reading and           |                       |                       |
| mathematics, four     |                       |                       |
| levels of performance |                       |                       |
| descriptors have been |                       |                       |
| developed. All of the |                       |                       |
| MontCAS, Phase 2      |                       |                       |
| assessments will be   |                       |                       |
| aligned to the        |                       |                       |
| content standards and |                       |                       |
| descriptors.          |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| The performance       |                       |                       |
| levels are applied to |                       |                       |
| the current           |                       |                       |
| assessment in terms   |                       |                       |
| of standardized test  |                       |                       |
| scores and will also  |                       |                       |
| apply to tests under  |                       |                       |
| development and       |                       |                       |
| scheduled for         |                       |                       |
| implementation        |                       |                       |
| starting in 2004, as  |                       |                       |
| specified in the      |                       |                       |
| compliance agreement  |                       |                       |
| between Montana and   |                       |                       |
| the U.S. Department   |                       |                       |
| of Education by       |                       |                       |
| establishing cut      |                       |                       |
| scores and academic   |                       |                       |
| achievement standards |                       |                       |
| using Bookmark        |                       |                       |
| methodology in July   |                       |                       |
| 2004 after the first  |                       |                       |
| full administration   |                       |                       |
| of reading and math   |                       |                       |
| assessments in grades |                       |                       |
| 4, 8, and 10. The     |                       |                       |
| same method will be   |                       |                       |
| used in July 2006     |                       |                       |
| after the first full  |                       |                       |
| administration of     |                       |                       |
| reading and math      |                       |                       |
| assessments in grades |                       |                       |
| 3, 5, 6, and 7. The   |                       |                       |
| same method will be   |                       |                       |
| used in July 2008     |                       |                       |
| after first full      |                       |                       |
| administration of     |                       |                       |
| science assessments   |                       |                       |
| in grades 4, 8, and   |                       |                       |
| 10.                   |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **CRITICAL ELEMENT**  | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | **MEETING STATUTORY   | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                       | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 4.  How does the      | > State provides      | Timeline does not     |
|     State provide     | > decisions about     | provide sufficient    |
|     accountability    | > adequate yearly     | time for LEAs to      |
|     and adequate      | > progress in time    | fulfill their         |
|     yearly progress   | > for LEAs to         | responsibilities      |
|     decisions and     | > implement the       | before the beginning  |
|     information in a  | > required provisions | of the next academic  |
|     timely manner?    | > before the          | year.                 |
|                       | > beginning of the    |                       |
|                       | > next academic year. |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | State allows enough   |                       |
|                       | time to notify        |                       |
|                       | parents about public  |                       |
|                       | school choice or      |                       |
|                       | supplemental          |                       |
|                       | educational service   |                       |
|                       | options, time for     |                       |
|                       | parents to make an    |                       |
|                       | informed              |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | decision, and time to |                       |
|                       | implement public      |                       |
|                       | school choice and     |                       |
|                       | supplemental          |                       |
|                       | educational services. |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND  |                       |                       |
| STATE ACTIVITIES FOR  |                       |                       |
| MEETING               |                       |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**        |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| > 1.4 As a compliance |                       |                       |
| > agreement state,    |                       |                       |
| > Montana will        |                       |                       |
| > continue using the  |                       |                       |
| > current system with |                       |                       |
| > 2002-03 data to     |                       |                       |
| > identify schools    |                       |                       |
| > not making one or   |                       |                       |
| > more years of       |                       |                       |
| > progress with       |                       |                       |
| > identification for  |                       |                       |
| > improvement         |                       |                       |
| > designation after   |                       |                       |
| > two years of not    |                       |                       |
| > making progress in  |                       |                       |
| > the same subject    |                       |                       |
| > area.               |                       |                       |
| > Norm-referenced     |                       |                       |
| > tests (the ITBS in  |                       |                       |
| > grades 4 and 8 and  |                       |                       |
| > the ITED in grade   |                       |                       |
| > 11) were given in   |                       |                       |
| > middle to late      |                       |                       |
| > March 2003 with     |                       |                       |
| > results returned to |                       |                       |
| > LEAs and schools    |                       |                       |
| > prior to the end of |                       |                       |
| > the school year.    |                       |                       |
| > District and school |                       |                       |
| > personnel begin to  |                       |                       |
| > examine their       |                       |                       |
| > aggregate data      |                       |                       |
| > provided by the     |                       |                       |
| > test publisher at   |                       |                       |
| > this point. In      |                       |                       |
| > addition, the state |                       |                       |
| > provides statewide  |                       |                       |
| > reports under the   |                       |                       |
| > following timeline: |                       |                       |
| >                     |                       |                       |
| > Mid-July Statewide  |                       |                       |
| > aggregated results  |                       |                       |
| >                     |                       |                       |
| > Mid to late July    |                       |                       |
| > Statewide           |                       |                       |
| > disaggregated       |                       |                       |
| > results by school   |                       |                       |
| > and district        |                       |                       |
| >                     |                       |                       |
| > Late July           |                       |                       |
| > Notification of AYP |                       |                       |
| > status to schools   |                       |                       |
| > and districts and   |                       |                       |
| > beginning of 30 day |                       |                       |
| > period for Appeals  |                       |                       |
| > Process (See Chart  |                       |                       |
| > 2, bottom row).     |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| ##### New Assessme    |                       |                       |
| nts; MontCAS, Phase 2 |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| > Results for tests   |                       |                       |
| > currently under     |                       |                       |
| > development with    |                       |                       |
| > implementation      |                       |                       |
| > beginning in April  |                       |                       |
| > 2004 are scheduled  |                       |                       |
| > for return to LEAs  |                       |                       |
| > and schools prior   |                       |                       |
| > to the end of the   |                       |                       |
| > school year;        |                       |                       |
| > however, in the     |                       |                       |
| > first years of      |                       |                       |
| > implementation of   |                       |                       |
| > each new set of     |                       |                       |
| > grades to be tested |                       |                       |
| > (2004 for grades 4, |                       |                       |
| > 8, and 10; 2006 for |                       |                       |
| > grades 3, 5, 6, and |                       |                       |
| > 7), the results     |                       |                       |
| > will be delayed     |                       |                       |
| > until after         |                       |                       |
| > standard setting in |                       |                       |
| > the summers as per  |                       |                       |
| > Montana's           |                       |                       |
| > compliance          |                       |                       |
| > agreement with the  |                       |                       |
| > U.S. Department of  |                       |                       |
| > Education.          |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| Montana will provide  |                       |                       |
| decisions about       |                       |                       |
| adequate yearly       |                       |                       |
| progress in time for  |                       |                       |
| LEAs to implement the |                       |                       |
| required provisions   |                       |                       |
| of *No Child Left     |                       |                       |
| Behind* before the    |                       |                       |
| beginning of the next |                       |                       |
| academic year except  |                       |                       |
| as noted above for    |                       |                       |
| school year 2004-05.  |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| For the purpose of    |                       |                       |
| determining AYP, the  |                       |                       |
| Montana Office of     |                       |                       |
| Public Instruction    |                       |                       |
| will ensure that      |                       |                       |
| results of the new    |                       |                       |
| State academic        |                       |                       |
| assessments will be   |                       |                       |
| available to the LEAs |                       |                       |
| in a timely manner.   |                       |                       |
| (See chart 2 below.)  |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| Chart 2. Timeline for |                       |                       |
| Use with New          |                       |                       |
| Assessments (MontCAS, |                       |                       |
| Phase 2)              |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| +--------+--------+   |                       |                       |
| | Ti     | Ac     |   |                       |                       |
| | meline | tivity |   |                       |                       |
| +--------+--------+   |                       |                       |
| | ~~Mid  | Sta    |   |                       |                       |
| | A      | tewide |   |                       |                       |
| | pril~~ | ***    |   |                       |                       |
| | **     | CRT*** |   |                       |                       |
| | *Febru | Asse   |   |                       |                       |
| | ary-Ma | ssment |   |                       |                       |
| | rch*** | Ad     |   |                       |                       |
| | Test   | minist |   |                       |                       |
| | Ad     | ration |   |                       |                       |
| | minist | Window |   |                       |                       |
| | ration | ***(M  |   |                       |                       |
| | Window | ontCAS |   |                       |                       |
| | (ann   | Phase  |   |                       |                       |
| | ually) | 2)***  |   |                       |                       |
| +--------+--------+   |                       |                       |
| | A      | Sta    |   |                       |                       |
| | nytime | tewide |   |                       |                       |
| | during | Asse   |   |                       |                       |
| | Test   | ssment |   |                       |                       |
| | Ad     | M      |   |                       |                       |
| | minist | ake-Up |   |                       |                       |
| | ration | Window |   |                       |                       |
| | W      |        |   |                       |                       |
| | indow, |        |   |                       |                       |
| | Ma     |        |   |                       |                       |
| | ke-Ups |        |   |                       |                       |
| | will   |        |   |                       |                       |
| | be     |        |   |                       |                       |
| | done   |        |   |                       |                       |
| | (ann   |        |   |                       |                       |
| | ually) |        |   |                       |                       |
| +--------+--------+   |                       |                       |
| | At the | Coll   |   |                       |                       |
| | beg    | ection |   |                       |                       |
| | inning | of     |   |                       |                       |
| | of the | infor  |   |                       |                       |
| | t      | mation |   |                       |                       |
| | esting | on     |   |                       |                       |
| | window | st     |   |                       |                       |
| | (ann   | udents |   |                       |                       |
| | ually) | en     |   |                       |                       |
| |        | rolled |   |                       |                       |
| |        | on     |   |                       |                       |
| |        | this   |   |                       |                       |
| |        | date   |   |                       |                       |
| |        | and    |   |                       |                       |
| |        | for    |   |                       |                       |
| |        | full   |   |                       |                       |
| |        | ac     |   |                       |                       |
| |        | ademic |   |                       |                       |
| |        | year   |   |                       |                       |
| +--------+--------+   |                       |                       |
| | Six to | Asse   |   |                       |                       |
| | Eight  | ssment |   |                       |                       |
| | Weeks  | vendor |   |                       |                       |
| | from   | re     |   |                       |                       |
| | Asse   | quired |   |                       |                       |
| | ssment | to     |   |                       |                       |
| | Ad     | p      |   |                       |                       |
| | minist | rovide |   |                       |                       |
| | ration | asse   |   |                       |                       |
| |        | ssment |   |                       |                       |
| |        | r      |   |                       |                       |
| |        | esults |   |                       |                       |
| |        | to the |   |                       |                       |
| |        | OPI    |   |                       |                       |
| +--------+--------+   |                       |                       |
| | ~~     | S      |   |                       |                       |
| | July~~ | chools |   |                       |                       |
| | ***    | r      |   |                       |                       |
| | May*** | eceive |   |                       |                       |
| | (ann   | asse   |   |                       |                       |
| | ually) | ssment |   |                       |                       |
| |        | r      |   |                       |                       |
| |        | esults |   |                       |                       |
| +--------+--------+   |                       |                       |
| | Late   | S      |   |                       |                       |
| | July   | chools |   |                       |                       |
| | (ann   | will   |   |                       |                       |
| | ually) | be     |   |                       |                       |
| | /early | no     |   |                       |                       |
| | August | tified |   |                       |                       |
| |        | of     |   |                       |                       |
| |        | ~~p    |   |                       |                       |
| |        | relimi |   |                       |                       |
| |        | nary~~ |   |                       |                       |
| |        | pr     |   |                       |                       |
| |        | oposed |   |                       |                       |
| |        | AYP    |   |                       |                       |
| |        | s      |   |                       |                       |
| |        | tatus. |   |                       |                       |
| |        | Distri |   |                       |                       |
| |        | ct/LEA |   |                       |                       |
| |        | A      |   |                       |                       |
| |        | ppeals |   |                       |                       |
| |        | P      |   |                       |                       |
| |        | rocess |   |                       |                       |
| |        | Begins |   |                       |                       |
| +--------+--------+   |                       |                       |
| | No     | LEA    |   |                       |                       |
| | later  | notifi |   |                       |                       |
| | than   | cation |   |                       |                       |
| | the    | to     |   |                       |                       |
| | first  | p      |   |                       |                       |
| | day of | arents |   |                       |                       |
| | school | reg    |   |                       |                       |
| |        | arding |   |                       |                       |
| |        | school |   |                       |                       |
| |        | choice |   |                       |                       |
| |        | and    |   |                       |                       |
| |        | supple |   |                       |                       |
| |        | mental |   |                       |                       |
| |        | se     |   |                       |                       |
| |        | rvices |   |                       |                       |
| +--------+--------+   |                       |                       |
| | No     | ~~     |   |                       |                       |
| | later  | Distri |   |                       |                       |
| | than   | ct/LEA |   |                       |                       |
| | 30     | A      |   |                       |                       |
| | days   | ppeals |   |                       |                       |
| | after  | P      |   |                       |                       |
| | ~~p    | rocess |   |                       |                       |
| | relimi | Be     |   |                       |                       |
| | nary~~ | gins~~ |   |                       |                       |
| | **     |        |   |                       |                       |
| | *propo | OPI    |   |                       |                       |
| | sed*** | r      |   |                       |                       |
| | id     | enders |   |                       |                       |
| | entifi | final  |   |                       |                       |
| | cation | d      |   |                       |                       |
| | of     | etermi |   |                       |                       |
| | School | nation |   |                       |                       |
| | s/LEAs | in     |   |                       |                       |
| | not    | re     |   |                       |                       |
| | m      | sponse |   |                       |                       |
| | eeting | to     |   |                       |                       |
| | AYP    | appeal |   |                       |                       |
| | (ann   |        |   |                       |                       |
| | ually) |        |   |                       |                       |
| +--------+--------+   |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-------------------+--------------------------+----------------------+
| **CRITICAL        | **EXAMPLES FOR**         | **EXAMPLES OF**      |
| ELEMENT**         |                          |                      |
|                   | **MEETING STATUTORY      | ***NOT* MEETING      |
|                   | REQUIREMENTS**           | REQUIREMENTS**       |
+-------------------+--------------------------+----------------------+
| 5.  Does the      | The State Report Card    | The State Report     |
|     State         | includes all the         | Card does not        |
|                   | required data elements   | include all the      |
|    Accountability | \[see Appendix A for the | required data        |
|     System        | list of required data    | elements.            |
|     produce an    | elements\].              |                      |
|     annual State  |                          | The State Report     |
|     Report Card?  | The State Report Card is | Card is not          |
|                   | available to the public  | available to the     |
|                   | at the beginning of the  | public.              |
|                   | academic year.           |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
|                   | The State Report Card is |                      |
|                   | accessible in languages  |                      |
|                   | of major populations in  |                      |
|                   | the State, to the extent |                      |
|                   | possible.                |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
|                   | Assessment results and   |                      |
|                   | other academic           |                      |
|                   | indicators (including    |                      |
|                   | graduation rates) are    |                      |
|                   | reported by student      |                      |
|                   | subgroups                |                      |
+-------------------+--------------------------+----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE  |                          |                      |
| AND STATE         |                          |                      |
| ACTIVITIES FOR    |                          |                      |
| MEETING           |                          |                      |
| REQUIREMENTS**    |                          |                      |
+-------------------+--------------------------+----------------------+
| 1.5 The State     |                          |                      |
| Superintendent    |                          |                      |
| developed the     |                          |                      |
| first Montana     |                          |                      |
| Statewide         |                          |                      |
| Education Profile |                          |                      |
| in April 1999.    |                          |                      |
| Montana citizens  |                          |                      |
| participated in a |                          |                      |
| series of town    |                          |                      |
| meetings with the |                          |                      |
| State             |                          |                      |
| Superintendent to |                          |                      |
| determine the     |                          |                      |
| indicators of     |                          |                      |
| quality they      |                          |                      |
| wanted included   |                          |                      |
| in the Montana    |                          |                      |
| Statewide         |                          |                      |
| Education         |                          |                      |
| Profile. The      |                          |                      |
| second edition of |                          |                      |
| the statewide     |                          |                      |
| profile was       |                          |                      |
| developed in May  |                          |                      |
| 2001. The data    |                          |                      |
| included in the   |                          |                      |
| profile is posted |                          |                      |
| on the Montana    |                          |                      |
| Office of Public  |                          |                      |
| Instruction Web   |                          |                      |
| site              |                          |                      |
| ([                |                          |                      |
| www.opi.state.mt. |                          |                      |
| us](http://www.op |                          |                      |
| i.state.mt.us/)). |                          |                      |
| Student           |                          |                      |
| achievement on    |                          |                      |
| the Iowa Tests    |                          |                      |
| (MontCAS, Phase   |                          |                      |
| 1), in the        |                          |                      |
| aggregate and     |                          |                      |
| disaggregated for |                          |                      |
| each of the       |                          |                      |
| required          |                          |                      |
| subgroups, is     |                          |                      |
| included on the   |                          |                      |
| Web site. Data    |                          |                      |
| elements required |                          |                      |
| by the NCLB, as   |                          |                      |
| listed in         |                          |                      |
| Appendix A, not   |                          |                      |
| currently         |                          |                      |
| included on the   |                          |                      |
| Web site will be  |                          |                      |
| collected and     |                          |                      |
| reported. An NCLB |                          |                      |
| Report Card for   |                          |                      |
| schools, LEAs,    |                          |                      |
| and the state     |                          |                      |
| will be published |                          |                      |
| annually          |                          |                      |
| according to NCLB |                          |                      |
| requirements for  |                          |                      |
| state reporting.  |                          |                      |
| The Montana       |                          |                      |
| Office of Public  |                          |                      |
| Instruction       |                          |                      |
| currently         |                          |                      |
| utilizes the      |                          |                      |
| Internet          |                          |                      |
| Reporting and     |                          |                      |
| Information       |                          |                      |
| Service (IRIS), a |                          |                      |
| reporting tool    |                          |                      |
| for all schools,  |                          |                      |
| LEAs, and the     |                          |                      |
| public to access  |                          |                      |
| assessment        |                          |                      |
| results.          |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| As a compliance   |                          |                      |
| agreement state,  |                          |                      |
| Montana will      |                          |                      |
| complete a Web    |                          |                      |
| based School,     |                          |                      |
| District, and     |                          |                      |
| State Report Card |                          |                      |
| using the current |                          |                      |
| assessment data   |                          |                      |
| (MontCAS,         |                          |                      |
| Phase 1) as well  |                          |                      |
| as other required |                          |                      |
| data by September |                          |                      |
| 2003. The OPI has |                          |                      |
| a specific plan,  |                          |                      |
| detailed          |                          |                      |
| requirements, and |                          |                      |
| listed work       |                          |                      |
| products that     |                          |                      |
| have been         |                          |                      |
| released in an    |                          |                      |
| RFP that was due  |                          |                      |
| April 30, 2003.   |                          |                      |
| Work will begin   |                          |                      |
| in June 2003 and  |                          |                      |
| is expected to be |                          |                      |
| complete by       |                          |                      |
| September 2003.   |                          |                      |
| See Attachment B  |                          |                      |
| for the Web       |                          |                      |
| Report Card RFP   |                          |                      |
| as originally     |                          |                      |
| released. Due to  |                          |                      |
| incomplete        |                          |                      |
| responses by the  |                          |                      |
| original due      |                          |                      |
| date, the RFP was |                          |                      |
| re-released on    |                          |                      |
| April 21, 2003.   |                          |                      |
| (English is the   |                          |                      |
| language of the   |                          |                      |
| major populations |                          |                      |
| in the state and  |                          |                      |
| district, but     |                          |                      |
| efforts will be   |                          |                      |
| made to make the  |                          |                      |
| report cards      |                          |                      |
| available in      |                          |                      |
| other languages   |                          |                      |
| present for which |                          |                      |
| translation is    |                          |                      |
| possible and      |                          |                      |
| practicable.)     |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| The ~~2004~~      |                          |                      |
| ***2003-04***     |                          |                      |
| Montana Report    |                          |                      |
| Card (which will  |                          |                      |
| be issued in      |                          |                      |
| ~~October 2004~~  |                          |                      |
| ***January        |                          |                      |
| 2005***) will     |                          |                      |
| include           |                          |                      |
| information on    |                          |                      |
| student           |                          |                      |
| achievement at    |                          |                      |
| each proficiency  |                          |                      |
| level on the new  |                          |                      |
| state academic    |                          |                      |
| assessment        |                          |                      |
| (MontCAS, Phase   |                          |                      |
| 2) including the  |                          |                      |
| Montana ***CRT*** |                          |                      |
| Alternate         |                          |                      |
| Assessment        |                          |                      |
| Program,          |                          |                      |
| disaggregated by  |                          |                      |
| (1) all students, |                          |                      |
| (2)               |                          |                      |
| race/ethnicity,   |                          |                      |
| (3) gender, (4)   |                          |                      |
| disability, (5)   |                          |                      |
| migrant status,   |                          |                      |
| (6) limited       |                          |                      |
| English           |                          |                      |
| proficiency       |                          |                      |
| status, and (7)   |                          |                      |
| economically      |                          |                      |
| disadvantaged     |                          |                      |
| status. After the |                          |                      |
| second year of    |                          |                      |
| MontCAS, Phase 2  |                          |                      |
| test              |                          |                      |
| administration,   |                          |                      |
| the report card   |                          |                      |
| will include the  |                          |                      |
| most recent       |                          |                      |
| two-year results  |                          |                      |
| in student        |                          |                      |
| achievement in    |                          |                      |
| reading and       |                          |                      |
| mathematics       |                          |                      |
| performance       |                          |                      |
| levels. The       |                          |                      |
| percent of        |                          |                      |
| students not      |                          |                      |
| tested,           |                          |                      |
| graduation rates  |                          |                      |
| for secondary     |                          |                      |
| schools, and      |                          |                      |
| attendance rates  |                          |                      |
| for               |                          |                      |
| elementary/middle |                          |                      |
| schools will be   |                          |                      |
| reported in       |                          |                      |
| aggregate and in  |                          |                      |
| disaggregated     |                          |                      |
| subgroups except  |                          |                      |
| in the case of    |                          |                      |
| graduation rates  |                          |                      |
| because it will   |                          |                      |
| be four years     |                          |                      |
| before            |                          |                      |
| disaggregated     |                          |                      |
| data will be      |                          |                      |
| fully available   |                          |                      |
| on graduates.     |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| The professional  |                          |                      |
| qualifications of |                          |                      |
| teachers in the   |                          |                      |
| State and the     |                          |                      |
| number of such    |                          |                      |
| teachers teaching |                          |                      |
| with emergency or |                          |                      |
| provisional       |                          |                      |
| credentials will  |                          |                      |
| be provided on    |                          |                      |
| the State report  |                          |                      |
| card. The percent |                          |                      |
| of classes not    |                          |                      |
| taught by highly  |                          |                      |
| qualified         |                          |                      |
| teachers will be  |                          |                      |
| disaggregated by  |                          |                      |
| high-poverty      |                          |                      |
| compared to       |                          |                      |
| low-poverty       |                          |                      |
| schools.          |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| The Montana       |                          |                      |
| Report Card will  |                          |                      |
| contain           |                          |                      |
| information on    |                          |                      |
| schools not       |                          |                      |
| making AYP        |                          |                      |
| according to      |                          |                      |
| NCLB, Section     |                          |                      |
| 1116. A listing   |                          |                      |
| of all schools    |                          |                      |
| that failed to    |                          |                      |
| make AYP for the  |                          |                      |
| year will be      |                          |                      |
| reported on both  |                          |                      |
| the district      |                          |                      |
| report card and   |                          |                      |
| the state report  |                          |                      |
| card. Each school |                          |                      |
| report card will  |                          |                      |
| indicate whether  |                          |                      |
| that school made  |                          |                      |
| AYP or not.       |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| As specified in   |                          |                      |
| the Montana Title |                          |                      |
| I Compliance      |                          |                      |
| Agreement,        |                          |                      |
| statewide         |                          |                      |
| assessment        |                          |                      |
| results from the  |                          |                      |
| April 2004        |                          |                      |
| administration of |                          |                      |
| MontCAS, Phase 2  |                          |                      |
| will be provided  |                          |                      |
| to the Montana    |                          |                      |
| Office of Public  |                          |                      |
| Instruction by    |                          |                      |
| the testing       |                          |                      |
| vendor in         |                          |                      |
| September 2004    |                          |                      |
| and the NCLB      |                          |                      |
| Report Card will  |                          |                      |
| be made available |                          |                      |
| to schools ~~in   |                          |                      |
| October 2004. In  |                          |                      |
| fall 2004,~~ as   |                          |                      |
| soon as possible. |                          |                      |
| The new           |                          |                      |
| assessment data   |                          |                      |
| will ***then***   |                          |                      |
| be available for  |                          |                      |
| publication in    |                          |                      |
| the Report Card   |                          |                      |
| and Montana will  |                          |                      |
| become fully      |                          |                      |
| compliant with    |                          |                      |
| the NCLB          |                          |                      |
| legislation.      |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| While the Montana |                          |                      |
| Office of Public  |                          |                      |
| Instruction is    |                          |                      |
| operating under   |                          |                      |
| the Title I       |                          |                      |
| Compliance        |                          |                      |
| Agreement, the    |                          |                      |
| OPI will report   |                          |                      |
| by school,        |                          |                      |
| district, and     |                          |                      |
| state the         |                          |                      |
| following         |                          |                      |
| information on    |                          |                      |
| the September     |                          |                      |
| 2003 report       |                          |                      |
| cards:            |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| -   The Iowa      |                          |                      |
|     Tests - Total |                          |                      |
|     Reading and   |                          |                      |
|     Total Math    |                          |                      |
|     Scores        |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| > The percent of  |                          |                      |
| > students        |                          |                      |
| > scoring in each |                          |                      |
| > performance     |                          |                      |
| > level for each  |                          |                      |
| > subgroup for    |                          |                      |
| > the school (See |                          |                      |
| > Chart 1 in this |                          |                      |
| > document) and   |                          |                      |
| > aggregate NCE   |                          |                      |
| > score for       |                          |                      |
| > school          |                          |                      |
| >                 |                          |                      |
| > The percent of  |                          |                      |
| > students        |                          |                      |
| > scoring in each |                          |                      |
| > performance     |                          |                      |
| > level for each  |                          |                      |
| > subgroup for    |                          |                      |
| > the district    |                          |                      |
| > (See Chart 1 in |                          |                      |
| > this document)  |                          |                      |
| > and aggregate   |                          |                      |
| > NCE score for   |                          |                      |
| > district        |                          |                      |
| >                 |                          |                      |
| > The percent of  |                          |                      |
| > students        |                          |                      |
| > scoring in each |                          |                      |
| > performance     |                          |                      |
| > level for each  |                          |                      |
| > subgroup for    |                          |                      |
| > the state (See  |                          |                      |
| > Chart 1 in this |                          |                      |
| > document) and   |                          |                      |
| > aggregate NCE   |                          |                      |
| > score for state |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| -   AYP           |                          |                      |
|     Determination |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| A listing of all  |                          |                      |
| schools that      |                          |                      |
| failed to make    |                          |                      |
| AYP for the year  |                          |                      |
| will be reported  |                          |                      |
| on both the       |                          |                      |
| district report   |                          |                      |
| card and the      |                          |                      |
| state report      |                          |                      |
| card; each school |                          |                      |
| report card will  |                          |                      |
| indicate whether  |                          |                      |
| that school made  |                          |                      |
| AYP or not.       |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| > Each school and |                          |                      |
| > district will   |                          |                      |
| > be evaluated to |                          |                      |
| > see if the 45   |                          |                      |
| > NCE standard    |                          |                      |
| > for assessment  |                          |                      |
| > in 2003 has     |                          |                      |
| > been met for    |                          |                      |
| > all subgroups   |                          |                      |
| > including all   |                          |                      |
| > students. There |                          |                      |
| > will be an      |                          |                      |
| > indicator on    |                          |                      |
| > the school      |                          |                      |
| > report card as  |                          |                      |
| > to whether the  |                          |                      |
| > school and the  |                          |                      |
| > district made   |                          |                      |
| > AYP.            |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| -   Participation |                          |                      |
|     Rate          |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| Participation     |                          |                      |
| rate for the      |                          |                      |
| state, each       |                          |                      |
| school, and       |                          |                      |
| district and      |                          |                      |
| percentage not    |                          |                      |
| tested will be    |                          |                      |
| displayed         |                          |                      |
| disaggregated for |                          |                      |
| all subgroups     |                          |                      |
| including all     |                          |                      |
| students.         |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| -   Additional    |                          |                      |
|     Indicators    |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| The graduation    |                          |                      |
| rate for high     |                          |                      |
| schools or the    |                          |                      |
| attendance rate   |                          |                      |
| for               |                          |                      |
| elementary/middle |                          |                      |
| schools will be   |                          |                      |
| displayed in the  |                          |                      |
| aggregate on the  |                          |                      |
| September 2003    |                          |                      |
| Report Card as    |                          |                      |
| disaggregated     |                          |                      |
| data on these     |                          |                      |
| elements is not   |                          |                      |
| yet available     |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| -   Teacher       |                          |                      |
|     Quality (This |                          |                      |
|     will be added |                          |                      |
|     to Report     |                          |                      |
|     Cards posted  |                          |                      |
|     in September  |                          |                      |
|     2003 by early |                          |                      |
|     November 2003 |                          |                      |
|     in order to   |                          |                      |
|     display       |                          |                      |
|     current       |                          |                      |
|     school year   |                          |                      |
|     information.  |                          |                      |
|     It will be    |                          |                      |
|     added each    |                          |                      |
|     subsequent    |                          |                      |
|     year in early |                          |                      |
|     November for  |                          |                      |
|     this same     |                          |                      |
|     reason.)      |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| The professional  |                          |                      |
| qualifications of |                          |                      |
| teachers, the     |                          |                      |
| percentage of     |                          |                      |
| teachers teaching |                          |                      |
| with emergency or |                          |                      |
| provisional       |                          |                      |
| credentials, and  |                          |                      |
| the percentage of |                          |                      |
| classes taught by |                          |                      |
| teachers who are  |                          |                      |
| not highly        |                          |                      |
| qualified in that |                          |                      |
| school, district, |                          |                      |
| and the state, in |                          |                      |
| the aggregate and |                          |                      |
| disaggregated by  |                          |                      |
| high-poverty      |                          |                      |
| compared to       |                          |                      |
| low-poverty       |                          |                      |
| schools           |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| The first         |                          |                      |
| production of the |                          |                      |
| new revised       |                          |                      |
| Report Card will  |                          |                      |
| be ~~in October   |                          |                      |
| 2004,~~ after the |                          |                      |
| administration of |                          |                      |
| the new statewide |                          |                      |
| assessments,      |                          |                      |
| standards         |                          |                      |
| setting, ~~and~~  |                          |                      |
| receipt of        |                          |                      |
| scores***, and    |                          |                      |
| final AYP         |                          |                      |
| d                 |                          |                      |
| eterminations***. |                          |                      |
| This publication  |                          |                      |
| will include all  |                          |                      |
| that is required  |                          |                      |
| by NCLB. The      |                          |                      |
| trend data for    |                          |                      |
| the new           |                          |                      |
| assessments will  |                          |                      |
| be included as    |                          |                      |
| Montana           |                          |                      |
| administers the   |                          |                      |
| test in future    |                          |                      |
| years.            |                          |                      |
+-------------------+--------------------------+----------------------+

+-------------------+--------------------------+----------------------+
| **CRITICAL        | **EXAMPLES FOR**         | **EXAMPLES OF**      |
| ELEMENT**         |                          |                      |
|                   | **MEETING STATUTORY      | ***NOT* MEETING      |
|                   | REQUIREMENTS**           | REQUIREMENTS**       |
+-------------------+--------------------------+----------------------+
| 6.  How does the  | State uses one or more   | State does not       |
|     State         | types of rewards and     | implement rewards or |
|                   | sanctions, where the     | sanctions for public |
|    Accountability | criteria are:            | schools and LEAs     |
|     System        |                          | based on adequate    |
|     include       | -   Set by the State;    | yearly progress.     |
|     rewards and   |                          |                      |
|     sanctions for | -   Based on adequate    |                      |
|     public        |     yearly progress      |                      |
|     schools and   |     decisions; and,      |                      |
|     LEAs?         |                          |                      |
|                   | -   Applied uniformly    |                      |
|                   |     across               |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
|                   | > public schools and     |                      |
|                   | > LEAs.                  |                      |
+-------------------+--------------------------+----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE  |                          |                      |
| AND STATE         |                          |                      |
| ACTIVITIES FOR    |                          |                      |
| MEETING           |                          |                      |
| REQUIREMENTS**    |                          |                      |
+-------------------+--------------------------+----------------------+
| ~~Although~~      |                          |                      |
| T~~t~~he state    |                          |                      |
| superintendent's  |                          |                      |
| policy is ~~not~~ |                          |                      |
| complete, and she |                          |                      |
| will review all   |                          |                      |
| schools and       |                          |                      |
| districts in the  |                          |                      |
| state following   |                          |                      |
| the definition    |                          |                      |
| for Adequate      |                          |                      |
| Yearly Progress   |                          |                      |
| (AYP) as          |                          |                      |
| contained in this |                          |                      |
| document. In      |                          |                      |
| other words, the  |                          |                      |
| required criteria |                          |                      |
| for AYP as        |                          |                      |
| contained in the  |                          |                      |
| No Child Left     |                          |                      |
| Behind Act ~~will |                          |                      |
| be~~ is followed  |                          |                      |
| with all school   |                          |                      |
| and districts.    |                          |                      |
| The               |                          |                      |
| Superintendent    |                          |                      |
| will provide      |                          |                      |
| rewards to those  |                          |                      |
| school districts  |                          |                      |
| and schools that  |                          |                      |
| meet or exceed    |                          |                      |
| the AYP           |                          |                      |
| requirements for  |                          |                      |
| two consecutive   |                          |                      |
| years. These      |                          |                      |
| rewards may       |                          |                      |
| include, but are  |                          |                      |
| not limited to,   |                          |                      |
| the following:    |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| 1.  Public        |                          |                      |
|     recognition,  |                          |                      |
|     including     |                          |                      |
|     recognition   |                          |                      |
|     at Montana    |                          |                      |
|     Board of      |                          |                      |
|     Public        |                          |                      |
|     Education     |                          |                      |
|     meetings, on  |                          |                      |
|     the Montana   |                          |                      |
|     Office of     |                          |                      |
|     Public        |                          |                      |
|     Instruction   |                          |                      |
|     (OPI)         |                          |                      |
|     website, and  |                          |                      |
|     through the   |                          |                      |
|     news media of |                          |                      |
|     the state.    |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| 2.  Preference    |                          |                      |
|     for           |                          |                      |
|     appointments  |                          |                      |
|     to serve on   |                          |                      |
|     task forces   |                          |                      |
|     and advisory  |                          |                      |
|     committees    |                          |                      |
|     that advise   |                          |                      |
|     the state     |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
|   superintendent; |                          |                      |
|     and           |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| 3.  Designation   |                          |                      |
|     by the State  |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
|    Superintendent |                          |                      |
|     as a "School  |                          |                      |
|     (and/or       |                          |                      |
|     District) of  |                          |                      |
|     Progress"     |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| In addition, the  |                          |                      |
| State             |                          |                      |
| Superintendent    |                          |                      |
| will provide      |                          |                      |
| sanctions to      |                          |                      |
| those school      |                          |                      |
| districts and     |                          |                      |
| schools that do   |                          |                      |
| not meet the AYP  |                          |                      |
| requirements for  |                          |                      |
| two consecutive   |                          |                      |
| years. The        |                          |                      |
| sanctions may     |                          |                      |
| include, but are  |                          |                      |
| not limited to,   |                          |                      |
| the following:    |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| 1.  Provision of  |                          |                      |
|     a plan of     |                          |                      |
|     improvement   |                          |                      |
|     to be         |                          |                      |
|     included in   |                          |                      |
|     the Five-Year |                          |                      |
|     Comprehensive |                          |                      |
|     Education     |                          |                      |
|     Plan required |                          |                      |
|     of all        |                          |                      |
|     schools and   |                          |                      |
|     districts by  |                          |                      |
|     the Montana   |                          |                      |
|     Accreditation |                          |                      |
|     Standards;    |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| 2.  Regular       |                          |                      |
|     reporting of  |                          |                      |
|     information   |                          |                      |
|     concerning    |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
|    implementation |                          |                      |
|     of the        |                          |                      |
|     Five-Year     |                          |                      |
|     Comprehensive |                          |                      |
|     Education     |                          |                      |
|     Plan.         |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| 3.  Notification, |                          |                      |
|     through the   |                          |                      |
|     news media    |                          |                      |
|     and OPI       |                          |                      |
|     website,      |                          |                      |
|     concerning    |                          |                      |
|     the schools'  |                          |                      |
|     and           |                          |                      |
|     districts'    |                          |                      |
|     failure to    |                          |                      |
|     meet AYP; and |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| 4.  School        |                          |                      |
|     personnel     |                          |                      |
|     will be       |                          |                      |
|     required to   |                          |                      |
|     participate   |                          |                      |
|     in intensive  |                          |                      |
|     and sustained |                          |                      |
|     professional  |                          |                      |
|     development.  |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| 5.  In addition   |                          |                      |
|     to the above  |                          |                      |
|     sanctions,    |                          |                      |
|     all Title I   |                          |                      |
|     districts and |                          |                      |
|     schools will  |                          |                      |
|     be subject to |                          |                      |
|     the sanctions |                          |                      |
|     established   |                          |                      |
|     in NCLB       |                          |                      |
|     Section 1116. |                          |                      |
+-------------------+--------------------------+----------------------+

> **PRINCIPLE 2. All students are included in the State Accountability
> System.**

+-------------------+--------------------------+----------------------+
| **CRITICAL        | **EXAMPLES FOR**         | **EXAMPLES OF**      |
| ELEMENT**         |                          |                      |
|                   | **MEETING STATUTORY      | ***NOT* MEETING      |
|                   | REQUIREMENTS**           | REQUIREMENTS**       |
+-------------------+--------------------------+----------------------+
| 1.  How does the  | All students in the      | Public school        |
|     State         | State are included in    | students exist in    |
|                   | the State Accountability | the State for whom   |
|    Accountability | System.                  | the State            |
|     System        |                          | Accountability       |
|     include all   | The definitions of       | System makes no      |
|     students in   | "public school" and      | provision.           |
|     the State?    | "LEA" account for all    |                      |
|                   | students enrolled in the |                      |
|                   | public school district,  |                      |
|                   | regardless of program or |                      |
|                   | type of public school.   |                      |
+-------------------+--------------------------+----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE  |                          |                      |
| AND STATE         |                          |                      |
| ACTIVITIES FOR    |                          |                      |
| MEETING           |                          |                      |
| REQUIREMENTS**    |                          |                      |
+-------------------+--------------------------+----------------------+
| 2.1               |                          |                      |
| Administrative    |                          |                      |
| Rules of Montana  |                          |                      |
| (ARM)             |                          |                      |
| 10.56.101(7)      |                          |                      |
| require that all  |                          |                      |
| students in the   |                          |                      |
| public schools    |                          |                      |
| shall participate |                          |                      |
| in the state      |                          |                      |
| level             |                          |                      |
| assessments. This |                          |                      |
| accounts for all  |                          |                      |
| students enrolled |                          |                      |
| in public schools |                          |                      |
| regardless of     |                          |                      |
| program or type   |                          |                      |
| of public school. |                          |                      |
| The same          |                          |                      |
| definition from   |                          |                      |
| MCA 20-6-501 for  |                          |                      |
| public schools    |                          |                      |
| cited in Sec. 1.1 |                          |                      |
| applies here.     |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| For the current   |                          |                      |
| statewide         |                          |                      |
| assessment, *The  |                          |                      |
| Montana Guide for |                          |                      |
| Test Coordinators |                          |                      |
| and               |                          |                      |
| Administrators    |                          |                      |
| with 2003         |                          |                      |
| Updates*          |                          |                      |
| <http://www.o     |                          |                      |
| pi.state.mt.us/PD |                          |                      |
| F/Assessment/02Gu |                          |                      |
| ide&03Update.pdf> |                          |                      |
| lists options for |                          |                      |
| participation,    |                          |                      |
| including         |                          |                      |
| alternate         |                          |                      |
| assessment on     |                          |                      |
| page 1. In        |                          |                      |
| addition, the     |                          |                      |
| *Assessment       |                          |                      |
| Handbook, Volume  |                          |                      |
| 3* includes a     |                          |                      |
| section, "Options |                          |                      |
| and               |                          |                      |
| Accommodations to |                          |                      |
| Support All       |                          |                      |
| Students in the   |                          |                      |
| Sta               |                          |                      |
| tewideAssessment" |                          |                      |
| <http://www       |                          |                      |
| .opi.state.mt.us/ |                          |                      |
| pdf/Assessment/20 |                          |                      |
| 02handbookV3.pdf> |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| Similar options   |                          |                      |
| will be developed |                          |                      |
| for tests         |                          |                      |
| currently in      |                          |                      |
| development and   |                          |                      |
| scheduled to      |                          |                      |
| begin April 2004. |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| A similar policy  |                          |                      |
| will be developed |                          |                      |
| for inclusion in  |                          |                      |
| the OPI State and |                          |                      |
| Federal Grants    |                          |                      |
| Handbook to       |                          |                      |
| include all       |                          |                      |
| students in the   |                          |                      |
| accountability    |                          |                      |
| system. Public    |                          |                      |
| schools with no   |                          |                      |
| grades assessed   |                          |                      |
| will be included  |                          |                      |
| in the system by  |                          |                      |
| examining the     |                          |                      |
| schools into      |                          |                      |
| which they feed.  |                          |                      |
| Students who      |                          |                      |
| attend            |                          |                      |
| alternative       |                          |                      |
| education         |                          |                      |
| programs are      |                          |                      |
| included in their |                          |                      |
| "parent" school   |                          |                      |
| (the public       |                          |                      |
| school they would |                          |                      |
| have attended in  |                          |                      |
| the absence of    |                          |                      |
| the alternative   |                          |                      |
| program) for      |                          |                      |
| assessment and    |                          |                      |
| accountability    |                          |                      |
| purposes.         |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| All students with |                          |                      |
| disabilities in   |                          |                      |
| Montana public    |                          |                      |
| schools as        |                          |                      |
| defined under     |                          |                      |
| section 602(3) of |                          |                      |
| the Individuals   |                          |                      |
| with Disabilities |                          |                      |
| Education Act     |                          |                      |
| (IDEA) amendments |                          |                      |
| of 1997 and       |                          |                      |
| limited English   |                          |                      |
| proficiency (LEP) |                          |                      |
| participate in    |                          |                      |
| the Montana       |                          |                      |
| Comprehensive     |                          |                      |
| Assessment        |                          |                      |
| Program. The      |                          |                      |
| Individualized    |                          |                      |
| Education Program |                          |                      |
| (IEP) Team        |                          |                      |
| determines how    |                          |                      |
| students with     |                          |                      |
| disabilities will |                          |                      |
| participate in    |                          |                      |
| the statewide     |                          |                      |
| assessment        |                          |                      |
| program. A team   |                          |                      |
| of educators      |                          |                      |
| familiar with the |                          |                      |
| language          |                          |                      |
| abilities of LEP  |                          |                      |
| students          |                          |                      |
| determines how    |                          |                      |
| LEP students will |                          |                      |
| participate.      |                          |                      |
| These             |                          |                      |
| requirements are  |                          |                      |
| contained in ARM  |                          |                      |
| 10.56.101, the    |                          |                      |
| assessment rules  |                          |                      |
| of the Board of   |                          |                      |
| Public Education  |                          |                      |
| found in the      |                          |                      |
| Administrative    |                          |                      |
| Rules of Montana  |                          |                      |
| (ARM). The        |                          |                      |
| Montana ***CRT*** |                          |                      |
| Alternate         |                          |                      |
| Assessment        |                          |                      |
| ***(based on      |                          |                      |
| alternate         |                          |                      |
| achievement       |                          |                      |
| standards)***     |                          |                      |
| yields Reading    |                          |                      |
| and Mathematics   |                          |                      |
| assessment        |                          |                      |
| results ***for    |                          |                      |
| students with     |                          |                      |
| significant       |                          |                      |
| cognitive         |                          |                      |
| disabilities***   |                          |                      |
| for inclusion in  |                          |                      |
| AYP               |                          |                      |
| d                 |                          |                      |
| etermination***s, |                          |                      |
| utilizing         |                          |                      |
| Montana's         |                          |                      |
| approved          |                          |                      |
| exception to the  |                          |                      |
| 1% rule.* Note:   |                          |                      |
| This approval has |                          |                      |
| been extended for |                          |                      |
| use in AYP        |                          |                      |
| determinations    |                          |                      |
| for 2006-2007.    |                          |                      |
| Note: This        |                          |                      |
| approval has been |                          |                      |
| extended for use  |                          |                      |
| in AYP            |                          |                      |
| determinations    |                          |                      |
| for 2007-2008.**  |                          |                      |
|                   |                          |                      |
| All of the        |                          |                      |
| required          |                          |                      |
| subgroups,        |                          |                      |
| including         |                          |                      |
| students with     |                          |                      |
| disabilities and  |                          |                      |
| with limited      |                          |                      |
| English           |                          |                      |
| proficiency, who  |                          |                      |
| are enrolled in a |                          |                      |
| school for a full |                          |                      |
| academic year     |                          |                      |
| will be included  |                          |                      |
| in the            |                          |                      |
| performance level |                          |                      |
| measures that     |                          |                      |
| determine AYP for |                          |                      |
| the school. The   |                          |                      |
| same will apply   |                          |                      |
| for all those     |                          |                      |
| enrolled in the   |                          |                      |
| district for a    |                          |                      |
| full academic     |                          |                      |
| year in measures  |                          |                      |
| that determine    |                          |                      |
| AYP for the       |                          |                      |
| district.         |                          |                      |
+-------------------+--------------------------+----------------------+

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **CRITICAL ELEMENT**  | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | **MEETING STATUTORY   | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                       | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 2.  How does the      | The State has a       | LEAs have varying     |
|     State define      | definition of "full   | definitions of "full  |
|     "full academic    | academic year" for    | academic year."       |
|     year" for         | determining which     |                       |
|     identifying       | students are to be    | The State's           |
|     students in AYP   | included in decisions | definition excludes   |
|     decisions?        | about AYP.            | students who must     |
|                       |                       | transfer from one     |
|                       | The definition of     | district to another   |
|                       | full academic year is | as they advance to    |
|                       | consistent and        | the next grade.       |
|                       | applied statewide.    |                       |
|                       |                       | The definition of     |
|                       |                       | full academic year is |
|                       |                       | not applied           |
|                       |                       | consistently.         |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND  |                       |                       |
| STATE ACTIVITIES FOR  |                       |                       |
| MEETING               |                       |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**        |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 3.  Full academic     |                       |                       |
|     year is defined   |                       |                       |
|     as continuous     |                       |                       |
|     enrollment from   |                       |                       |
|     the October       |                       |                       |
|     enrollment        |                       |                       |
|     reporting date    |                       |                       |
|     (first Monday in  |                       |                       |
|     October) through  |                       |                       |
|     the March test    |                       |                       |
|     administration    |                       |                       |
|     (current          |                       |                       |
|     assessment).      |                       |                       |
|     Continuous        |                       |                       |
|     enrollment means  |                       |                       |
|     that a student is |                       |                       |
|     enrolled in the   |                       |                       |
|     school unless he  |                       |                       |
|     or she has        |                       |                       |
|     withdrawn, been   |                       |                       |
|     expelled, or      |                       |                       |
|     dropped out.      |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| The same definition   |                       |                       |
| will apply for tests  |                       |                       |
| currently in          |                       |                       |
| development except it |                       |                       |
| will be the "April    |                       |                       |
| test administration." |                       |                       |
| This definition is    |                       |                       |
| applied separately at |                       |                       |
| both the school and   |                       |                       |
| district level when   |                       |                       |
| determining if        |                       |                       |
| adequate yearly       |                       |                       |
| progress has been     |                       |                       |
| made at the school    |                       |                       |
| level and at the      |                       |                       |
| district level.       |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **CRITICAL ELEMENT**  | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | **MEETING STATUTORY   | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                       | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 4.  How does the      | State holds public    | State definition      |
|     State             | schools accountable   | requires students to  |
|     Accountability    | for students who were | attend the same       |
|     System determine  | enrolled at the same  | public school for     |
|     which students    | public school for a   | more than a full      |
|     have attended the | full academic year.   | academic year to be   |
|     same public       |                       | included in public    |
|     school and/or LEA | State holds LEAs      | school                |
|     for a full        | accountable for       | accountability.       |
|     academic year?    | students who transfer |                       |
|                       | during the full       | State definition      |
|                       | academic year from    | requires students to  |
|                       | one public school     | attend school in the  |
|                       | within the district   | same district for     |
|                       | to another public     | more than a full      |
|                       | school within the     | academic year to be   |
|                       | district.             | included in district  |
|                       |                       | accountability.       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       | State holds public    |
|                       |                       | schools accountable   |
|                       |                       | for students who have |
|                       |                       | not attended the same |
|                       |                       | public school for a   |
|                       |                       | full academic year.   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND  |                       |                       |
| STATE ACTIVITIES FOR  |                       |                       |
| MEETING               |                       |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**        |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 3.  Montana began     |                       |                       |
|     collecting        |                       |                       |
|     information on    |                       |                       |
|     f                 |                       |                       |
| ull-year/partial-year |                       |                       |
|     attendance (see   |                       |                       |
|     2.2) on the       |                       |                       |
|     norm-referenced   |                       |                       |
|     tests' (ITBS and  |                       |                       |
|     ITED) answer      |                       |                       |
|     documents         |                       |                       |
|     in 2002.          |                       |                       |
|     Guidelines for    |                       |                       |
|     coding that       |                       |                       |
|     information are   |                       |                       |
|     available in *The |                       |                       |
|     Montana Guide for |                       |                       |
|     Test Coordinators |                       |                       |
|     and               |                       |                       |
|     Administrators    |                       |                       |
|     with 2003Updates* |                       |                       |
|     <                 |                       |                       |
| http://www.opi.state. |                       |                       |
| mt.us/PDF/Assessment/ |                       |                       |
| 02Guide&03Update.pdf> |                       |                       |
|     . Similar         |                       |                       |
|     procedures will   |                       |                       |
|     be employed for   |                       |                       |
|     tests currently   |                       |                       |
|     in development    |                       |                       |
|     and scheduled to  |                       |                       |
|     begin April 2004. |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| #### [For incl        |                       |                       |
| usion in AYP determin |                       |                       |
| ation on the current  |                       |                       |
| assessment (MontCAS,  |                       |                       |
| Phase 1:]{.underline} |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| **All** student       |                       |                       |
| subgroups, including  |                       |                       |
| all the students      |                       |                       |
| group, will be held   |                       |                       |
| accountable to the    |                       |                       |
| AYP indicators:       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| > A student who is    |                       |                       |
| > enrolled            |                       |                       |
| > continuously in     |                       |                       |
| > that                |                       |                       |
| >                     |                       |                       |
|  [school]{.underline} |                       |                       |
| > from the first      |                       |                       |
| > Monday in October   |                       |                       |
| > through the March   |                       |                       |
| > testing             |                       |                       |
| > administration will |                       |                       |
| > be included when    |                       |                       |
| > determining if the  |                       |                       |
| > school has made     |                       |                       |
| > adequate yearly     |                       |                       |
| > progress.           |                       |                       |
| >                     |                       |                       |
| > A student who is    |                       |                       |
| > enrolled            |                       |                       |
| > continuously in the |                       |                       |
| > [                   |                       |                       |
| district]{.underline} |                       |                       |
| > from the first      |                       |                       |
| > Monday in October   |                       |                       |
| > through the March   |                       |                       |
| > testing             |                       |                       |
| > administration will |                       |                       |
| > be included when    |                       |                       |
| > determining if the  |                       |                       |
| > school has made     |                       |                       |
| > adequate yearly     |                       |                       |
| > progress.           |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| #### [For i           |                       |                       |
| nclusion in AYP deter |                       |                       |
| mination on the new a |                       |                       |
| ssessments (MontCAS,  |                       |                       |
| Phase 2:]{.underline} |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| **All** student       |                       |                       |
| subgroups, including  |                       |                       |
| all the students      |                       |                       |
| group, will be held   |                       |                       |
| accountable to the    |                       |                       |
| AYP indicators:       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| > A student who is    |                       |                       |
| > enrolled            |                       |                       |
| > continuously in     |                       |                       |
| > that                |                       |                       |
| >                     |                       |                       |
|  [school]{.underline} |                       |                       |
| > from the first      |                       |                       |
| > Monday in October   |                       |                       |
| > through the April   |                       |                       |
| > testing             |                       |                       |
| > administration will |                       |                       |
| > be included when    |                       |                       |
| > determining if the  |                       |                       |
| > school has made     |                       |                       |
| > adequate yearly     |                       |                       |
| > progress.           |                       |                       |
| >                     |                       |                       |
| > A student who is    |                       |                       |
| > enrolled            |                       |                       |
| > continuously in the |                       |                       |
| > [                   |                       |                       |
| district]{.underline} |                       |                       |
| > from the first      |                       |                       |
| > Monday in October   |                       |                       |
| > through the April   |                       |                       |
| > testing             |                       |                       |
| > administration will |                       |                       |
| > be included when    |                       |                       |
| > determining if the  |                       |                       |
| > school has made     |                       |                       |
| > adequate yearly     |                       |                       |
| > progress.           |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| Montana does not have |                       |                       |
| a system for          |                       |                       |
| determining if a      |                       |                       |
| student has been      |                       |                       |
| continuously enrolled |                       |                       |
| in the                |                       |                       |
| [state]{.underline}.  |                       |                       |
| As a result, all      |                       |                       |
| students tested will  |                       |                       |
| be included when      |                       |                       |
| determining if the    |                       |                       |
| state has made        |                       |                       |
| adequate yearly       |                       |                       |
| progress.             |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

**PRINCIPLE 3. State definition of AYP is based on expectations for
growth in student achievement that is continuous and substantial, such
that all students are proficient in reading/language arts and
mathematics no later than 2013-2014.**

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      | MEETING               |                       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      |                       | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 1.  How does the     | The State has a       | State definition does |
|     State's          | timeline for ensuring | not require all       |
|     definition of    | that all students     | students to achieve   |
|     adequate yearly  | will meet or exceed   | proficiency by        |
|     progress require | the State's           | 2013-2014.            |
|     all students to  | proficient level of   |                       |
|     be proficient in | academic achievement  | State extends the     |
|     reading/language | in reading/language   | timeline past the     |
|     arts and         | arts[^2] and          | 2013-2014 academic    |
|     mathematics by   | mathematics, not      | year.                 |
|     the 2013-2014    | later than 2013-2014. |                       |
|     academic year?   |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND |                       |                       |
| STATE ACTIVITIES FOR |                       |                       |
| MEETING              |                       |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**       |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| **In accordance with |                       |                       |
| the requirements of  |                       |                       |
| NCLB**               |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 3.1 As a compliance agreement state, Montana will establish a         |
| timeline for determining whether all students meet or exceed the      |
| proficient level of academic achievement in reading and mathematics,  |
| not later than the 2013-14 school year based on new assessments first |
| administered in April 2004. See response to question 1.2 with regard  |
| to establishing the starting points, annual measurable objectives,    |
| and intermediate goals as a result of a new assessment being          |
| implemented in spring 2004 and additional grades added in spring      |
| 2006. The starting points and targets will be set separately for      |
| reading and math.                                                     |
|                                                                       |
| Montana's definition of adequate yearly progress (AYP) requires all   |
| students to be proficient in reading and mathematics by the end of    |
| the 2013-14 school year and requires all students and each subgroup   |
| to be held accountable to meet all of the academic indicators used to |
| measure AYP (percent proficient in reading and mathematics; percent   |
| of participation in the assessments; graduation rate for secondary    |
| schools; and attendance rate for elementary and middle schools.) (See |
| Chart 3 below.)                                                       |
|                                                                       |
| The Montana definition of AYP will be included in the OPI State and   |
| Federal Grants Handbook.                                              |
|                                                                       |
| **Chart 3.** Accountability Subgroups and Academic Indicators         |
|                                                                       |
| +------------+-------+---------+-------+---------+---------------+    |
| |            | Aca   |         | Par   |         | Graduati      |    |
| |            | demic |         | ticip |         | on/Attendance |    |
| |            | Indic |         | ation |         | Rate \*       |    |
| |            | ators |         | Rate  |         |               |    |
| +------------+-------+---------+-------+---------+---------------+    |
| |            | Re    | Math    | Re    | Math    |               |    |
| |            | ading | ematics | ading | ematics |               |    |
| |            |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| |            | \%    | \%      |       |         |               |    |
| |            | Me    | Meeting |       |         |               |    |
| |            | eting | S       |       |         |               |    |
| |            | Sta   | tandard |       |         |               |    |
| |            | ndard |         |       |         |               |    |
| +------------+-------+---------+-------+---------+---------------+    |
| | All        |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| | Students   |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| +------------+-------+---------+-------+---------+---------------+    |
| | Ec         |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| | onomically |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| |            |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| | Dis        |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| | advantaged |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| +------------+-------+---------+-------+---------+---------------+    |
| | R/E White  |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| +------------+-------+---------+-------+---------+---------------+    |
| | R/E Black  |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| +------------+-------+---------+-------+---------+---------------+    |
| | R/E        |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| | Hispanic   |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| +------------+-------+---------+-------+---------+---------------+    |
| | R/E Asian  |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| +------------+-------+---------+-------+---------+---------------+    |
| | R/E Am.    |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| | Indi       |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| | an/Alaskan |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| +------------+-------+---------+-------+---------+---------------+    |
| | Students   |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| | with       |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| | Di         |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| | sabilities |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| +------------+-------+---------+-------+---------+---------------+    |
| | LEP        |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| | Students   |       |         |       |         |               |    |
| +------------+-------+---------+-------+---------+---------------+    |
|                                                                       |
| \* The school/LEA will not be required to disaggregate graduation     |
| rate and attendance rate data into the subgroups [for                 |
| accountability]{.underline} unless the school /LEA is using the "Safe |
| Harbor" provision to meet AYP. Until the disaggregations on these     |
| indicators are available at the state level, schools and districts    |
| will be asked to provide the data needed for "Safe Harbor"            |
| determinations.                                                       |
|                                                                       |
| All subgroups identified in Chart 3 will be held accountable to the   |
| academic indicators of reading and mathematics. Montana's Compliance  |
| Agreement with the U.S. Department of Education specifies that a      |
| timeline be established for public schools to reach the goal of 100%  |
| of students proficient in reading and mathematics by the end of the   |
| 2013-14 school year. Annual and intermediate goals will be            |
| established, using the school year 2005--06 data from grades 3-8 and  |
| 10 as soon as it is available, to assure increases in the percent of  |
| students proficient in reading and math over the next eight years.    |
|                                                                       |
| As Montana defines annual measurable objectives and intermediate      |
| goals, the first increase is expected in 2005-06, followed by         |
| intermediate incremental increases to assure that Montana public      |
| schools and districts meet the goal of 100% proficiency in 2013-14.   |
|                                                                       |
| The development of intermediate goals includes the following          |
| assumptions for Montana:                                              |
|                                                                       |
| 1)  Calculate the starting point for determining AYP based on 2003-04 |
|     assessment data that follows the recommendations of the U.S.      |
|     Department of Education. This percent will serve as the standard  |
|     for AYP determinations for the 2004-05 school year.               |
|                                                                       |
| 2)  Based on the starting points, establish first intermediate goal   |
|     and incremental increase.                                         |
|                                                                       |
| 3)  Recalculate the starting point, using the 2005-06 data from       |
|     grades 3 through 8 and 10. These averages will be used to         |
|     determine intermediate goals and annual measurable objectives by  |
|     grade configuration for the next seven years. This trajectory     |
|     will assure that all students will reach the proficient level of  |
|     performance by 2013-14.                                           |
|                                                                       |
| Montana will use the process for calculating the initial starting     |
| points that is outlined in Chart 5 in section 3.2a, using assessment  |
| results from the MontCAS, Phase 2 that will be administered in spring |
| 2004 in grades 4, 8, and 10. The same method will be used to          |
| reestablish new starting points when assessment data from grades 3-8  |
| and 10 are incorporated.                                              |
|                                                                       |
| Note: This work was completed and the resulting new starting points,  |
| AMOs, and Intermediate Goals are shown on page 11, Section 1.2.       |
|                                                                       |
| [GROWTH OBJECTIVE ("Safe Harbor" Provision)]{.underline}              |
|                                                                       |
| If any student sub-groups do not meet or exceed the state annual      |
| measurable objectives, the public school or LEA may be considered to  |
| have met AYP if the percent of students in the non-proficient         |
| subgroup:                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| > 1\) Decreased by 10% on the reading and mathematics indicators from |
| > the preceding school year, and                                      |
|                                                                       |
| 2)  Made progress on the other indicator, or is at/above the target   |
|     goal for that indicator.                                          |
|                                                                       |
| 3)  Meets the participation rate.                                     |
|                                                                       |
| 4)  ***Moreover, beginning with testing data from spring 2005,        |
|     Montana will use a limited, smaller, 75 percent confidence        |
|     interval for "safe harbor" determinations, only where the given   |
|     subgroup, school, or district has shown positive progress in      |
|     reducing from the prior year the percentage of students scoring   |
|     below proficiency (and the only question is whether that progress |
|     constitutes a 10 percent reduction).***                           |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      | MEETING               |                       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      |                       | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 1.  How does the     | For a public school   | State uses different  |
|     State            | and LEA to make       | method for            |
|     Accountability   | adequate yearly       | calculating how       |
|     System determine | progress, each        | public schools and    |
|     whether each     | student subgroup must | LEAs make AYP.        |
|     student          | meet or exceed the    |                       |
|     subgroup, public | State annual          |                       |
|     school and LEA   | measurable            |                       |
|     makes AYP?       | objectives, each      |                       |
|                      | student subgroup must |                       |
|                      | have at least a 95%   |                       |
|                      | participation rate in |                       |
|                      | the statewide         |                       |
|                      | assessments, and the  |                       |
|                      | school must meet the  |                       |
|                      | State's requirement   |                       |
|                      | for other academic    |                       |
|                      | indicators.           |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | However, if in any    |                       |
|                      | particular year the   |                       |
|                      | student subgroup does |                       |
|                      | not meet those annual |                       |
|                      | measurable            |                       |
|                      | objectives, the       |                       |
|                      | public school or LEA  |                       |
|                      | may be considered to  |                       |
|                      | have made AYP, if the |                       |
|                      | percentage of         |                       |
|                      | students in that      |                       |
|                      | group who did not     |                       |
|                      | meet or exceed the    |                       |
|                      | proficient level of   |                       |
|                      | academic achievement  |                       |
|                      | on the State          |                       |
|                      | assessments for that  |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                      | year decreased by 10% |                       |
|                      | of that percentage    |                       |
|                      | from the preceding    |                       |
|                      | public school year;   |                       |
|                      | that group made       |                       |
|                      | progress on one or    |                       |
|                      | more of the State's   |                       |
|                      | academic indicators;  |                       |
|                      | and that group had at |                       |
|                      | least 95%             |                       |
|                      | participation rate on |                       |
|                      | the statewide         |                       |
|                      | assessment.           |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND |                       |                       |
| STATE ACTIVITIES FOR |                       |                       |
| MEETING              |                       |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**       |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 0.  ~~With the new   |                       |                       |
|     assessments in   |                       |                       |
|     place,~~         |                       |                       |
|     Montana\'s       |                       |                       |
|     assessment       |                       |                       |
|     system is fully  |                       |                       |
|     in place, and    |                       |                       |
|     Montana's State  |                       |                       |
|     Accountability   |                       |                       |
|     System ~~will~~  |                       |                       |
|     bases the        |                       |                       |
|     ~~its~~ annual   |                       |                       |
|     determination of |                       |                       |
|     whether each     |                       |                       |
|     subgroup, public |                       |                       |
|     school and LEA   |                       |                       |
|     makes AYP on the |                       |                       |
|     achievement of   |                       |                       |
|     all students,    |                       |                       |
|     including these  |                       |                       |
|     subgroups:       |                       |                       |
|     economically     |                       |                       |
|     disadvantaged,   |                       |                       |
|     racial/ethnic,   |                       |                       |
|     students with    |                       |                       |
|     disabilities,    |                       |                       |
|     and limited      |                       |                       |
|     English          |                       |                       |
|     proficient.      |                       |                       |
|     Categories for   |                       |                       |
|     racial/ethnic    |                       |                       |
|     are as follows:  |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   -----------------  |                       |                       |
|   R/E White          |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   R/E Black          |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   R/E Hispanic       |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   R/E Asian          |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   R/E Am.            |                       |                       |
|   Indian/Alaskan     |                       |                       |
|   -----------------  |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| > Montana's AYP      |                       |                       |
| > calculation also   |                       |                       |
| > incorporates the   |                       |                       |
| > other academic     |                       |                       |
| > indicators of      |                       |                       |
| > graduation rate    |                       |                       |
| > (for secondary     |                       |                       |
| > schools) and       |                       |                       |
| > attendance rate    |                       |                       |
| > (for elementary    |                       |                       |
| > and middle         |                       |                       |
| > schools) and       |                       |                       |
| > participation rate |                       |                       |
| > for all. (See      |                       |                       |
| > Chart 3.)          |                       |                       |
| >                    |                       |                       |
| > (NOTE: For         |                       |                       |
| > accountability     |                       |                       |
| > purposes, the      |                       |                       |
| > school or LEA will |                       |                       |
| > not be required to |                       |                       |
| > disaggregate       |                       |                       |
| > graduation rate    |                       |                       |
| > and attendance     |                       |                       |
| > rate data into the |                       |                       |
| > subgroups unless   |                       |                       |
| > the school or LEA  |                       |                       |
| > is using the "Safe |                       |                       |
| > Harbor" provision  |                       |                       |
| > to meet AYP.)      |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| Montana will use a   |                       |                       |
| decreasing trend     |                       |                       |
| calculation under    |                       |                       |
| the "Safe Harbor"    |                       |                       |
| provision to         |                       |                       |
| identify schools     |                       |                       |
| that failed to meet  |                       |                       |
| AYP by the method    |                       |                       |
| outlined in Chart 4. |                       |                       |
| A Montana public     |                       |                       |
| school or LEA may be |                       |                       |
| considered to have   |                       |                       |
| made AYP if the      |                       |                       |
| percent of students  |                       |                       |
| in the               |                       |                       |
| non-proficient       |                       |                       |
| subgroup:            |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| 1)  Decreased by 10% |                       |                       |
|     from the         |                       |                       |
|     preceding school |                       |                       |
|     year, and        |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| 2)  Made progress on |                       |                       |
|     the other        |                       |                       |
|     academic         |                       |                       |
|     indicator, or is |                       |                       |
|     at/above the     |                       |                       |
|     target for that  |                       |                       |
|     academic         |                       |                       |
|     indicator, and   |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| 3)  Attained a 95%   |                       |                       |
|     participation    |                       |                       |
|     rate (to be      |                       |                       |
|     calculated as    |                       |                       |
|     explained        |                       |                       |
|     previously)      |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| 4)  ***Moreover,     |                       |                       |
|     beginning with   |                       |                       |
|     testing data     |                       |                       |
|     from spring      |                       |                       |
|     2005, Montana    |                       |                       |
|     will use a       |                       |                       |
|     limited,         |                       |                       |
|     smaller, 75      |                       |                       |
|     percent          |                       |                       |
|     confidence       |                       |                       |
|     interval for     |                       |                       |
|     "safe harbor"    |                       |                       |
|     determinations,  |                       |                       |
|     only where the   |                       |                       |
|     given subgroup,  |                       |                       |
|     school, or       |                       |                       |
|     district has     |                       |                       |
|     shown positive   |                       |                       |
|     progress in      |                       |                       |
|     reducing from    |                       |                       |
|     the prior year   |                       |                       |
|     the percentage   |                       |                       |
|     of students      |                       |                       |
|     scoring below    |                       |                       |
|     proficiency (and |                       |                       |
|     the only         |                       |                       |
|     question is      |                       |                       |
|     whether that     |                       |                       |
|     progress         |                       |                       |
|     constitutes a 10 |                       |                       |
|     percent          |                       |                       |
|     reduction).***   |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **Chart 4. "Safe     |                       |                       |
| Harbor" Provision    |                       |                       |
| for AYP              |                       |                       |
| Determination with   |                       |                       |
| Accountability       |                       |                       |
| Subgroups and        |                       |                       |
| Indicators**         |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| <table>              |                       |                       |
| <colgroup>           |                       |                       |
| <col                 |                       |                       |
| s                    |                       |                       |
| tyle="width: 19%" /> |                       |                       |
| <col                 |                       |                       |
| s                    |                       |                       |
| tyle="width: 12%" /> |                       |                       |
| <col                 |                       |                       |
| s                    |                       |                       |
| tyle="width: 14%" /> |                       |                       |
| <col                 |                       |                       |
| s                    |                       |                       |
| tyle="width: 14%" /> |                       |                       |
| <col                 |                       |                       |
| s                    |                       |                       |
| tyle="width: 14%" /> |                       |                       |
| <col                 |                       |                       |
| s                    |                       |                       |
| tyle="width: 24%" /> |                       |                       |
| </colgroup>          |                       |                       |
| <tbody>              |                       |                       |
| <tr class="odd">     |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td                  |                       |                       |
| colspan=             |                       |                       |
| "2"><strong>Academic |                       |                       |
| Indi                 |                       |                       |
| cators</strong></td> |                       |                       |
| <td                  |                       |                       |
| colspan="2"><        |                       |                       |
| strong>Participation |                       |                       |
| Rate</strong></td>   |                       |                       |
| <td                  |                       |                       |
| r                    |                       |                       |
| owspan="2"><strong>G |                       |                       |
| raduation/Attendance |                       |                       |
| Rate*</strong></td>  |                       |                       |
| </tr>                |                       |                       |
| <tr class="even">    |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td><p><strong>      |                       |                       |
| Reading</strong></p> |                       |                       |
| <p><strong>%         |                       |                       |
| Meeting              |                       |                       |
| Standa               |                       |                       |
| rd</strong></p></td> |                       |                       |
| <td><p><strong>Math  |                       |                       |
| ematics</strong></p> |                       |                       |
| <p><strong>%         |                       |                       |
| Meeting              |                       |                       |
| Standa               |                       |                       |
| rd</strong></p></td> |                       |                       |
| <td><strong>R        |                       |                       |
| eading</strong></td> |                       |                       |
| <td><strong>Mathe    |                       |                       |
| matics</strong></td> |                       |                       |
| </tr>                |                       |                       |
| <tr class="odd">     |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td><strong>Decrease |                       |                       |
| by 10% that          |                       |                       |
| percent of           |                       |                       |
| non-proficient       |                       |                       |
| students from the    |                       |                       |
| preceding year in    |                       |                       |
| the                  |                       |                       |
| school</strong></td> |                       |                       |
| <td><p><strong>D     |                       |                       |
| ecrease</strong></p> |                       |                       |
| <p><strong>by        |                       |                       |
| 10%</strong></p>     |                       |                       |
| <p><stro             |                       |                       |
| ng>that</strong></p> |                       |                       |
| <p><strong>percent   |                       |                       |
| of                   |                       |                       |
| non-pro              |                       |                       |
| ficient</strong></p> |                       |                       |
| <p><strong>students  |                       |                       |
| from the preceding   |                       |                       |
| year in the          |                       |                       |
| scho                 |                       |                       |
| ol</strong></p></td> |                       |                       |
| <td><strong>Attained |                       |                       |
| a 95%                |                       |                       |
| Participation        |                       |                       |
| Rate</strong></td>   |                       |                       |
| <td><strong>Attained |                       |                       |
| a 95%                |                       |                       |
| Participation        |                       |                       |
| Rate</strong></td>   |                       |                       |
| <td><strong>Meets    |                       |                       |
| or shows progress    |                       |                       |
| toward this          |                       |                       |
| indicator by that    |                       |                       |
| sub                  |                       |                       |
| -group</strong></td> |                       |                       |
| </tr>                |                       |                       |
| <tr class="even">    |                       |                       |
| <td><strong>All      |                       |                       |
| St                   |                       |                       |
| udents</strong></td> |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| </tr>                |                       |                       |
| <tr class="odd">     |                       |                       |
| <td><p><strong>Econo |                       |                       |
| mically</strong></p> |                       |                       |
| <p                   |                       |                       |
| ><strong>Disadvantag |                       |                       |
| ed</strong></p></td> |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| </tr>                |                       |                       |
| <tr class="even">    |                       |                       |
| <td><strong>R/E      |                       |                       |
| White</strong></td>  |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| </tr>                |                       |                       |
| <tr class="odd">     |                       |                       |
| <td><strong>R/E      |                       |                       |
| Black</strong></td>  |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| </tr>                |                       |                       |
| <tr class="even">    |                       |                       |
| <td><strong>R/E      |                       |                       |
| Hi                   |                       |                       |
| spanic</strong></td> |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| </tr>                |                       |                       |
| <tr class="odd">     |                       |                       |
| <td><strong>R/E      |                       |                       |
| Asian</strong></td>  |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| </tr>                |                       |                       |
| <tr class="even">    |                       |                       |
| <td><strong>R/E      |                       |                       |
| Am.                  |                       |                       |
| Indian/A             |                       |                       |
| laskan</strong></td> |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| </tr>                |                       |                       |
| <tr class="odd">     |                       |                       |
| <td><strong>Students |                       |                       |
| with                 |                       |                       |
| Disabi               |                       |                       |
| lities</strong></td> |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| </tr>                |                       |                       |
| <tr class="even">    |                       |                       |
| <td><strong>LEP      |                       |                       |
| St                   |                       |                       |
| udents</strong></td> |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| <td></td>            |                       |                       |
| </tr>                |                       |                       |
| </tbody>             |                       |                       |
| </table>             |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| **\*The school/LEA   |                       |                       |
| will not be required |                       |                       |
| to disaggregate      |                       |                       |
| graduation rate and  |                       |                       |
| attendance rate data |                       |                       |
| into the subgroups   |                       |                       |
| for accountability   |                       |                       |
| unless the           |                       |                       |
| school/LEA is using  |                       |                       |
| the "Safe Harbor"    |                       |                       |
| provision to meet    |                       |                       |
| AYP.**               |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      | MEETING               |                       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      |                       | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 3.2a What is the     | Using data from the   | The State             |
| State's starting     | 2001-2002 school      | Accountability System |
| point for            | year, the State       | uses a different      |
| calculating Adequate | established separate  | method for            |
| Yearly Progress?     | starting points in    | calculating the       |
|                      | reading/language arts | starting point (or    |
|                      | and mathematics for   | baseline data).       |
|                      | measuring the         |                       |
|                      | percentage of         |                       |
|                      | students meeting or   |                       |
|                      | exceeding the State's |                       |
|                      | proficient level of   |                       |
|                      | academic achievement. |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | Each starting point   |                       |
|                      | is based, at a        |                       |
|                      | minimum, on the       |                       |
|                      | higher of the         |                       |
|                      | following percentages |                       |
|                      | of students at the    |                       |
|                      | proficient level: (1) |                       |
|                      | the percentage in the |                       |
|                      | State of proficient   |                       |
|                      | students in the       |                       |
|                      | lowest-achieving      |                       |
|                      | student subgroup; or, |                       |
|                      | (2) the percentage of |                       |
|                      | proficient students   |                       |
|                      | in a public school at |                       |
|                      | the 20^th^ percentile |                       |
|                      | of the State's total  |                       |
|                      | enrollment among all  |                       |
|                      | schools ranked by the |                       |
|                      | percentage of         |                       |
|                      | students at the       |                       |
|                      | proficient level.     |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | A State may use these |                       |
|                      | procedures to         |                       |
|                      | establish separate    |                       |
|                      | starting points by    |                       |
|                      | grade span; however,  |                       |
|                      | the starting point    |                       |
|                      | must be the same for  |                       |
|                      | all like schools      |                       |
|                      | (e.g., one same       |                       |
|                      | starting point for    |                       |
|                      | all elementary        |                       |
|                      | schools, one same     |                       |
|                      | starting point for    |                       |
|                      | all middle            |                       |
|                      | schools...).          |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 3.2a Starting with data from the 2003--04 school year on the new      |
| assessment, Montana ~~will~~ set separate starting points for reading |
| and mathematics for public schools based on MontCAS, Phase 2 and      |
| Montana Alternate Assessment results. The starting points calculated  |
| based on 2004 assessment data ~~will~~ served as the AYP standard for |
| 2003-04, 2004-05, and the basis for an increased intermediate goal    |
| set for 2005-06. As outlined in Sec. 3.1, starting points ~~will be~~ |
| were recalculated in the fall of 2006 to incorporate results from     |
| grades 3, 5, 6, and 7. The new starting points ~~will be~~ were used  |
| to determine intermediate goals and annual measurable objectives for  |
| the remaining years to reach 100% proficiency by 2013-14.             |
|                                                                       |
| **[Chart 5. Calculating the Starting Point for                        |
| AYP\_\_\_\_\_\_\_                                                     |
| \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_]{.underline}** |
|                                                                       |
| The calculation of each starting point ~~will be~~ was based on the   |
| higher of the following percentages of students at or above           |
| proficient: (1) the percentage of students at or above proficient in  |
| the public school at the 20^th^ percentile of the State's total       |
| enrollment among all schools ranked in ascending order by the         |
| percentage of students at or above proficient; or, (2) the statewide  |
| percentage of students at or above proficient in the lowest-achieving |
| student subgroup.                                                     |
|                                                                       |
| ###### Method 1                                                       |
|                                                                       |
| In ~~summer~~ ***fall*** 2004, rank all Montana public schools in     |
| order according to the percent of students who scored at the          |
| proficient level or above in reading. Montana may wish to calculate   |
| different starting points for public elementary, middle and high      |
| schools. The same process is used to calculate the starting point for |
| mathematics. (In Steps 1 through 5, references are made to Chart 5a,  |
| Example A, found on the following page.)                              |
|                                                                       |
| > 1\. In a chart similar to Example A, record the total students in   |
| > the enrollment records for each school after they have been ordered |
| > based on the percent of students who scored at the proficient level |
| > or above.                                                           |
| >                                                                     |
| > 2\. Beginning with the school with the smallest percent of          |
| > proficient students in reading, calculate the cumulative            |
| > enrollment. Referring to Example A, the cumulative enrollment for   |
| > School X is 397 {200 (School Z) + 65 (School Y) + 132 (School X)}.  |
|                                                                       |
| 3.  Multiply the total student enrollment for Montana public schools  |
|     (top cumulative enrollment number) by 20 percent (.20) to find 20 |
|     percent of the total student enrollment. In the example, 20       |
|     percent of 1619 is 323.8. Rounding yields 324.                    |
|                                                                       |
| 4.  Count up from the school with the smallest percent of students    |
|     proficient in reading to identify the public schools whose        |
|     combined school populations represent 20 percent of the total     |
|     student enrollment (cumulative enrollment). From Example A, 20    |
|     percent of the total student enrollment is 324. To reach this     |
|     number, the student populations from School X, School Y, and      |
|     School Z are combined.                                            |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| > 5\. Use the percent of students who scored at the proficient level  |
| > in reading and mathematics from the public schools identified in    |
| > Step 4. This percent is the minimum starting point for reading and  |
| > mathematics. In Chart 5a, Example A, the minimum starting point is  |
| > 30 percent (the percent of proficient students at School X).        |
| >                                                                     |
| > **Method 2**                                                        |
| >                                                                     |
| > In ~~summer~~ ***fall*** 2004, calculate the statewide percentage   |
| > of students at or above proficient in the lowest-achieving student  |
| > subgroup for each subject tested.                                   |
| >                                                                     |
| > For each subject tested, use the greater of the percentages         |
| > calculated using Method 1 and Method 2 as the starting point        |
| >                                                                     |
| > .                                                                   |
|                                                                       |
| Chart 5a. Example A- Method 1                                         |
|                                                                       |
|   -------------- --------------- --------------- -------------------- |
|   School Name    Percent of      Total students  Cumulative           |
|                  Students        in enrollment   enrollment           |
|                  Proficient in   records                              |
|                  Reading                                              |
|                                                                       |
|   School A       54 %            235             1619 (1384 + 235)    |
|                                                                       |
|   School B       40 %            400             1384 (984 + 400)     |
|                                                                       |
|   School W       38 %            587             984 (397 + 587)      |
|                                                                       |
|   School X       30 %            132             397 (265 + 132)      |
|                                                                       |
|   School Y       29 %            65              265 (200 + 65)       |
|                                                                       |
|   School Z       20 %            200             200                  |
|   -------------- --------------- --------------- -------------------- |
|                                                                       |
| Each intermediate goal will reflect annual measurable objectives      |
| based on state performance as defined in the federal legislation.     |
| Additionally, the school growth ("Safe Harbor" provision described in |
| Section 3.1) calculation will be applied if the school or LEA did not |
| meet AYP state annual objectives. The intermediate goals and annual   |
| objectives established by Montana will guide public schools in        |
| reaching the target goal of 100% proficiency by the end of the        |
| 2013-14 school year.                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| ***Note: Starting points ~~have now been~~ were set using Method 1    |
| with CRT data for grades 4, 8, and 10. The starting points ~~are~~    |
| were as follows:***                                                   |
|                                                                       |
| ***Reading (grades 4, 8, and 10) -- 55% proficient or above***        |
|                                                                       |
| ***Math (grades 4, 8, and 10) -- 40% proficient or above***           |
|                                                                       |
| **These were the annual measurable objectives (AMOs) for 2003-2004    |
| and 2004-2005. For 2005-2006, the starting points were set using      |
| Method 1 with CRT data for grades 3-8 and grade 10. The new starting  |
| points were as follows:**                                             |
|                                                                       |
| **Reading (grades 3-8 and 10) 74% proficient or above**               |
|                                                                       |
| **Math (grades 3-8 and 10) 51% proficient or above.**                 |
|                                                                       |
| **The AMOs and Intermediate Goals are shown in Section 1.2 on page    |
| 11.**                                                                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      | MEETING               |                       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      |                       | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 2.  What are the     | State has annual      | The State             |
|     State's annual   | measurable objectives | Accountability System |
|     measurable       | that are consistent   | uses another method   |
|                      | with a state's        | for calculating       |
| > objectives for     | intermediate goals    | annual measurable     |
| > determining        | and that identify for | objectives.           |
| > adequate yearly    | each year a minimum   |                       |
| > progress?          | percentage of         | The State             |
|                      | students who must     | Accountability System |
|                      | meet or exceed the    | does not include      |
|                      | proficient level of   | annual measurable     |
|                      | academic achievement  | objectives.           |
|                      | on the State's        |                       |
|                      | academic assessments. |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | The State's annual    |                       |
|                      | measurable objectives |                       |
|                      | ensure that all       |                       |
|                      | students meet or      |                       |
|                      | exceed the State's    |                       |
|                      | proficient level of   |                       |
|                      | academic achievement  |                       |
|                      | within the timeline.  |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | The State's annual    |                       |
|                      | measurable objectives |                       |
|                      | are the same          |                       |
|                      | throughout the State  |                       |
|                      | for each public       |                       |
|                      | school, each LEA, and |                       |
|                      | each subgroup of      |                       |
|                      | students.             |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND |                       |                       |
| STATE ACTIVITIES FOR |                       |                       |
| MEETING              |                       |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**       |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 3.2b As Montana      |                       |                       |
| defines annual and   |                       |                       |
| intermediate goals,  |                       |                       |
| the first increase   |                       |                       |
| is expected in       |                       |                       |
| 2005-06, followed by |                       |                       |
| incremental          |                       |                       |
| increases in the     |                       |                       |
| intermediate goals   |                       |                       |
| and annual goals     |                       |                       |
| that may remain the  |                       |                       |
| same for more than   |                       |                       |
| one year to assure   |                       |                       |
| that Montana public  |                       |                       |
| schools and          |                       |                       |
| districts meet the   |                       |                       |
| goal of 100%         |                       |                       |
| proficiency in       |                       |                       |
| 2013-14. These will  |                       |                       |
| identify a single    |                       |                       |
| percent of students  |                       |                       |
| who must annually    |                       |                       |
| meet or exceed the   |                       |                       |
| proficient level of  |                       |                       |
| performance on       |                       |                       |
| MontCAS, Phase 2 or  |                       |                       |
| the Montana          |                       |                       |
| Alternate            |                       |                       |
| Assessment.          |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| The development of   |                       |                       |
| intermediate goals   |                       |                       |
| and annual           |                       |                       |
| measurable           |                       |                       |
| objectives includes  |                       |                       |
| the following        |                       |                       |
| assumptions for      |                       |                       |
| Montana:             |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| 1)  Calculate the    |                       |                       |
|     starting point   |                       |                       |
|     for determining  |                       |                       |
|     AYP based on     |                       |                       |
|     2003-04          |                       |                       |
|     assessment data  |                       |                       |
|     that follows the |                       |                       |
|     recommendations  |                       |                       |
|     of the United    |                       |                       |
|     States           |                       |                       |
|     Department of    |                       |                       |
|     Education. (See  |                       |                       |
|     Chart 3 in this  |                       |                       |
|     document.) This  |                       |                       |
|     percent will     |                       |                       |
|     serve as the     |                       |                       |
|     standard for AYP |                       |                       |
|     determinations   |                       |                       |
|     for the 2004-05  |                       |                       |
|     school year.     |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| 2)  Based on the     |                       |                       |
|     starting points  |                       |                       |
|     and data from    |                       |                       |
|     2003-04 and      |                       |                       |
|     2004-05,         |                       |                       |
|     establish first  |                       |                       |
|     intermediate     |                       |                       |
|     goal and         |                       |                       |
|     incremental      |                       |                       |
|     increase.        |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| 3)  Recalculate the  |                       |                       |
|     starting point,  |                       |                       |
|     using the        |                       |                       |
|     2005-06 data     |                       |                       |
|     from grades 3-8  |                       |                       |
|     and 10. These    |                       |                       |
|     averages will be |                       |                       |
|     used to          |                       |                       |
|     determine        |                       |                       |
|     intermediate     |                       |                       |
|     goals and annual |                       |                       |
|     measurable       |                       |                       |
|     objectives by    |                       |                       |
|     grade            |                       |                       |
|     configuration    |                       |                       |
|     for the next     |                       |                       |
|     seven years.     |                       |                       |
|     This trajectory  |                       |                       |
|     will assure that |                       |                       |
|     all students     |                       |                       |
|     will reach the   |                       |                       |
|     proficient level |                       |                       |
|     of performance   |                       |                       |
|     by 2013-14.      |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| Montana will use the |                       |                       |
| process for          |                       |                       |
| calculating the      |                       |                       |
| initial starting     |                       |                       |
| points that is       |                       |                       |
| outlined in Chart 5  |                       |                       |
| in this document,    |                       |                       |
| using assessment     |                       |                       |
| results from the     |                       |                       |
| MontCAS, Phase 2     |                       |                       |
| that will be         |                       |                       |
| administered in      |                       |                       |
| spring 2004 in       |                       |                       |
| grades 4, 8, and 10. |                       |                       |
| The same method will |                       |                       |
| be used to           |                       |                       |
| reestablish new      |                       |                       |
| starting points when |                       |                       |
| assessment data from |                       |                       |
| grades 3-8 and 10    |                       |                       |
| are incorporated.    |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| Note: This work was  |                       |                       |
| completed and the    |                       |                       |
| resulting new        |                       |                       |
| starting points,     |                       |                       |
| AMOs, and            |                       |                       |
| Intermediate Goals   |                       |                       |
| are shown on page    |                       |                       |
| 11, Section 1.2.     |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      | MEETING               |                       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      |                       | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 3.2c What are the    | State has established | The State uses        |
| State's intermediate | intermediate goals    | another method for    |
| goals for            | that increase in      | calculating           |
| determining adequate | equal increments over | intermediate goals.   |
| yearly progress?     | the period covered by |                       |
|                      | the State timeline.   | The State does not    |
|                      |                       | include intermediate  |
|                      | -   The first         | goals in its          |
|                      |     incremental       | definition of         |
|                      |     increase takes    | adequate yearly       |
|                      |     effect not later  | progress.             |
|                      |     than the          |                       |
|                      |     2004-2005         |                       |
|                      |     academic year.    |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | -   Each following    |                       |
|                      |     incremental       |                       |
|                      |     increase occurs   |                       |
|                      |     within three      |                       |
|                      |     years.            |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND |                       |                       |
| STATE ACTIVITIES FOR |                       |                       |
| MEETING              |                       |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**       |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 3.2c Same answer as  |                       |                       |
| 3.2b                 |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

**PRINCIPLE 4. State makes annual decisions about the achievement of all
public schools and LEAs.**

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | ## EXAMPLES FOR       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 1.  How does the     | AYP decisions for     | AYP decisions for     |
|     State            | each public school    | public schools and    |
|     Accountability   | and LEA are made      | LEAs are not made     |
|     System make an   | annually.[^3]         | annually.             |
|     annual           |                       |                       |
|     determination of |                       |                       |
|     whether each     |                       |                       |
|     public school    |                       |                       |
|     and LEA in the   |                       |                       |
|     State made AYP?  |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND |                       |                       |
| STATE ACTIVITIES FOR |                       |                       |
| MEETING              |                       |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**       |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 1.  The State will   |                       |                       |
|     make an annual   |                       |                       |
|     determination of |                       |                       |
|     whether each     |                       |                       |
|     public school    |                       |                       |
|     and district in  |                       |                       |
|     the State        |                       |                       |
|     achieved AYP.    |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| Information used for |                       |                       |
| AYP determination    |                       |                       |
| includes:            |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| -   the proficiency  |                       |                       |
|     status of each   |                       |                       |
|     student tested   |                       |                       |
|     in the state     |                       |                       |
|     based on the     |                       |                       |
|     assessment       |                       |                       |
|     results for the  |                       |                       |
|     student. (Each   |                       |                       |
|     student will     |                       |                       |
|     have a total     |                       |                       |
|     mathematics and  |                       |                       |
|     a total reading  |                       |                       |
|     score and        |                       |                       |
|     students'        |                       |                       |
|     proficiency will |                       |                       |
|     be determined    |                       |                       |
|     for each test as |                       |                       |
|     provided by the  |                       |                       |
|     testing company  |                       |                       |
|     contracted to    |                       |                       |
|     score and report |                       |                       |
|     test results.);  |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| ```{=html}           |                       |                       |
| <!-- -->             |                       |                       |
| ```                  |                       |                       |
| -   whether each     |                       |                       |
|     student has      |                       |                       |
|     completed a full |                       |                       |
|     academic year at |                       |                       |
|     the school, or   |                       |                       |
|     LEA level as     |                       |                       |
|     determined by a  |                       |                       |
|     comparison of    |                       |                       |
|     the roster of    |                       |                       |
|     students         |                       |                       |
|     enrolled in      |                       |                       |
|     October who were |                       |                       |
|     continuously     |                       |                       |
|     enrolled through |                       |                       |
|     the testing      |                       |                       |
|     window for the   |                       |                       |
|     spring           |                       |                       |
|     assessments;     |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| -   the number of    |                       |                       |
|     students         |                       |                       |
|     enrolled for a   |                       |                       |
|     full academic    |                       |                       |
|     year determined  |                       |                       |
|     by comparing the |                       |                       |
|     number of        |                       |                       |
|     continuously     |                       |                       |
|     enrolled         |                       |                       |
|     students with    |                       |                       |
|     the number of    |                       |                       |
|     tested students; |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| -   the percent of   |                       |                       |
|     students         |                       |                       |
|     enrolled for a   |                       |                       |
|     full academic    |                       |                       |
|     year;            |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| -   the graduation   |                       |                       |
|     rate for public  |                       |                       |
|     high schools as  |                       |                       |
|     determined by    |                       |                       |
|     the formula      |                       |                       |
|     indicated in     |                       |                       |
|     Section 7.1;     |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| -   the attendance   |                       |                       |
|     rate for public  |                       |                       |
|     elementary and   |                       |                       |
|     middle schools   |                       |                       |
|     as determined    |                       |                       |
|     through the ADA  |                       |                       |
|     process (average |                       |                       |
|     daily            |                       |                       |
|     attendance); and |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| -   disaggregated    |                       |                       |
|     test results,    |                       |                       |
|     percent tested,  |                       |                       |
|     graduation rate, |                       |                       |
|     and attendance   |                       |                       |
|     rate across the  |                       |                       |
|     required         |                       |                       |
|     subgroups.       |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| All required         |                       |                       |
| subgroups will be    |                       |                       |
| identified based on  |                       |                       |
| subgroup membership  |                       |                       |
| indicated in the     |                       |                       |
| spring enrollment    |                       |                       |
| collection. Montana  |                       |                       |
| will notify          |                       |                       |
| schools/LEAs of any  |                       |                       |
| subgroup that        |                       |                       |
| initially does not   |                       |                       |
| meet AYP in one year |                       |                       |
| on any indicator     |                       |                       |
| (i.e., reading,      |                       |                       |
| mathematics,         |                       |                       |
| ***including***      |                       |                       |
| participation rate   |                       |                       |
| ***for each***,      |                       |                       |
| attendance rate, or  |                       |                       |
| graduation rate);    |                       |                       |
| however, if that     |                       |                       |
| school/LEA           |                       |                       |
| successfully meets   |                       |                       |
| AYP for that same    |                       |                       |
| indicator the        |                       |                       |
| following year, that |                       |                       |
| school/LEA will be   |                       |                       |
| considered to have   |                       |                       |
| met the AYP standard |                       |                       |
| and will not be      |                       |                       |
| identified for       |                       |                       |
| school improvement.  |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| Each school, LEA and |                       |                       |
| sub-group will be    |                       |                       |
| required to meet the |                       |                       |
| annual objectives    |                       |                       |
| and intermediate     |                       |                       |
| goals. Each school   |                       |                       |
| and LEA, including   |                       |                       |
| all subgroups, will  |                       |                       |
| be required to meet  |                       |                       |
| the 95% assessment   |                       |                       |
| participation rate   |                       |                       |
| indicator.           |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| Montana will         |                       |                       |
| establish a          |                       |                       |
| statewide standard   |                       |                       |
| for the graduation   |                       |                       |
| rate indicator (for  |                       |                       |
| secondary schools)   |                       |                       |
| and the attendance   |                       |                       |
| rate indicator (for  |                       |                       |
| elementary and       |                       |                       |
| middle schools).     |                       |                       |
| Montana will apply a |                       |                       |
| growth standard to   |                       |                       |
| public schools that  |                       |                       |
| did not meet or      |                       |                       |
| exceed the standard  |                       |                       |
| for graduation or    |                       |                       |
| attendance. (See     |                       |                       |
| Principle 7.)        |                       |                       |
| ***These standards   |                       |                       |
| have been set at 80  |                       |                       |
| percent or progress  |                       |                       |
| toward 80 percent in |                       |                       |
| both indicators.***  |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| Public schools will  |                       |                       |
| be accountable for   |                       |                       |
| all students who     |                       |                       |
| have been enrolled   |                       |                       |
| in the school for a  |                       |                       |
| full academic year.  |                       |                       |
| The LEA is           |                       |                       |
| accountable for all  |                       |                       |
| students who have    |                       |                       |
| been enrolled for a  |                       |                       |
| full academic year   |                       |                       |
| in that LEA. The SEA |                       |                       |
| is accountable for   |                       |                       |
| all students who     |                       |                       |
| were tested in the   |                       |                       |
| spring assessments   |                       |                       |
| regardless of        |                       |                       |
| whether enrolled for |                       |                       |
| a full academic year |                       |                       |
| in the state. (See   |                       |                       |
| Section 2.2.)        |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| The decision about   |                       |                       |
| whether a school has |                       |                       |
| made AYP is          |                       |                       |
| currently the        |                       |                       |
| responsibility of    |                       |                       |
| the Office of Public |                       |                       |
| Instruction (OPI).   |                       |                       |
| All accountability   |                       |                       |
| decisions will be    |                       |                       |
| based on the         |                       |                       |
| information          |                       |                       |
| collected by the OPI |                       |                       |
| through its various  |                       |                       |
| fiscal and           |                       |                       |
| non-fiscal data      |                       |                       |
| information systems: |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| > October and        |                       |                       |
| > February           |                       |                       |
| > Enrollment/ADA     |                       |                       |
| > through Montana    |                       |                       |
| > Automated          |                       |                       |
| > Education Finance  |                       |                       |
| > and Information    |                       |                       |
| > Reporting System   |                       |                       |
| > (MAEFAIRS)         |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| Spring Enrollment of |                       |                       |
| Students (Validation |                       |                       |
| Form)                |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| > Annual Data        |                       |                       |
| > Collection (ADC)   |                       |                       |
| > in October         |                       |                       |
| >                    |                       |                       |
| > Assessment Results |                       |                       |
| > by Student         |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

PRINCIPLE 5. All public schools and LEAs are held accountable for the
achievement of individual subgroups.

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 1.  How does the    | Identifies subgroups  | State does not        |
|     definition of   | for defining adequate | disaggregate data by  |
|     adequate yearly | yearly progress:      | each required student |
|     progress        | economically          | subgroup.             |
|     include all the | disadvantaged, major  |                       |
|     required        | racial and ethnic     |                       |
|     student         | groups, students with |                       |
|     subgroups?      | disabilities, and     |                       |
|                     | students with limited |                       |
|                     | English proficiency.  |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | Provides definition   |                       |
|                     | and data source of    |                       |
|                     | subgroups for         |                       |
|                     | adequate yearly       |                       |
|                     | progress.             |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE    |                       |                       |
| AND STATE           |                       |                       |
| ACTIVITIES FOR      |                       |                       |
| MEETING             |                       |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**      |                       |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 5.1 Montana's       |                       |                       |
| definition of AYP   |                       |                       |
| includes measuring  |                       |                       |
| and reporting the   |                       |                       |
| achievement of      |                       |                       |
| subgroups of        |                       |                       |
| students by the     |                       |                       |
| indicators and      |                       |                       |
| subgroups that      |                       |                       |
| appear in Chart 6   |                       |                       |
| (Accountability     |                       |                       |
| Subgroups and       |                       |                       |
| Academic            |                       |                       |
| Indicators).        |                       |                       |
| Currently, Montana  |                       |                       |
| reports school,     |                       |                       |
| LEA, and state      |                       |                       |
| performance by the  |                       |                       |
| required student    |                       |                       |
| subgroups on        |                       |                       |
| MontCAS, Phase 1    |                       |                       |
| (The Iowa Tests).   |                       |                       |
| This report can be  |                       |                       |
| viewed at the       |                       |                       |
| Montana Office of   |                       |                       |
| Public Instruction  |                       |                       |
| Web site at         |                       |                       |
| http://w            |                       |                       |
| ww.opi.state.mt.us. |                       |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
| #######             |                       |                       |
| Chart 6. Accountabi |                       |                       |
| lity Subgroups and  |                       |                       |
| Academic Indicators |                       |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
| <table>             |                       |                       |
| <colgroup>          |                       |                       |
| <col                |                       |                       |
| st                  |                       |                       |
| yle="width: 18%" /> |                       |                       |
| <col                |                       |                       |
| st                  |                       |                       |
| yle="width: 12%" /> |                       |                       |
| <col                |                       |                       |
| st                  |                       |                       |
| yle="width: 15%" /> |                       |                       |
| <col                |                       |                       |
| st                  |                       |                       |
| yle="width: 12%" /> |                       |                       |
| <col                |                       |                       |
| st                  |                       |                       |
| yle="width: 15%" /> |                       |                       |
| <col                |                       |                       |
| st                  |                       |                       |
| yle="width: 26%" /> |                       |                       |
| </colgroup>         |                       |                       |
| <tbody>             |                       |                       |
| <tr class="odd">    |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td                 |                       |                       |
| c                   |                       |                       |
| olspan="2">Academic |                       |                       |
| Indicators</td>     |                       |                       |
| <td                 |                       |                       |
| colspa              |                       |                       |
| n="2">Participation |                       |                       |
| Rate</td>           |                       |                       |
| <td>Gr              |                       |                       |
| aduation/Attendance |                       |                       |
| Rate*</td>          |                       |                       |
| </tr>               |                       |                       |
| <tr class="even">   |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td><p>Reading</p>  |                       |                       |
| <p>% Meeting        |                       |                       |
| Standard</p></td>   |                       |                       |
| <td                 |                       |                       |
| ><p>Mathematics</p> |                       |                       |
| <p>% Meeting        |                       |                       |
| Standard</p></td>   |                       |                       |
| <td>Reading</td>    |                       |                       |
| <                   |                       |                       |
| td>Mathematics</td> |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| </tr>               |                       |                       |
| <tr class="odd">    |                       |                       |
| <td>All             |                       |                       |
| Students</td>       |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| </tr>               |                       |                       |
| <tr class="even">   |                       |                       |
| <td>                |                       |                       |
| <p>Economically</p> |                       |                       |
| <p>Dis              |                       |                       |
| advantaged</p></td> |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| </tr>               |                       |                       |
| <tr class="odd">    |                       |                       |
| <td>R/E             |                       |                       |
| White</td>          |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| </tr>               |                       |                       |
| <tr class="even">   |                       |                       |
| <td>R/E             |                       |                       |
| Black</td>          |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| </tr>               |                       |                       |
| <tr class="odd">    |                       |                       |
| <td>R/E             |                       |                       |
| Hispanic</td>       |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| </tr>               |                       |                       |
| <tr class="even">   |                       |                       |
| <td>R/E             |                       |                       |
| Asian</td>          |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| </tr>               |                       |                       |
| <tr class="odd">    |                       |                       |
| <td>R/E American    |                       |                       |
| Indian/Alaskan</td> |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| </tr>               |                       |                       |
| <tr class="even">   |                       |                       |
| <td>Students with   |                       |                       |
| Disabilities</td>   |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| </tr>               |                       |                       |
| <tr class="odd">    |                       |                       |
| <td>LEP             |                       |                       |
| Students</td>       |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| <td></td>           |                       |                       |
| </tr>               |                       |                       |
| </tbody>            |                       |                       |
| </table>            |                       |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
| \* The school/LEA   |                       |                       |
| will not be         |                       |                       |
| required to         |                       |                       |
| disaggregate        |                       |                       |
| graduation rate and |                       |                       |
| attendance rate     |                       |                       |
| data into the       |                       |                       |
| subgroups [for      |                       |                       |
| accounta            |                       |                       |
| bility]{.underline} |                       |                       |
| unless the          |                       |                       |
| school/LEA is using |                       |                       |
| the "Safe Harbor"   |                       |                       |
| provision to meet   |                       |                       |
| AYP.                |                       |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
| Montana's           |                       |                       |
| definition of       |                       |                       |
| adequate yearly     |                       |                       |
| progress (AYP)      |                       |                       |
| requires all        |                       |                       |
| student subgroups   |                       |                       |
| to be proficient in |                       |                       |
| reading and         |                       |                       |
| mathematics by the  |                       |                       |
| end of the 2013-14  |                       |                       |
| school year.        |                       |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
| Montana has several |                       |                       |
| data collection     |                       |                       |
| systems that        |                       |                       |
| maintain all        |                       |                       |
| student, school,    |                       |                       |
| LEA, and state      |                       |                       |
| data. This data is  |                       |                       |
| disaggregated and   |                       |                       |
| reported for all    |                       |                       |
| schools, LEAs, and  |                       |                       |
| the state currently |                       |                       |
| using the IRIS      |                       |                       |
| system ***(for Iowa |                       |                       |
| Test results used   |                       |                       |
| for 2002-03         |                       |                       |
| determinations)***. |                       |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 2.  How are public  | Public schools and    | State does not        |
|     schools and     | LEAs are held         | include student       |
|     LEAs held       | accountable for       | subgroups in its      |
|     accountable for | student subgroup      | State Accountability  |
|     the progress of | achievement:          | System.               |
|     student         | economically          |                       |
|     subgroups in    | disadvantaged, major  |                       |
|     the             | ethnic and racial     |                       |
|     determination   | groups, students with |                       |
|     of adequate     | disabilities, and     |                       |
|     yearly          | limited English       |                       |
|     progress?       | proficient students.  |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 5.2 In determining whether each school and district, as well as the   |
| state as a whole, meets statewide annual measurable objectives,       |
| Montana will calculate, for each subgroup, the percent of the tested  |
| students who achieve the proficient level or higher, examine          |
| participation rates, examine progress on the other indicator          |
| (graduation for high schools/attendance rate for elementary and       |
| middle schools) and employ the safe harbor provision. The State may   |
| decide at a future time to employ uniform averaging procedures to     |
| obtain valid data for small sample sizes over time. Each subgroup     |
| within the school or LEA must meet the objective for each indicator   |
| in order to make AYP.                                                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The participation rate is determined as having been achieved by       |
| either verifying that the number of students tested is equal to or    |
| greater than 95% of the actual enrollment.                            |
|                                                                       |
| Montana will notify schools/LEAs of any subgroup that initially does  |
| not meet AYP in one year on any indicator (i.e., reading, mathematics |
| (***including*** participation rate ***in each***), attendance rate,  |
| or graduation rate); however, if that school/LEA successfully meets   |
| AYP for that same indicator the following year, that school/LEA will  |
| be considered to have met the AYP standard and will not be identified |
| for school improvement.                                               |
|                                                                       |
| The Montana Report Card will chart the progress of all groups of      |
| students and the status of each group in relation to annual           |
| measurable objectives based on the percent of students at the         |
| proficient level for reading and mathematics, the participation rate  |
| and the other academic indicators.                                    |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+=====================+=======================+=======================+
| 3.  How are         | All students with     | The State             |
|     students with   | disabilities          | Accountability System |
|     disabilities    | participate in        | or State policy       |
|     included in the | statewide             | excludes students     |
|     State's         | assessments: general  | with disabilities     |
|     definition of   | assessments with or   | from participating in |
|     adequate yearly | without               | the statewide         |
|     progress?       | accommodations or an  | assessments.          |
|                     | alternate assessment  |                       |
|                     | based on grade level  | State cannot          |
|                     | standards for the     | demonstrate that      |
|                     | grade in which        | alternate assessments |
|                     | students are          | measure grade-level   |
|                     | enrolled.             | standards for the     |
|                     |                       | grade in which        |
|                     | State demonstrates    | students are          |
|                     | that students with    | enrolled.             |
|                     | disabilities are      |                       |
|                     | fully included in the |                       |
|                     | State Accountability  |                       |
|                     | System.               |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE    |                       |                       |
| AND STATE           |                       |                       |
| ACTIVITIES FOR      |                       |                       |
| MEETING             |                       |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**      |                       |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 5.3 Note: This      |                       |                       |
| answer addresses    |                       |                       |
| both students with  |                       |                       |
| disabilities and    |                       |                       |
| LEP.                |                       |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
| All students with   |                       |                       |
| disabilities in     |                       |                       |
| Montana public      |                       |                       |
| schools as defined  |                       |                       |
| under section       |                       |                       |
| 602(3) of the       |                       |                       |
| Individuals with    |                       |                       |
| Disabilities        |                       |                       |
| Education Act       |                       |                       |
| (IDEA) amendments   |                       |                       |
| of 1997 and limited |                       |                       |
| English proficiency |                       |                       |
| (LEP) participate   |                       |                       |
| in the Montana      |                       |                       |
| Comprehensive       |                       |                       |
| Assessment Program. |                       |                       |
| The                 |                       |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Individualized      |                       |                       |
| Education Program   |                       |                       |
| (IEP) Team          |                       |                       |
| determines how      |                       |                       |
| students with       |                       |                       |
| disabilities will   |                       |                       |
| participate in the  |                       |                       |
| statewide           |                       |                       |
| assessment program. |                       |                       |
| A team of educators |                       |                       |
| familiar with the   |                       |                       |
| language abilities  |                       |                       |
| of LEP students     |                       |                       |
| determines how LEP  |                       |                       |
| students will       |                       |                       |
| participate. These  |                       |                       |
| requirements are    |                       |                       |
| contained in ARM    |                       |                       |
| 10.56.101, the      |                       |                       |
| assessment rules of |                       |                       |
| the Board of Public |                       |                       |
| Education found in  |                       |                       |
| the Administrative  |                       |                       |
| Rules of Montana    |                       |                       |
| (ARM). Most         |                       |                       |
| students with       |                       |                       |
| disabilities and    |                       |                       |
| ***all*** LEP       |                       |                       |
| ***students*** are  |                       |                       |
| included in the     |                       |                       |
| regular assessment  |                       |                       |
| with the use of     |                       |                       |
| allowable           |                       |                       |
| accommodations.     |                       |                       |
| Only for those      |                       |                       |
| ***students with    |                       |                       |
| significant         |                       |                       |
| cognitive           |                       |                       |
| disabilities*** not |                       |                       |
| able to participate |                       |                       |
| in the regular      |                       |                       |
| assessment, the     |                       |                       |
| Montana ***CRT***   |                       |                       |
| Alternate           |                       |                       |
| Assessment Program  |                       |                       |
| ***(based on        |                       |                       |
| alternate           |                       |                       |
| achievement         |                       |                       |
| standards)***       |                       |                       |
| yields reading and  |                       |                       |
| mathematics         |                       |                       |
| assessment results  |                       |                       |
| for inclusion in    |                       |                       |
| AYP                 |                       |                       |
| determination***s,  |                       |                       |
| utilizing Montana's |                       |                       |
| approved exception  |                       |                       |
| to the 1% rule.*    |                       |                       |
| Note: This approval |                       |                       |
| has been extended   |                       |                       |
| for AYP             |                       |                       |
| determinations for  |                       |                       |
| 2006-2007. Note:    |                       |                       |
| This approval has   |                       |                       |
| been extended for   |                       |                       |
| AYP determinations  |                       |                       |
| for 2007-2008.**    |                       |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
| > ~~The achievement |                       |                       |
| > standards for     |                       |                       |
| > Montana's         |                       |                       |
| > Alternate         |                       |                       |
| > Assessment        |                       |                       |
| > Program for       |                       |                       |
| > students with     |                       |                       |
| > disabilities and  |                       |                       |
| > LEP are the same  |                       |                       |
| > achievement       |                       |                       |
| > standards applied |                       |                       |
| > to all students.  |                       |                       |
| > Unlike many       |                       |                       |
| > states, Montana   |                       |                       |
| > chose not to      |                       |                       |
| > establish an      |                       |                       |
| > alternate         |                       |                       |
| > assessment that   |                       |                       |
| > measured          |                       |                       |
| > performance of    |                       |                       |
| > students with     |                       |                       |
| > disabilities or   |                       |                       |
| > LEP against a     |                       |                       |
| > separate set of   |                       |                       |
| > standards.        |                       |                       |
| > Through a process |                       |                       |
| > of teacher rating |                       |                       |
| > scales, students  |                       |                       |
| > are assessed on   |                       |                       |
| > their proficiency |                       |                       |
| > by measuring      |                       |                       |
| > their competence  |                       |                       |
| > utilizing the     |                       |                       |
| > performance goals |                       |                       |
| > and indicators as |                       |                       |
| > established in    |                       |                       |
| > the state         |                       |                       |
| > standards.~~      |                       |                       |
| >                   |                       |                       |
| > ~~As a result of  |                       |                       |
| > establishing a    |                       |                       |
| > system that       |                       |                       |
| > relies on the     |                       |                       |
| > standards-based   |                       |                       |
| > performance       |                       |                       |
| > descriptors for   |                       |                       |
| > the alternate     |                       |                       |
| > assessment, there |                       |                       |
| > is a direct       |                       |                       |
| > one-to-one        |                       |                       |
| > relationship      |                       |                       |
| > between the state |                       |                       |
| > standards and the |                       |                       |
| > alternate         |                       |                       |
| > assessment. This  |                       |                       |
| > methodology not   |                       |                       |
| > only allows the   |                       |                       |
| > direct            |                       |                       |
| > correspondence    |                       |                       |
| > between the       |                       |                       |
| > student's         |                       |                       |
| > measures of       |                       |                       |
| > proficiency       |                       |                       |
| > toward the state  |                       |                       |
| > standards, but    |                       |                       |
| > also permits      |                       |                       |
| > direct measures   |                       |                       |
| > of the student's  |                       |                       |
| > performance at    |                       |                       |
| > all levels of     |                       |                       |
| > proficiency,      |                       |                       |
| > novice through    |                       |                       |
| > advanced.~~       |                       |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
| All of the required |                       |                       |
| subgroups,          |                       |                       |
| including students  |                       |                       |
| with disabilities   |                       |                       |
| and LEP, who are    |                       |                       |
| enrolled in a       |                       |                       |
| school for a full   |                       |                       |
| academic year will  |                       |                       |
| be included in the  |                       |                       |
| performance         |                       |                       |
| measures that       |                       |                       |
| determine AYP for   |                       |                       |
| that school. All of |                       |                       |
| the required        |                       |                       |
| subgroups,          |                       |                       |
| including students  |                       |                       |
| with disabilities   |                       |                       |
| and LEP, who are    |                       |                       |
| enrolled in a       |                       |                       |
| district for a full |                       |                       |
| academic year will  |                       |                       |
| be included in the  |                       |                       |
| performance         |                       |                       |
| measures that       |                       |                       |
| determine AYP for   |                       |                       |
| that district.      |                       |                       |
| ***(Note: except    |                       |                       |
| for LEP students    |                       |                       |
| who are in the      |                       |                       |
| first year in a     |                       |                       |
| United States       |                       |                       |
| school as noted in  |                       |                       |
| Section 5.4.)***    |                       |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
| ***Also, in making  |                       |                       |
| AYP determinations  |                       |                       |
| for schools and     |                       |                       |
| districts that      |                       |                       |
| otherwise would not |                       |                       |
| make AYP solely on  |                       |                       |
| the basis of the    |                       |                       |
| students with       |                       |                       |
| disabilities        |                       |                       |
| subgroup for        |                       |                       |
| assessments         |                       |                       |
| conducted during    |                       |                       |
| the 2005-2006       |                       |                       |
| school year,        |                       |                       |
| Montana calculates  |                       |                       |
| the percent         |                       |                       |
| proficient for each |                       |                       |
| such school's or    |                       |                       |
| district's students |                       |                       |
| with disabilities   |                       |                       |
| subgroup as         |                       |                       |
| follows: We divide  |                       |                       |
| 2.0 % by the        |                       |                       |
| percentage of       |                       |                       |
| students in the     |                       |                       |
| State of Montana    |                       |                       |
| who have            |                       |                       |
| disabilities and    |                       |                       |
| round it to the     |                       |                       |
| nearest whole       |                       |                       |
| number. This number |                       |                       |
| equals 17%. We then |                       |                       |
| calculate for each  |                       |                       |
| covered school or   |                       |                       |
| district the sum of |                       |                       |
| the actual percent  |                       |                       |
| of proficient       |                       |                       |
| scores for the      |                       |                       |
| students with       |                       |                       |
| disabilities        |                       |                       |
| subgroup and the    |                       |                       |
| proxy percent of    |                       |                       |
| 17%. This approach  |                       |                       |
| is consistent with  |                       |                       |
| transition option   |                       |                       |
| 1, as transmitted   |                       |                       |
| to the States by    |                       |                       |
| the U.S. Department |                       |                       |
| of Education on May |                       |                       |
| 10, 2005.***        |                       |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
| **Note: Montana has |                       |                       |
| been approved to    |                       |                       |
| continue the use of |                       |                       |
| the 2% rule for     |                       |                       |
| 2006-2007 AYP       |                       |                       |
| determinations.     |                       |                       |
| Note: Montana has   |                       |                       |
| been approved to    |                       |                       |
| continue the use of |                       |                       |
| the 2% rule for     |                       |                       |
| 2007-2008 AYP       |                       |                       |
| determinations.**   |                       |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT    | **EXAMPLES FOR**     | **EXAMPLES OF**      |
|                        |                      |                      |
|                        | **MEETING            | ***NOT* MEETING      |
|                        | REQUIREMENTS**       | REQUIREMENTS**       |
+========================+======================+======================+
| 4.  How are students   | All LEP student      | LEP students are not |
|     with limited       | participate in       | fully included in    |
|     English            | statewide            | the State            |
|     proficiency        | assessments: general | Accountability       |
|     included in the    | assessments with or  | System.              |
|     State's definition | without              |                      |
|     of adequate yearly | accommodations or a  |                      |
|     progress?          | native language      |                      |
|                        | version of the       |                      |
|                        | general assessment   |                      |
|                        | based on grade level |                      |
|                        | standards.           |                      |
|                        |                      |                      |
|                        | State demonstrates   |                      |
|                        | that LEP students    |                      |
|                        | are fully included   |                      |
|                        | in the State         |                      |
|                        | Accountability       |                      |
|                        | System.              |                      |
+------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 4.  See answer 5.3 above. In the development of Montana's             |
|     accountability system LEP students will be included in the        |
|     determination of adequate yearly progress in the same manner as   |
|     all other students.                                               |
|                                                                       |
| Montana requires students who have been identified as limited English |
| proficient (LEP) to participate in the statewide assessment program.  |
| (Administrative Rules of Montana ARM 10.56.101) Coding on the         |
| statewide assessment provides for the identification of LEP students. |
| Scores for LEP students are reported and disaggregated at the school, |
| district, and state level. Accommodations ~~or the Montana            |
| Alternative Assessment Program~~ are provided for students ***as      |
| needed.*** ~~who have received fewer than three years of instruction  |
| in English.~~ ***LEP students who are enrolled in a United States     |
| school for the first school year will be tested and included in       |
| participation rates but the scores will not be used in proficiency    |
| for AYP determinations.***                                            |
|                                                                       |
| All of the required subgroups, including students with LEP, who are   |
| enrolled in a school for a full academic year will be included in the |
| performance measures that determine AYP for that school. All of the   |
| required subgroups, including students with LEP, who are enrolled in  |
| a district for a full academic year will be included in the           |
| performance measures that determine AYP for that district.            |
|                                                                       |
| ***Deleted.***                                                        |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 5.  What is the     | State defines the     | State does not define |
|     State\'s        | number of students    | the required number   |
|     definition of   | required in a         | of students in a      |
|     the minimum     | subgroup for          | subgroup for          |
|     number of       | reporting and         | reporting and         |
|     students in a   | accountability        | accountability        |
|     subgroup        | purposes, and applies | purposes.             |
|     required for    | this definition       |                       |
|     reporting       | consistently across   | Definition is not     |
|     purposes? For   | the State.[^4]        | applied consistently  |
|     accountability  |                       | across the State.     |
|     purposes?       | Definition of         |                       |
|                     | subgroup will result  | Definition does not   |
|                     | in data that are      | result in data that   |
|                     | statistically         | are statistically     |
|                     | reliable.             | reliable.             |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+---------------------+---+----------------------+---+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE    |   |                      |   |                       |
| AND STATE           |   |                      |   |                       |
| ACTIVITIES FOR      |   |                      |   |                       |
| MEETING             |   |                      |   |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**      |   |                      |   |                       |
+---------------------+---+----------------------+---+-----------------------+
| **5.5 Reporting**:  |   |                      |   |                       |
| For reporting       |   |                      |   |                       |
| purposes there must |   |                      |   |                       |
| be at least 10      |   |                      |   |                       |
| students in any     |   |                      |   |                       |
| student subgroup.   |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| **Accountability**: |   |                      |   |                       |
| The State faces     |   |                      |   |                       |
| unique problems in  |   |                      |   |                       |
| the design and      |   |                      |   |                       |
| implementation of   |   |                      |   |                       |
| an accountability   |   |                      |   |                       |
| system that will    |   |                      |   |                       |
| meet the            |   |                      |   |                       |
| requirements of     |   |                      |   |                       |
| AYP, particularly   |   |                      |   |                       |
| with respect to the |   |                      |   |                       |
| statistical         |   |                      |   |                       |
| significance of     |   |                      |   |                       |
| sample sizes.       |   |                      |   |                       |
| Montana is          |   |                      |   |                       |
| extremely rural and |   |                      |   |                       |
| covers a very large |   |                      |   |                       |
| geographical area.  |   |                      |   |                       |
| This results in the |   |                      |   |                       |
| state having a      |   |                      |   |                       |
| large number of     |   |                      |   |                       |
| very small schools  |   |                      |   |                       |
| and districts.      |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| ~~The following     |   |                      |   |                       |
| table illustrates   |   |                      |   |                       |
| this characteristic |   |                      |   |                       |
| clearly:~~          |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| ~~Enrolled School   |   |                      |   |                       |
| District~~          |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| ~~2003 Count        |   |                      |   |                       |
| Count~~             |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| ~~\<=100 482 218~~  |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| ~~\<=50 332 145~~   |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| ~~\<=25 181 95~~    |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| ~~\<=10 77 55~~     |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| ~~\<=5 34 25~~      |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| ~~=1 3 1~~          |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| ~~\>=500 46 63~~    |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| ~~\>=1000 14 31~~   |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| ~~Well over half of |   |                      |   |                       |
| Montana's 864       |   |                      |   |                       |
| schools have        |   |                      |   |                       |
| enrollments under   |   |                      |   |                       |
| 100, and the same   |   |                      |   |                       |
| pattern applies to  |   |                      |   |                       |
| districts.~~        |   |                      |   |                       |
+---------------------+---+----------------------+---+-----------------------+
| ~~The impact of     |   |                      |   |                       |
| this on our AYP     |   |                      |   |                       |
| determination is    |   |                      |   |                       |
| that any arbitrary  |   |                      |   |                       |
| number the state    |   |                      |   |                       |
| might set as a      |   |                      |   |                       |
| lower threshold of  |   |                      |   |                       |
| statistical         |   |                      |   |                       |
| significance        |   |                      |   |                       |
| results in a very   |   |                      |   |                       |
| large number of     |   |                      |   |                       |
| schools falling     |   |                      |   |                       |
| below the limit for |   |                      |   |                       |
| analysis. For       |   |                      |   |                       |
| example, if we were |   |                      |   |                       |
| to choose 25 as a   |   |                      |   |                       |
| minimum sample      |   |                      |   |                       |
| size, only a        |   |                      |   |                       |
| fraction of one     |   |                      |   |                       |
| percent of our      |   |                      |   |                       |
| schools would       |   |                      |   |                       |
| qualify for         |   |                      |   |                       |
| analysis of the     |   |                      |   |                       |
| students with       |   |                      |   |                       |
| disabilities        |   |                      |   |                       |
| subgroup for        |   |                      |   |                       |
| student             |   |                      |   |                       |
| achievement.~~      |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| ~~In view of the    |   |                      |   |                       |
| large proportion of |   |                      |   |                       |
| schools that a)     |   |                      |   |                       |
| fall below even an  |   |                      |   |                       |
| admittedly low      |   |                      |   |                       |
| limit for purposes  |   |                      |   |                       |
| of statistical      |   |                      |   |                       |
| significance, and   |   |                      |   |                       |
| b) are often those  |   |                      |   |                       |
| most in need of     |   |                      |   |                       |
| assistance for a    |   |                      |   |                       |
| variety of other    |   |                      |   |                       |
| reasons, the state  |   |                      |   |                       |
| system for          |   |                      |   |                       |
| measuring AYP must  |   |                      |   |                       |
| be designed with    |   |                      |   |                       |
| explicit attention  |   |                      |   |                       |
| to this group. For  |   |                      |   |                       |
| these reasons,      |   |                      |   |                       |
| Montana chooses not |   |                      |   |                       |
| to select a single  |   |                      |   |                       |
| arbitrary number    |   |                      |   |                       |
| representing        |   |                      |   |                       |
| statistical         |   |                      |   |                       |
| significance, but   |   |                      |   |                       |
| will employ an AYP  |   |                      |   |                       |
| determination based |   |                      |   |                       |
| on confidence       |   |                      |   |                       |
| intervals at the    |   |                      |   |                       |
| .95 level of        |   |                      |   |                       |
| confidence. A       |   |                      |   |                       |
| one-tailed method   |   |                      |   |                       |
| will be utilized.~~ |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| ***Montana will use |   |                      |   |                       |
| a minimum of 30 for |   |                      |   |                       |
| the All group and   |   |                      |   |                       |
| each subgroup in    |   |                      |   |                       |
| making AYP          |   |                      |   |                       |
| determinations with |   |                      |   |                       |
| regard to percent   |   |                      |   |                       |
| proficient in       |   |                      |   |                       |
| reading and         |   |                      |   |                       |
| math.***            |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| ***Montana will use |   |                      |   |                       |
| a 95 percent        |   |                      |   |                       |
| confidence interval |   |                      |   |                       |
| in determining AYP, |   |                      |   |                       |
| only with regard to |   |                      |   |                       |
| the determination   |   |                      |   |                       |
| of percent          |   |                      |   |                       |
| proficient in       |   |                      |   |                       |
| reading and math    |   |                      |   |                       |
| (and not with       |   |                      |   |                       |
| regard to either    |   |                      |   |                       |
| participation rate  |   |                      |   |                       |
| or the other        |   |                      |   |                       |
| academic            |   |                      |   |                       |
| indicators).        |   |                      |   |                       |
| Moreover, beginning |   |                      |   |                       |
| with testing data   |   |                      |   |                       |
| from spring 2005,   |   |                      |   |                       |
| Montana will use a  |   |                      |   |                       |
| limited, smaller,   |   |                      |   |                       |
| 75 percent          |   |                      |   |                       |
| confidence interval |   |                      |   |                       |
| for "safe harbor"   |   |                      |   |                       |
| determinations,     |   |                      |   |                       |
| only where the      |   |                      |   |                       |
| given subgroup,     |   |                      |   |                       |
| school, or district |   |                      |   |                       |
| has shown positive  |   |                      |   |                       |
| progress in         |   |                      |   |                       |
| reducing from the   |   |                      |   |                       |
| prior year the      |   |                      |   |                       |
| percentage of       |   |                      |   |                       |
| students scoring    |   |                      |   |                       |
| below proficiency   |   |                      |   |                       |
| (and the only       |   |                      |   |                       |
| question is whether |   |                      |   |                       |
| that progress       |   |                      |   |                       |
| constitutes a 10    |   |                      |   |                       |
| percent reduction). |   |                      |   |                       |
| [In addition,       |   |                      |   |                       |
| Montana will use a  |   |                      |   |                       |
| 99 percent          |   |                      |   |                       |
| confidence interval |   |                      |   |                       |
| only as a filter    |   |                      |   |                       |
| for determining     |   |                      |   |                       |
| general inclusion   |   |                      |   |                       |
| of schools and      |   |                      |   |                       |
| districts in        |   |                      |   |                       |
| Montana's broader   |   |                      |   |                       |
| state               |   |                      |   |                       |
| accountability      |   |                      |   |                       |
| process.]{.mark}*** |   |                      |   |                       |
+---------------------+---+----------------------+---+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT | * |                      | * |                       |
|                     | * |                      | * |                       |
|                     | E |                      | E |                       |
|                     | X |                      | X |                       |
|                     | A |                      | A |                       |
|                     | M |                      | M |                       |
|                     | P |                      | P |                       |
|                     | L |                      | L |                       |
|                     | E |                      | E |                       |
|                     | S |                      | S |                       |
|                     | F |                      | O |                       |
|                     | O |                      | F |                       |
|                     | R |                      | * |                       |
|                     | * |                      | * |                       |
|                     | * |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      | * |                       |
|                     | * |                      | * |                       |
|                     | * |                      | * |                       |
|                     | M |                      | N |                       |
|                     | E |                      | O |                       |
|                     | E |                      | T |                       |
|                     | T |                      | * |                       |
|                     | I |                      | M |                       |
|                     | N |                      | E |                       |
|                     | G |                      | E |                       |
|                     | R |                      | T |                       |
|                     | E |                      | I |                       |
|                     | Q |                      | N |                       |
|                     | U |                      | G |                       |
|                     | I |                      | R |                       |
|                     | R |                      | E |                       |
|                     | E |                      | Q |                       |
|                     | M |                      | U |                       |
|                     | E |                      | I |                       |
|                     | N |                      | R |                       |
|                     | T |                      | E |                       |
|                     | S |                      | M |                       |
|                     | * |                      | E |                       |
|                     | * |                      | N |                       |
|                     |   |                      | T |                       |
|                     |   |                      | S |                       |
|                     |   |                      | * |                       |
|                     |   |                      | * |                       |
+---------------------+---+----------------------+---+-----------------------+
| 6.  How does the    |   | Definition does not  |   | Definition reveals    |
|     State           |   | reveal personally    |   | personally            |
|     Accountability  |   | identifiable         |   | identifiable          |
|     System protect  |   | information.[^5]     |   | information.          |
|     the privacy of  |   |                      |   |                       |
|     students when   |   |                      |   |                       |
|     reporting       |   |                      |   |                       |
|     results and     |   |                      |   |                       |
|     when            |   |                      |   |                       |
|     determining     |   |                      |   |                       |
|     AYP?            |   |                      |   |                       |
+---------------------+---+----------------------+---+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE    |   |                      |   |                       |
| AND STATE           |   |                      |   |                       |
| ACTIVITIES FOR      |   |                      |   |                       |
| MEETING             |   |                      |   |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**      |   |                      |   |                       |
+---------------------+---+----------------------+---+-----------------------+
| 5.6 The State       |   |                      |   |                       |
| neither publishes   |   |                      |   |                       |
| nor releases any    |   |                      |   |                       |
| data pertaining to  |   |                      |   |                       |
| school performance  |   |                      |   |                       |
| or other matters    |   |                      |   |                       |
| for any group or    |   |                      |   |                       |
| subgroup with fewer |   |                      |   |                       |
| than 10 members.    |   |                      |   |                       |
| The SEA's Web site  |   |                      |   |                       |
| allows any          |   |                      |   |                       |
| interested person   |   |                      |   |                       |
| to look up          |   |                      |   |                       |
| assessment and      |   |                      |   |                       |
| other data by       |   |                      |   |                       |
| school and by       |   |                      |   |                       |
| subgroup, but masks |   |                      |   |                       |
| any results with    |   |                      |   |                       |
| counts below this   |   |                      |   |                       |
| limit.              |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| Individual student  |   |                      |   |                       |
| results are never   |   |                      |   |                       |
| reported to the     |   |                      |   |                       |
| public. In order to |   |                      |   |                       |
| assure that         |   |                      |   |                       |
| individual students |   |                      |   |                       |
| cannot be           |   |                      |   |                       |
| identified, school  |   |                      |   |                       |
| results are not     |   |                      |   |                       |
| publicly reported   |   |                      |   |                       |
| or displayed when   |   |                      |   |                       |
| the number of       |   |                      |   |                       |
| students in a       |   |                      |   |                       |
| subgroup is less    |   |                      |   |                       |
| than 10. Asterisks  |   |                      |   |                       |
| will be used on the |   |                      |   |                       |
| Montana Report Card |   |                      |   |                       |
| when data has been  |   |                      |   |                       |
| suppressed.         |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| ~~Results greater   |   |                      |   |                       |
| than 95% will be    |   |                      |   |                       |
| reported as "\>95%" |   |                      |   |                       |
| and results less    |   |                      |   |                       |
| than 5% will be     |   |                      |   |                       |
| reported as "\<5%"  |   |                      |   |                       |
| in order to prevent |   |                      |   |                       |
| the reporting of    |   |                      |   |                       |
| information that    |   |                      |   |                       |
| would violate the   |   |                      |   |                       |
| privacy of          |   |                      |   |                       |
| individual          |   |                      |   |                       |
| students.~~         |   |                      |   |                       |
|                     |   |                      |   |                       |
| The State does      |   |                      |   |                       |
| maintain a          |   |                      |   |                       |
| password-protected  |   |                      |   |                       |
| version of the      |   |                      |   |                       |
| query utility for   |   |                      |   |                       |
| use by persons in   |   |                      |   |                       |
| the schools with a  |   |                      |   |                       |
| legitimate          |   |                      |   |                       |
| educational         |   |                      |   |                       |
| interest in         |   |                      |   |                       |
| accessing their own |   |                      |   |                       |
| data for smaller    |   |                      |   |                       |
| groups. A given     |   |                      |   |                       |
| school or district, |   |                      |   |                       |
| however, cannot     |   |                      |   |                       |
| access any data     |   |                      |   |                       |
| through this        |   |                      |   |                       |
| utility other than  |   |                      |   |                       |
| their own.          |   |                      |   |                       |
+---------------------+---+----------------------+---+-----------------------+

**PRINCIPLE 6. State definition of AYP is based primarily on the State's
academic assessments.**

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | ## EXAMPLES FOR       | ## EXAMPLES OF        |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 1.  How is the       | Formula for AYP shows | Formula for AYP shows |
|     State's          | that decisions are    | that decisions are    |
|     definition of    | based primarily on    | based primarily on    |
|     adequate yearly  | assessments.[^6]      | non-academic          |
|     progress based   |                       | indicators or         |
|     primarily on     | Plan clearly          | indicators other than |
|     academic         | identifies which      | the State             |
|     assessments?     | assessments are       | assessments.          |
|                      | included in           |                       |
|                      | accountability.       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND |                       |                       |
| STATE ACTIVITIES FOR |                       |                       |
| MEETING              |                       |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**       |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 1.  Reading and      |                       |                       |
|     mathematics      |                       |                       |
|     assessment       |                       |                       |
|     scores are the   |                       |                       |
|     predominant      |                       |                       |
|     determinant of   |                       |                       |
|     AYP. While the   |                       |                       |
|     required         |                       |                       |
|     additional       |                       |                       |
|     academic         |                       |                       |
|     indicators (NCLB |                       |                       |
|     Section 1111     |                       |                       |
|     (b)(2)(C)(vi))   |                       |                       |
|     are part of the  |                       |                       |
|     AYP              |                       |                       |
|     determination,   |                       |                       |
|     in determining   |                       |                       |
|     whether each     |                       |                       |
|     subgroup,        |                       |                       |
|     school, and      |                       |                       |
|     district, as     |                       |                       |
|     well as the      |                       |                       |
|     state overall    |                       |                       |
|     meets the annual |                       |                       |
|     measurable       |                       |                       |
|     objectives,      |                       |                       |
|     Montana will     |                       |                       |
|     calculate the    |                       |                       |
|     percent of the   |                       |                       |
|     tested students  |                       |                       |
|     who achieve the  |                       |                       |
|     proficient level |                       |                       |
|     or higher,       |                       |                       |
|     examine          |                       |                       |
|     participation    |                       |                       |
|     rates, examine   |                       |                       |
|     the other        |                       |                       |
|     indicators, and  |                       |                       |
|     employ the safe  |                       |                       |
|     harbor           |                       |                       |
|     provision.       |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| To meet or exceed    |                       |                       |
| AYP, all student     |                       |                       |
| subgroups are        |                       |                       |
| required to meet the |                       |                       |
| state's definition   |                       |                       |
| of proficient for    |                       |                       |
| reading and          |                       |                       |
| mathematics.         |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| **[The assessments   |                       |                       |
| that will be used to |                       |                       |
| determine AYP        |                       |                       |
| calculations for     |                       |                       |
| schools and LEAs in  |                       |                       |
| Montana are          |                       |                       |
| designated by "X"    |                       |                       |
| and on the following |                       |                       |
| chart once all       |                       |                       |
| assessments are in   |                       |                       |
| place for 2005 --    |                       |                       |
| 2006 school          |                       |                       |
| year:]{.underline}** |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **Chart 7. Montana's |                       |                       |
| Accountability       |                       |                       |
| Assessments**        |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   ----------- -      |                       |                       |
| ----------- -------  |                       |                       |
| ------------ ------- |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|       **MontCAS,     |                       |                       |
|        **MT          |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|       Phase 2**      |                       |                       |
|        Alternate     |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|        Assessment    |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|        Program**     |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   **Grade**          |                       |                       |
|  **R**        **M**  |                       |                       |
|   **R**        **M** |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   **K**              |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   **1**              |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   **2**              |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   **3**              |                       |                       |
|  **X**        **X**  |                       |                       |
|   **X**        **X** |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   **4**              |                       |                       |
|  **X**        **X**  |                       |                       |
|   **X**        **X** |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   **5**              |                       |                       |
|  **X**        **X**  |                       |                       |
|   **X**        **X** |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   **6**              |                       |                       |
|  **X**        **X**  |                       |                       |
|   **X**        **X** |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   **7**              |                       |                       |
|  **X**        **X**  |                       |                       |
|   **X**        **X** |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   **8**              |                       |                       |
|  **X**        **X**  |                       |                       |
|   **X**        **X** |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   **9**              |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   **10**             |                       |                       |
|  **X**        **X**  |                       |                       |
|   **X**        **X** |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   **11**             |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   **12**             |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|   ----------- -      |                       |                       |
| ----------- -------  |                       |                       |
| ------------ ------- |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| The same performance |                       |                       |
| level standards will |                       |                       |
| be applied to public |                       |                       |
| schools and LEAs,    |                       |                       |
| disaggregating the   |                       |                       |
| data into the        |                       |                       |
| federally-defined    |                       |                       |
| subgroups to         |                       |                       |
| determine the        |                       |                       |
| minimum percent of   |                       |                       |
| students [at or      |                       |                       |
| above the state      |                       |                       |
| performance level of |                       |                       |
| prof                 |                       |                       |
| icient.]{.underline} |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

PRINCIPLE 7. State definition of AYP includes graduation rates for
public High schools and an additional indicator selected by the State
for public Middle and public Elementary schools (such as attendance
rates).

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+=====================+=======================+=======================+
| 1.  What is the     | State definition of   | State definition of   |
|     State           | graduation rate:      | public high school    |
|     definition for  |                       | graduation rate does  |
|     the public high | -   Calculates the    | not meet these        |
|     school          |     percentage of     | criteria.             |
|     graduation      |     students,         |                       |
|     rate?           |     measured from the |                       |
|                     |     beginning of the  |                       |
|                     |     school year, who  |                       |
|                     |     graduate from     |                       |
|                     |     public high       |                       |
|                     |     school with a     |                       |
|                     |     regular diploma   |                       |
|                     |     (not including a  |                       |
|                     |     GED or any other  |                       |
|                     |     diploma not fully |                       |
|                     |     aligned with the  |                       |
|                     |     state's academic  |                       |
|                     |     standards) in the |                       |
|                     |     standard number   |                       |
|                     |     of years; or,     |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | -   Uses another more |                       |
|                     |     accurate          |                       |
|                     |     definition that   |                       |
|                     |     has been approved |                       |
|                     |     by the Secretary; |                       |
|                     |     and               |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | -   Must avoid        |                       |
|                     |     counting a        |                       |
|                     |     dropout as a      |                       |
|                     |     transfer.         |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | Graduation rate is    |                       |
|                     | included (in the      |                       |
|                     | aggregate) for AYP,   |                       |
|                     | and disaggregated (as |                       |
|                     | necessary) for use    |                       |
|                     | when applying the     |                       |
|                     | exception clause[^7]  |                       |
|                     | to make AYP.          |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| # 7.1 Montana currently only gathers dropout                          |
|  data based upon an event rate adapted from the National Center for E |
| ducation Statistics (NCES) at the U.S. Department of Education. The S |
| tate will be developing a new reporting system for collecting, report |
| ing and monitoring graduation rate based upon the following criteria: |
|                                                                       |
| Montana's initial threshold for graduation rate will be calculated in |
| June 2003 once the data and method have been validated.               |
|                                                                       |
| Montana's graduation rate is an estimated cohort group rate that is   |
| calculated by the method recommended by the NCES:                     |
|                                                                       |
| ***g~t~ /(c + g~t~+ d^12^~t~ + d^11^~(t-1)~ + d^10^~(t-2)~ +          |
| d^9^~(t-3)~)***                                                       |
|                                                                       |
| Where:                                                                |
|                                                                       |
| *g* = \# of graduates receiving a standard high school diploma in     |
| standard \# of years                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| > c = completers of high school by other means                        |
|                                                                       |
| *t* = year of graduation                                              |
|                                                                       |
| *d* = dropouts                                                        |
|                                                                       |
| *12, 11, 10, 9* = class level                                         |
|                                                                       |
| All students graduating in Montana receive a standard high school     |
| diploma and will be counted as a graduate. Students receiving a GED   |
| are not included as graduates when calculating graduation rates.      |
| Montana's definition of a dropout is consistent with the requirements |
| of the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) reporting. According to         |
| Montana's definition, a dropout is an individual who:                 |
|                                                                       |
| -   Was enrolled in school on the date of the previous year October   |
|     enrollment count or at sometime during the previous school year   |
|     and was not enrolled on the date of the current school year       |
|     October count; or                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| -   Was not enrolled at the beginning of the previous school year but |
|     was expected to enroll and did not reenroll during the year ("no  |
|     show") and was not enrolled on the date of the current school     |
|     year October count; and                                           |
|                                                                       |
| -   Has not graduated from high school or completed a state- or       |
|     district-approved high school educational program; and            |
|                                                                       |
| -   Has not transferred to another school, been temporarily absent    |
|     due to a school-recognized illness or suspension, or died.        |
|     (Montana Dropout Statistics Collector's Handbook,                 |
|     <http://www.opi.state.mt.us/pdf/acd/dohandbook.pdf>).             |
|                                                                       |
| Since graduate and dropout data are not reported until after the      |
| beginning of the school year, the graduation rate from the previous   |
| year will be used (e.g., 2002 graduation rate in 2003) for all AYP    |
| determinations. For purposes of AYP (other than "safe harbor") the    |
| calculation of the graduation rate will apply to the school and       |
| district level, but not to the subgroup level. Schools and districts  |
| that achieve or exceed the threshold for the graduation rate, as well |
| as those that are below the threshold but improve their graduation    |
| rate when compared to the previous year, will have met the other      |
| academic indicator for purposes of calculating AYP.                   |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| In addition to being part of the definition of AYP, schools/districts |
| will be required to meet the graduation rate threshold or improve     |
| their graduation rate as a requirement for the "safe harbor"          |
| provision (subgroups that fail to meet AYP standards but succeed in   |
| reducing the proportion of students who are not proficient by at      |
| least ten percent). Currently, the State collects graduation and      |
| dropout data by the required disaggregations for the NCES Common Core |
| of Data (CCD) reporting (racial/ethnic origin and gender). The State  |
| will begin collecting graduate/dropout data for the subgroups         |
| currently not collected (special education, limited English           |
| proficient, poverty) during the October ~~2003~~ ***2004*** Annual    |
| Data Collection. However, as can be seen from the graduation rate     |
| formula above, it will take four years for Montana to be able to      |
| calculate these disaggregated graduation rates. Until that time,      |
| schools/districts will be required to provide to the State            |
| graduate/dropout data for subgroups not collected by the State to     |
| enact "safe harbor" provision.                                        |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+=====================+=======================+=======================+
| 1.  What is the     | State defines the     | State has not defined |
|     State's         | additional academic   | an additional         |
|     additional      | indicators, e.g.,     | academic indicator    |
|     academic        | additional State or   | for elementary and    |
|     indicator for   | locally administered  | middle schools.       |
|     public          | assessments not       |                       |
|     elementary      | included in the State |                       |
|     schools for the | assessment system,    |                       |
|     definition of   | grade-to-grade        |                       |
|     AYP? For public | retention rates or    |                       |
|     middle schools  | attendance rates.[^8] |                       |
|     for the         |                       |                       |
|     definition of   | An additional         |                       |
|     AYP?            | academic indicator is |                       |
|                     | included (in the      |                       |
|                     | aggregate) for AYP,   |                       |
|                     | and disaggregated (as |                       |
|                     | necessary) for use    |                       |
|                     | when applying the     |                       |
|                     | exception clause to   |                       |
|                     | make AYP.             |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE    |                       |                       |
| AND STATE           |                       |                       |
| ACTIVITIES FOR      |                       |                       |
| MEETING             |                       |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**      |                       |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 7.2. Montana        |                       |                       |
| schools have        |                       |                       |
| reported attendance |                       |                       |
| rates annually for  |                       |                       |
| the last nine       |                       |                       |
| years. The Montana  |                       |                       |
| Office of Public    |                       |                       |
| Instruction has     |                       |                       |
| selected attendance |                       |                       |
| rate as the         |                       |                       |
| additional academic |                       |                       |
| indicator for       |                       |                       |
| calculating AYP for |                       |                       |
| elementary and      |                       |                       |
| middle schools. The |                       |                       |
| calculation for the |                       |                       |
| student attendance  |                       |                       |
| rate is based on    |                       |                       |
| the following:      |                       |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
| The Montana Office  |                       |                       |
| of Public           |                       |                       |
| Instruction         |                       |                       |
| collects "present"  |                       |                       |
| and "absent"        |                       |                       |
| information at two  |                       |                       |
| points in the       |                       |                       |
| school year:        |                       |                       |
| October and         |                       |                       |
| February. This      |                       |                       |
| process establishes |                       |                       |
| the "average daily  |                       |                       |
| attendance" or ADA  |                       |                       |
| as required by      |                       |                       |
| Administrative      |                       |                       |
| Rules of Montana -- |                       |                       |
| 10.15.103(3) and    |                       |                       |
| 10.20.102(6).       |                       |                       |
| Currently the data  |                       |                       |
| are not             |                       |                       |
| disaggregated at    |                       |                       |
| the state level. By |                       |                       |
| October 2004,       |                       |                       |
| Montana will        |                       |                       |
| collect and analyze |                       |                       |
| required categories |                       |                       |
| for disaggregation  |                       |                       |
| for use in Safe     |                       |                       |
| Harbor decisions    |                       |                       |
| and for display on  |                       |                       |
| school, district,   |                       |                       |
| and state Report    |                       |                       |
| Cards. Until that   |                       |                       |
| time,               |                       |                       |
| schools/districts   |                       |                       |
| will be required to |                       |                       |
| provide to the      |                       |                       |
| State attendance    |                       |                       |
| data for subgroups  |                       |                       |
| not collected by    |                       |                       |
| the State to enact  |                       |                       |
| "safe harbor"       |                       |                       |
| provision.          |                       |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
| The Montana State   |                       |                       |
| Superintendent will |                       |                       |
| establish the       |                       |                       |
| attendance rate     |                       |                       |
| standard. Schools   |                       |                       |
| will be considered  |                       |                       |
| as having met AYP   |                       |                       |
| if they meet or     |                       |                       |
| exceed the standard |                       |                       |
| or if they have     |                       |                       |
| made improvement    |                       |                       |
| toward the          |                       |                       |
| standard. ***Note:  |                       |                       |
| This standard has   |                       |                       |
| now been set at 80  |                       |                       |
| percent.***         |                       |                       |
|                     |                       |                       |
| For the AYP         |                       |                       |
| determination, the  |                       |                       |
| attendance rate     |                       |                       |
| calculation will be |                       |                       |
| used for            |                       |                       |
| accountability at   |                       |                       |
| the school/LEA      |                       |                       |
| levels, but will    |                       |                       |
| not be used for     |                       |                       |
| each subgroup.      |                       |                       |
| However, for        |                       |                       |
| schools/LEAs that   |                       |                       |
| must use the "safe  |                       |                       |
| harbor" provision   |                       |                       |
| to meet AYP for the |                       |                       |
| achievement         |                       |                       |
| indicator, the      |                       |                       |
| attendance rate     |                       |                       |
| standard must then  |                       |                       |
| be met by the       |                       |                       |
| subgroup(s) that    |                       |                       |
| failed to meet AYP  |                       |                       |
| on the assessment   |                       |                       |
| standards.          |                       |                       |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT | **EXAMPLES FOR**      | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                     |                       |                       |
|                     | **MEETING             | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                     | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 2.  Are the State's | State has defined     | State has an academic |
|     academic        | academic indicators   | indicator that is not |
|     indicators      | that are valid and    | valid and reliable.   |
|     valid and       | reliable.             |                       |
|     reliable?       |                       | State has an academic |
|                     | State has defined     | indicator that is not |
|                     | academic indicators   | consistent with       |
|                     | that are consistent   | nationally recognized |
|                     | with nationally       | standards.            |
|                     | recognized standards, |                       |
|                     | if any.               | State has an academic |
|                     |                       | indicator that is not |
|                     |                       | consistent within     |
|                     |                       | grade levels.         |
+---------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| > 7.3 These defined academic indicators will be valid and reliable as |
| > demonstrated by the use of clear definitions for data elements and  |
| > the use of statewide systems for data collection (ADC and           |
| > MAEFAIRS). The Montana Office of Public Instruction reviews the     |
| > data and monitors the databases to verify accuracy of the data. The |
| > graduation rate calculation is consistent with the NCES completer   |
| > formula and the attendance rate calculation is the same as that     |
| > used for Impact Aid purposes.                                       |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

**PRINCIPLE 8. AYP is based on reading/language arts and mathematics
achievement objectives.**

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      | MEETING               |                       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      |                       | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 1.  Does the state   | State AYP             | State AYP             |
|     measure          | determination for     | determination for     |
|     achievement in   | student subgroups,    | student subgroups,    |
|     reading/language | public schools and    | public schools and    |
|     arts and         | LEAs separately       | LEAs averages or      |
|     mathematics      | measures              | combines achievement  |
|     separately for   | reading/language arts | across                |
|     determining AYP? | and mathematics. [^9] | reading/language arts |
|                      |                       | and mathematics.      |
|                      | AYP is a separate     |                       |
|                      | calculation for       |                       |
|                      | reading/language arts |                       |
|                      | and mathematics for   |                       |
|                      | each group, public    |                       |
|                      | school, and LEA.      |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND |                       |                       |
| STATE ACTIVITIES FOR |                       |                       |
| MEETING              |                       |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**       |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 8.1 Yes. Under the   |                       |                       |
| current system the   |                       |                       |
| state measures       |                       |                       |
| performance levels   |                       |                       |
| of reading and       |                       |                       |
| mathematics          |                       |                       |
| separately at the    |                       |                       |
| elementary, middle,  |                       |                       |
| and high school      |                       |                       |
| level. These are the |                       |                       |
| data that will be    |                       |                       |
| used to identify     |                       |                       |
| schools and          |                       |                       |
| districts not making |                       |                       |
| AYP using the March  |                       |                       |
| 2003 results.        |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| For the new          |                       |                       |
| assessments, AYP     |                       |                       |
| determinations will  |                       |                       |
| continue at the      |                       |                       |
| school, district,    |                       |                       |
| and state levels and |                       |                       |
| for subgroups        |                       |                       |
| therein. The         |                       |                       |
| calculation will     |                       |                       |
| examine separately   |                       |                       |
| the proportion of    |                       |                       |
| student proficiency  |                       |                       |
| and participation in |                       |                       |
| reading and          |                       |                       |
| mathematics. The     |                       |                       |
| State will calculate |                       |                       |
| separately for       |                       |                       |
| reading and math the |                       |                       |
| percent of tested    |                       |                       |
| students who achieve |                       |                       |
| the proficient level |                       |                       |
| or above, as well as |                       |                       |
| below, for the "Safe |                       |                       |
| Harbor" provision.   |                       |                       |
| For tests under      |                       |                       |
| development the      |                       |                       |
| performance levels   |                       |                       |
| and participation    |                       |                       |
| rate also will be    |                       |                       |
| measured separately  |                       |                       |
| for reading and      |                       |                       |
| mathematics at the   |                       |                       |
| different levels and |                       |                       |
| include the          |                       |                       |
| subgroups.           |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

**PRINCIPLE 9. State Accountability System is statistically valid and
reliable.**

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      | MEETING               |                       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      |                       | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 1.  How do AYP       | State has defined a   | State does not have   |
|     determinations   | method for            | an acceptable method  |
|     meet the State's | determining an        | for determining       |
|     standard for     | acceptable level of   | reliability (decision |
|     acceptable       | reliability (decision | consistency) of       |
|     reliability?     | consistency) for AYP  | accountability        |
|                      | decisions.            | decisions, e.g., it   |
|                      |                       | reports only          |
|                      | State provides        | reliability           |
|                      | evidence that         | coefficients for its  |
|                      | decision consistency  | assessments.          |
|                      | is (1) within the     |                       |
|                      | range deemed          | State has parameters  |
|                      | acceptable to the     | for acceptable        |
|                      | State, and (2) meets  | reliability; however, |
|                      | professional          | the actual            |
|                      | standards and         | reliability (decision |
|                      | practice.             | consistency) falls    |
|                      |                       | outside those         |
|                      | State publicly        | parameters.           |
|                      | reports the estimate  |                       |
|                      | of decision           | State's evidence      |
|                      | consistency, and      | regarding             |
|                      | incorporates it       | accountability        |
|                      | appropriately into    | reliability (decision |
|                      | accountability        | consistency) is not   |
|                      | decisions.            | updated.              |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | State updates         |                       |
|                      | analysis and          |                       |
|                      | reporting of decision |                       |
|                      | consistency at        |                       |
|                      | appropriate           |                       |
|                      | intervals.            |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND |                       |                       |
| STATE ACTIVITIES FOR |                       |                       |
| MEETING              |                       |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**       |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 9.1 In accordance    |                       |                       |
| with the terms of    |                       |                       |
| the Compliance       |                       |                       |
| Agreement, Montana   |                       |                       |
| will provide the     |                       |                       |
| process that creates |                       |                       |
| evidence that the    |                       |                       |
| State Accountability |                       |                       |
| System is reliable   |                       |                       |
| no later than        |                       |                       |
| November 30, 2004.   |                       |                       |
| The reliability of   |                       |                       |
| accountability       |                       |                       |
| system               |                       |                       |
| determinations will  |                       |                       |
| be assured through:  |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| -   uniform          |                       |                       |
|     averaging of     |                       |                       |
|     scale scores     |                       |                       |
|     across grade     |                       |                       |
|     levels within    |                       |                       |
|     the school       |                       |                       |
|     (where possible) |                       |                       |
|     and LEA to       |                       |                       |
|     produce a single |                       |                       |
|     school or LEA    |                       |                       |
|     score;           |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| -   multiple year    |                       |                       |
|     averages using   |                       |                       |
|     no more than 3   |                       |                       |
|     years of data to |                       |                       |
|     determine        |                       |                       |
|     reading and      |                       |                       |
|     mathematics      |                       |                       |
|     proficient       |                       |                       |
|     levels of        |                       |                       |
|     performance for  |                       |                       |
|     rating public    |                       |                       |
|     schools.         |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| -   statistical      |                       |                       |
|     tests to support |                       |                       |
|     the use of       |                       |                       |
|     confidence       |                       |                       |
|     intervals;       |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| -   methods for      |                       |                       |
|     determining an   |                       |                       |
|     acceptable level |                       |                       |
|     of reliability   |                       |                       |
|     for consistent   |                       |                       |
|     decisions for    |                       |                       |
|     two years for    |                       |                       |
|     purposes of      |                       |                       |
|     research and     |                       |                       |
|     investigation;   |                       |                       |
|     and              |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| -   Safe Harbor      |                       |                       |
|     provision and    |                       |                       |
|     evidence that    |                       |                       |
|     this rule        |                       |                       |
|     increases        |                       |                       |
|     reliability of   |                       |                       |
|     decisions about  |                       |                       |
|     schools.         |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| > ***Montana will    |                       |                       |
| > make AYP           |                       |                       |
| > determinations for |                       |                       |
| > all public schools |                       |                       |
| > and districts      |                       |                       |
| > based primarily on |                       |                       |
| > state assessment   |                       |                       |
| > data. Montana      |                       |                       |
| > proposes to make   |                       |                       |
| > AYP determinations |                       |                       |
| > for small schools  |                       |                       |
| > where the total    |                       |                       |
| > number of test     |                       |                       |
| > scores is below    |                       |                       |
| > the minimum number |                       |                       |
| > of 30 in the all   |                       |                       |
| > students group     |                       |                       |
| > based on a tiered  |                       |                       |
| > process, using the |                       |                       |
| > state              |                       |                       |
| > assessment/AYP     |                       |                       |
| > data for each      |                       |                       |
| > school and         |                       |                       |
| > district along     |                       |                       |
| > with a broader,    |                       |                       |
| > qualitative review |                       |                       |
| > of school and      |                       |                       |
| > subgroup           |                       |                       |
| > performance data   |                       |                       |
| > and other          |                       |                       |
| > information        |                       |                       |
| > related to student |                       |                       |
| > achievement where  |                       |                       |
| > necessary to       |                       |                       |
| > ensure the most    |                       |                       |
| > valid and reliable |                       |                       |
| > AYP determinations |                       |                       |
| > (Small Schools     |                       |                       |
| > Accountability     |                       |                       |
| > Process).***       |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      | MEETING               |                       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      |                       | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 1.  What is the      | State has established | State does not have a |
|     State\'s process | a process for public  | system for handling   |
|     for making valid | schools and LEAs to   | appeals of            |
|     AYP              | appeal an             | accountability        |
|     determinations?  | accountability        | decisions.            |
|                      | decision.             |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 9.2 Montana's accountability process is designed for construct        |
| validity and consequential validity.                                  |
|                                                                       |
| ##### **Construct validity:**                                         |
|                                                                       |
| Components of the accountability system include content standards,    |
| assessment, data collection and reporting, the identification of      |
| schools for improvement, providing rewards and sanctions, and         |
| technical assistance to the purpose of improving Montana schools. The |
| following components work in harmony to accomplish school             |
| improvement:                                                          |
|                                                                       |
| > **[Assessment:]{.underline}**                                       |
| >                                                                     |
| > The MontCAS, Phase 2 and Montana Alternate Assessment results are   |
| > the primary indicators on which AYP determinations are made for     |
| > public schools and LEAs. Students with disabilities and LEP         |
| > students may receive accommodations and modifications on the        |
| > MontCAS, Phase 2 or be assessed through Montana Alternate           |
| > Assessment, if they meet the criteria as outlined in guidance from  |
| > the state and determined by the IEP or LEP Team. Our assessment     |
| > system will provide technical data to include:                      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| > -Evidence of reliability and validity                               |
| >                                                                     |
| > -Internal and external alignment studies                            |
| >                                                                     |
| > -Internal and external bias studies                                 |
| >                                                                     |
| > -Systemic procedures for quality checks                             |
|                                                                       |
| **[Data Collection:]{.underline}**                                    |
|                                                                       |
| > Enrollment information about students and their membership in       |
| > specific subgroups is determined at the school level through        |
| > programs provided by OPI. Each school and LEA must verify the       |
| > accuracy of the information contained in the files submitted to OPI |
| > for enrollment and group identification purposes.                   |
| >                                                                     |
| > Policies that will be incorporated into the OPI State and Federal   |
| > Grants Handbook require that all students enrolled for a full       |
| > academic year be included in the accountability formula. This       |
| > policy will also outline the procedures for instituting and         |
| > maintaining a valid system.                                         |
|                                                                       |
| **[Consequential validity:]{.underline}**                             |
|                                                                       |
| Reliable assessments aligned with content standards will result in    |
| accurate identification of schools and LEAs in need of improvement.   |
| Accurate data collection and reporting will support the inferences    |
| drawn from the accountability system. Schools and LEAs will have      |
| access to an appeals procedure following preliminary identification.  |
|                                                                       |
| In order to increase the validity of accountability decisions, the    |
| OPI State and Federal Grants Handbook will include the following      |
| Appeals Process:                                                      |
|                                                                       |
| 1)  The OPI determines preliminary identification of all schools and  |
|     LEAs that have not met AYP according to the state criteria and    |
|     sends notifications.                                              |
|                                                                       |
| 2)  Within 30 days of preliminary identification, the agency          |
|     (LEA/school) reviews its data and may challenge its               |
|     identification. The agency (LEA/school) not meeting AYP may       |
|     appeal its status and provide evidence to support the challenge   |
|     to the OPI.                                                       |
|                                                                       |
| 3)  No later than 30 days after preliminary identification, the OPI   |
|     reviews the appeal and makes a final determination of             |
|     identification for school improvement. {Section                   |
|     1116 (b) (2) (A) (B) (C)}                                         |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| A valid and reliable accountability system has been designed for the  |
| 2003-04 new assessment program that includes the requirements of      |
| NCLB. The new accountability system will be designed to create the    |
| most advantageous balance of 1) reliable results, 2) public           |
| confidence in the results, 3) including all public schools in the     |
| accountability formula, and 4) capacity building and development of   |
| resources to serve Montana students and schools.                      |
|                                                                       |
| As the new Montana Accountability System is implemented, Montana will |
| regularly examine the validity and reliability of the data related to |
| the determination of AYP and decision consistency for holding public  |
| schools and LEAs accountable within this system. Updated analysis and |
| reporting of decision consistency will be shared with the public at   |
| appropriate intervals.                                                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF**       |
|                      | MEETING               |                       |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | ***NOT* MEETING       |
|                      |                       | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 3.  How has the      | State has a plan to   | State's transition    |
|     State planned    | maintain continuity   | plan interrupts       |
|     for              | in AYP decisions      | annual determination  |
|     incorporating    | necessary for         | of AYP.               |
|     into its         | validity through      |                       |
|     definition of    | planned assessment    | State does not have a |
|     AYP anticipated  | changes, and other    | plan for handling     |
|     changes in       | changes necessary to  | changes: e.g., to its |
|     assessments?     | comply fully with     | assessment system, or |
|                      | NCLB.[^10]            | the addition of new   |
|                      |                       | public schools.       |
|                      | State has a plan for  |                       |
|                      | including new public  |                       |
|                      | schools in the State  |                       |
|                      | Accountability        |                       |
|                      | System.               |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
|                      | State has a plan for  |                       |
|                      | periodically          |                       |
|                      | reviewing its State   |                       |
|                      | Accountability        |                       |
|                      | System, so that       |                       |
|                      | unforeseen changes    |                       |
|                      | can be quickly        |                       |
|                      | addressed.            |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND STATE ACTIVITIES FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS**      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| > 9.3 As a Title I compliance agreement state, Montana will use its   |
| > current assessment and accountability system as the basis for       |
| > adequate yearly progress decisions during the transition period of  |
| > 2002-03. Beginning in 2003-04, Montana will administer the new      |
| > assessments to determine AYP for Montana schools, districts, and    |
| > the state as described previously in this document.                 |
|                                                                       |
| The identification of schools and districts (by all subgroups         |
| including all students) not achieving an average score of 45 NCE on   |
| the 2002-03 assessment and the percent of students who meet or exceed |
| the proficient level definition on the 2003-04 assessment, as well as |
| participation rates and the other indicators, will be used to         |
| continuously identify schools and districts in need of improvement    |
| during the transition from the old assessment program to the new      |
| assessment program.                                                   |
|                                                                       |
| The State has a plan for including new public schools in the State    |
| Accountability System. New public schools will be included in each    |
| assessment and held to the same AYP standards as all other public     |
| schools. Montana follows the guidance document provided by the U.S.   |
| Department of Education on this topic. To be a \"new\" school, an     |
| \"old\" school must have a 50% or greater change in student           |
| population and/or staff.                                              |
|                                                                       |
| The State periodically will review its accountability system.         |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

**PRINCIPLE 10. In order for a public school or LEA to make AYP, the
State ensures that it assessed at least 95% of the students enrolled in
each subgroup.**

+-------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT     | **EXAMPLES FOR\     | **EXAMPLES OF\      |
|                         | MEETING             | *NOT* MEETING       |
|                         | REQUIREMENTS**      | REQUIREMENTS**      |
+=========================+=====================+=====================+
| 1.  What is the         | State has a         | The state does not  |
|     State\'s method for | procedure to        | have a procedure    |
|     calculating         | determine the       | for determining the |
|     participation rates | number of absent or | rate of students    |
|     in the State        | untested students   | participating in    |
|     assessments for use | (by subgroup and    | statewide           |
|     in AYP              | aggregate).         | assessments.        |
|     determinations?     |                     |                     |
|                         | State has a         | Public schools and  |
|                         | procedure to        | LEAs are not held   |
|                         | determine the       | accountable for     |
|                         | denominator (total  | testing at least    |
|                         | enrollment) for the | 95% of their        |
|                         | 95% calculation (by | students.           |
|                         | subgroup and        |                     |
|                         | aggregate).         |                     |
|                         |                     |                     |
|                         | Public schools and  |                     |
|                         | LEAs are held       |                     |
|                         | accountable for     |                     |
|                         | reaching the 95%    |                     |
|                         | assessed goal.      |                     |
+-------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND    |                     |                     |
| STATE ACTIVITIES FOR    |                     |                     |
| MEETING REQUIREMENTS**  |                     |                     |
+-------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
| 10.1 For use with the   |                     |                     |
| current system in March |                     |                     |
| 2003 and the new system |                     |                     |
| beginning April 2004,   |                     |                     |
| Montana has developed a |                     |                     |
| verification form (see  |                     |                     |
| Appendix C) that each   |                     |                     |
| school completes during |                     |                     |
| the testing cycle. By   |                     |                     |
| school and grade level  |                     |                     |
| tested, the             |                     |                     |
| verification form       |                     |                     |
| validates the test day  |                     |                     |
| enrollment, changes in  |                     |                     |
| that enrollment from    |                     |                     |
| the official spring     |                     |                     |
| enrollment on the first |                     |                     |
| Monday in February, and |                     |                     |
| the number of students  |                     |                     |
| tested. Any changes in  |                     |                     |
| numbers that affect     |                     |                     |
| participation rate are  |                     |                     |
| explained.              |                     |                     |
|                         |                     |                     |
| For 2003 AYP            |                     |                     |
| determinations, using   |                     |                     |
| the spring enrollment,  |                     |                     |
| the verification forms, |                     |                     |
| and answer documents    |                     |                     |
| coded for demographics  |                     |                     |
| of students not tested, |                     |                     |
| the state can determine |                     |                     |
| the denominator (total  |                     |                     |
| enrollment) for the 95% |                     |                     |
| calculation for all     |                     |                     |
| subgroups.              |                     |                     |
|                         |                     |                     |
| The students identified |                     |                     |
| as enrolled in the      |                     |                     |
| tested grades on the    |                     |                     |
| date of the             |                     |                     |
| verification form are   |                     |                     |
| those students that are |                     |                     |
| expected to have taken  |                     |                     |
| the statewide           |                     |                     |
| assessment or Montana   |                     |                     |
| Alternate Assessment.   |                     |                     |
+-------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
| Once the tests are      |                     |                     |
| scanned and scored, the |                     |                     |
| file of students tested |                     |                     |
| is matched against the  |                     |                     |
| verified enrollment     |                     |                     |
| file to determine who   |                     |                     |
| did and who did not     |                     |                     |
| take the test for each  |                     |                     |
| academic subject. The   |                     |                     |
| number of tested        |                     |                     |
| students divided by the |                     |                     |
| number of enrolled      |                     |                     |
| students is the percent |                     |                     |
| tested. The number      |                     |                     |
| enrolled but not tested |                     |                     |
| divided by the number   |                     |                     |
| enrollment is the       |                     |                     |
| percent not tested.     |                     |                     |
|                         |                     |                     |
| The calculation for     |                     |                     |
| participation rate is:  |                     |                     |
|                         |                     |                     |
| (students not           |                     |                     |
| tested/students         |                     |                     |
| enrolled) x 100 = % not |                     |                     |
| tested                  |                     |                     |
|                         |                     |                     |
| (students               |                     |                     |
| tested/students         |                     |                     |
| enrolled) x 100 = %     |                     |                     |
| tested                  |                     |                     |
|                         |                     |                     |
| Participation rate will |                     |                     |
| be determined for each  |                     |                     |
| subject and for each    |                     |                     |
| subgroup. Students with |                     |                     |
| invalid assessment      |                     |                     |
| scores are counted as   |                     |                     |
| non-participants for    |                     |                     |
| the purpose of          |                     |                     |
| calculating             |                     |                     |
| participation rate.     |                     |                     |
|                         |                     |                     |
| ***Montana will allow   |                     |                     |
| 95% participation rate  |                     |                     |
| to be calculated based  |                     |                     |
| on averaged data and    |                     |                     |
| will permit exceptions  |                     |                     |
| regarding student       |                     |                     |
| participation in        |                     |                     |
| limited cases of        |                     |                     |
| medical emergency,      |                     |                     |
| which may be raised by  |                     |                     |
| schools or districts on |                     |                     |
| appeal of AYP           |                     |                     |
| determinations.***      |                     |                     |
+-------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ## CRITICAL ELEMENT  | **EXAMPLES FOR\       | **EXAMPLES OF\        |
|                      | MEETING               | *NOT* MEETING         |
|                      | REQUIREMENTS**        | REQUIREMENTS**        |
+======================+=======================+=======================+
| 2.  What is the      | State has a policy    | State does not have a |
|     State\'s policy  | that implements the   | procedure for making  |
|     for determining  | regulation regarding  | this determination.   |
|     when the 95%     | the use of 95%        |                       |
|     assessed         | allowance when the    |                       |
|     requirement      | group is              |                       |
|     should be        | statistically         |                       |
|     applied?         | significant according |                       |
|                      | to State rules.       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **STATE RESPONSE AND |                       |                       |
| STATE ACTIVITIES FOR |                       |                       |
| MEETING              |                       |                       |
| REQUIREMENTS**       |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| 10.2 The             |                       |                       |
| participation rate   |                       |                       |
| is determined as     |                       |                       |
| having been achieved |                       |                       |
| by either verifying  |                       |                       |
| that the number of   |                       |                       |
| students tested is   |                       |                       |
| equal to or greater  |                       |                       |
| than 95% of the      |                       |                       |
| actual enrollment.   |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

# Appendix A

Required Data Elements for State Report Card

**1111(h)(1)(C)**

1\. Information, in the aggregate, on student achievement at each
proficiency level on the State academic assessments (disaggregated by
race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, migrant status, English
proficiency, and status as economically disadvantaged, except that such
disaggregation shall not be required in a case in which the number of
students in a category is insufficient to yield statistically reliable
information or the results would reveal personally identifiable
information about an individual student.

2\. Information that provides a comparison between the actual
achievement levels of each student subgroup and the State's annual
measurable objectives for each such group of students on each of the
academic assessments.

3\. The percentage of students not tested (disaggregated by the student
subgroups), except that such disaggregation shall not be required in a
case in which the number of students in a category is insufficient to
yield statistically reliable information or the results would reveal
personally identifiable information about an individual student.

4\. The most recent 2-year trend in student achievement in each subject
area, and for each grade level, for the required assessments.

5\. Aggregate information on any other indicators used by the State to
determine the adequate yearly progress of students in achieving State
academic achievement standards disaggregated by student subgroups.

6\. Graduation rates for secondary school students disaggregated by
student subgroups.

7\. Information on the performance of local educational agencies in the
State regarding making adequate yearly progress, including the number
and names of each school identified for school improvement under section
1116.

8\. The professional qualifications of teachers in the State, the
percentage of such teachers teaching with emergency or provisional
credentials, and the percentage of classes in the State not taught by
highly qualified teachers, in the aggregate and disaggregated by
high-poverty compared to low-poverty schools which (for this purpose)
means schools in the top quartile of poverty and the bottom quartile of
poverty in the State.

######### Appendix B

+----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| ![](medi       | **STATE OF MONTANA**                                |
| a/image3.png){ |                                                     |
| width="0.75069 | **Office of Public Instruction**                    |
| 44444444444in" |                                                     |
| he             | ######## INVITATION FOR BID                         |
| ight="0.747916 |                                                     |
| 6666666667in"} | **(THIS IS NOT AN ORDER)**                          |
+----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+

+----------------+-----------------+-----------------------------------+
| **IFB          | **IFB Title:**  |                                   |
| Number:**      |                 |                                   |
|                | **[Web Report   |                                   |
| **[35060407W]  | Cards           |                                   |
| {.underline}** | ]{.underline}** |                                   |
+----------------+-----------------+-----------------------------------+
| **IFB Due Date |                 | **Number of Pages:                |
| and Time:**    |                 | [Eight]{.underline}**             |
|                |                 |                                   |
| **[April 18,   |                 |                                   |
| 2003]          |                 |                                   |
| {.underline}** |                 |                                   |
|                |                 |                                   |
| **2:00 p.m.    |                 |                                   |
| local time**   |                 |                                   |
+----------------+-----------------+-----------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------+
| # ISSUING AGENCY INFORMATION      |               |                  |
+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------+
| **Procurement Officer:**          |               | **Issue Date:**  |
|                                   |               |                  |
| **[Sioux Roth,                    |               | **[April 7,      |
| Purchasing]{.underline}**         |               | 200              |
|                                   |               | 3]{.underline}** |
+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------+
| **[OFFICE OF PUBLIC               | **Phone:      |                  |
| INSTRUCTION]{.underline}**        | (406)         |                  |
|                                   | 444-4404**    |                  |
| **[P O Box 202501]{.underline}**  |               |                  |
|                                   | **Fax: (406)  |                  |
| **[1227 11^th^                    | 444-1369**    |                  |
| Avenue]{.underline}**             |               |                  |
|                                   | **Website:    |                  |
| **[Helena, MT                     | www.opi.      |                  |
| 59620-2501]{.underline}**         | state.mt.us** |                  |
+-----------------------------------+---------------+------------------+

+-----------------------------------+----------------------------------+
| # INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS         |                                  |
+-----------------------------------+----------------------------------+
| **COMPLETE THE INFORMATION BELOW  | **Mark Face of                   |
| AND RETURN THIS PAGE WITH YOUR    | Envelope/Package:**              |
| BID AND ANY REQUIRED DOCUMENTS TO |                                  |
| THE ADDRESS LISTED ABOVE UNDER    | **IFB Number: [WEB REPORT CARDS, |
| \"ISSUING AGENCY INFORMATION.\"** | P O #35060407W]{.underline}**    |
|                                   |                                  |
|                                   | **IFB Due Date: [04/18/03, 2:00  |
|                                   | P.M. LOCAL TIME]{.underline}**   |
+-----------------------------------+----------------------------------+
|                                   | **Special Instructions:**        |
+-----------------------------------+----------------------------------+
| **Alternate Bids:**               |                                  |
|                                   |                                  |
| Vendors may submit alternate bids |                                  |
| (a bid on supplies other than     |                                  |
| specified). Alternate bids are    |                                  |
| considered only if the vendor is  |                                  |
| the lowest responsible vendor on  |                                  |
| their primary bid. Bids must be   |                                  |
| clearly identified as \"Primary\" |                                  |
| and \"Alternate.\"                |                                  |
+-----------------------------------+----------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------+----------------------------------+
| # BI                              |                                  |
| DDERS MUST COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING |                                  |
+-----------------------------------+----------------------------------+
| Payment Terms: Payment upon       | Delivery Date:                   |
| completion                        |                                  |
+-----------------------------------+----------------------------------+
| Bidder Name/Address:              | Authorized Bidder Signatory:     |
|                                   |                                  |
|                                   | (Please print name and sign in   |
|                                   | ink)                             |
+-----------------------------------+----------------------------------+
| Bidder Phone Number:              | Bidder FAX Number:               |
+-----------------------------------+----------------------------------+
| Bidder Federal I.D./Social        | Bidder E-mail Address:           |
| Security Number:                  |                                  |
+-----------------------------------+----------------------------------+
| IMPORTANT: SEE STANDARD TERMS AND |                                  |
| CONDITIONS                        |                                  |
+-----------------------------------+----------------------------------+

**Agency:** Montana Office of Public Instruction

**Project:** Web Report Cards

## Successful bidder will

-   Successfully complete project for less than \$25,000.

-   Have a proven, documented Project Management model.

-   Have a proven, documented Software Development model.

-   Have successful experience working with state or national level
    education agency.

-   Demonstrate product using Scalar Vector Graphics (SVG) technology
    that is similar to Wyoming's School Report Cards
    (<http://www.k12.wy.us/pls/stats/esc.show_menu>)

-   Demonstrate ability to create SVG graphics from XML based queries
    (http://www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/Overview.htm8).

# Project Description

The contractor will develop web-based School Report cards for Montana
schools, districts, and state. The contractor will train and provide
initial support to OPI staff in the creation and maintenance of report
cards. The report cards summarize assessment, demographic, and other
indicators in accordance with the requirements of the No Child Left
Behind Act (NCLB). Montana contains 988 schools and 465 districts.

The web-based report cars are a preferred solution because they simply
and elegantly display school indicators on the web. The method of using
XML and SVG provides a relatively straightforward, open source means to
produce school report cards that can be used in reports by local
districts as well as accessed by the general public. This solution works
with OPI's existing deployment strategy. Wyoming has done most of the
work of determining the formatting of school indicators in a way that is
easily understandable. OPI is attempting to leverage 1.5 years of
Wyoming effort. OPI wants a contractor familiar with education business
context, relational databases, XML, SVG, and efficient software
development process to expedite the report card development.

### Montana Information Technology Plan

The project satisfies these goals of the Montana Information Technology
Plan:

Objective #1 -- Support schools so that all students can achieve high
standards.

1.1 Provide assistance to Montana educators in the efficient and
effective use of resources. The Information Technology Division will
continue to provide electronic information resources (Web Report Cards)
to OPI and field staff.

Objective #2 - Assess and communicate the quality and achievements of
K-12 education

2.1 Develop and disseminate a Montana Statewide Educational Profile that
presents information about our K-12 public schools and students across a
broad range of indicators of quality. IT staff will provide portions of
this profile on line and in real time so that the public and the
legislature know the status of schools. Measure: the time to complete
and number of profile features available.

Objective #3 - Provide access to and management of information and data
related to K-12 school improvement

> 3.1 Develop and disseminate the Montana Statewide Education Profile
> and the local district formats. The web staff will deliver via the
> Internet. Measure: number of downloads or accesses.
>
> 3.2 Assist Montana educators in the development of local education
> profiles. The OPI professional staff and IT staff will work together
> to training staff, publish, and document local profiles. Measure:
> number of profiles available via OPI's web site; field feedback of
> process; federal audit findings.
>
> 3.5 Develop and enhance electronic systems for Montana educators to
> report and retrieve information and data related to K-12 education. IT
> staff will make summarized information available on the web site for
> as many collections as possible. Measure: percent of collection
> reporting summarized data back to the OPI web site.

# Project/Task Objectives and Requirements

In General, the contractor and client agree to:

-   Great customer service to OPI

-   Results in a product similar to Wyoming's Report card

-   Development process follows a successfully proven model

-   The OPI team will meet in advance of contractor's initial visit to
    hammer out a common vision

-   The contractor will visit Helena for 2-4 days to lead us through our
    joint development process

-   OPI staff will generate the data for the charts and graphs in
    accordance to the agreed upon specifications

# Scope of Work, Deliverables and Acceptance Criteria

Contractor shall provide Services and staff, and otherwise do all things
necessary for or incidental to the performance of work, as set forth
below:

Phase 1:

Initial trip to Helena and meeting \[Week of April 28^th^\]

> 3-4 days on site to nail down analysis on what reports should look
> like.
>
> Assign project roles and explain communication structure.
>
> Set expectation that this runs currently to run through to completion.
>
> Draw out all reports.
>
> Get to work on detail design for each screen.

Identify products to be delivered (4-5 main SVG templates) \[Week of
April 28^th^\]

Identify number of reports

Identify specific information on reports

Identify number of combinations (i.e. 988 schools x 5 school reports =
4,940)

Identify timelines:

2-3 month consecutive month commitment for team members \[April 21 --
July 14\]

> Design web pages for Report Card site \[May 1-15\]
>
> Customizations to reports to distinguish from Wyoming \[May 15-June
> 30\]

Mentoring OPI staff in methods and modifications \[May 15-July 14\]

Implementation \[June 1 -- July 14\]

Technical documentation \[On-going\]

> Visually shows system
>
> Provides help in modifying system

Phase 2 (if OPI wants to continue after Phase 1):

Create means to generate PDF pages with annotations

> Option: Active reports (\$3,000 -\$4,000)
>
> Option: Java reports (mostly free)
>
> Both Phase I and II will not exceed \$25,000 totally

Contractor shall produce:

> Results in a product similar to Wyoming's Report card (see above web
> site)
>
> Charts and text that represents Montana's school, district, and state
> status
>
> Web Report Card templates in SVG format as XLS style sheets
>
> Field level definitions needed by XLS style sheets.
>
> Consultation on efficient means to display web report cards
>
> Ability to cut and past SVG charts in page design programs used by
> newspapers
>
> Work with OPI staff to define specific report card content and
> presentation format.
>
> Training/mentoring for OPI's programming and web staff in the means
> and methods of working with, designing, and creating SVG files.

The following criteria will be used by the Agency to determine
acceptance of the services and/or deliverables provided under this SOW.

-   All report templates work with OPI XML queries to generate web
    report cards

    -   Reports show content agreed to by OPI and the contracting staff

    -   Reports show content correctly (correct calculations)

    -   Report generate quickly

-   Training is provided to OPI staff so OPI staff can understand,
    change, delete, and create their own SVG templates or modify
    existing templates.

    -   OPI staff can demonstrate their knowledge by modifying templates

# Timeline and Period of Performance

The period of performance for this project will start on April 28 and
the work tasks are estimated to continue through July 14. The State has
the right to extend or terminate this SOW at its sole discretion.

# Compensation and Payment

Agency shall pay Contractor an amount not to exceed \$25,000 dollars for
the performance of all activities necessary for or incidental to the
performance of work as set forth in this SOW. The contractor's hourly
compensation for services rendered shall be based on Contractor's Prices
as set forth in the Consulting and Services Agreement.

Agency shall reimburse Contractor for travel and other expenses as
identified in this SOW, or as authorized in writing, in advance by
Agency. No payment of travel expenses will be made to Contractor for
routine travel to and from Agency's location. Contractor shall provide a
detailed itemization of expenses as requested by Agency. The amount
reimbursed to Contractor is included in calculating the "not to exceed"
amount specified above.

# 

# 

# Contractor Staff, Roles and Responsibilities

  --------------- ------------- --------------- ---------------- ------------
  **Role/Area**   **Who**       **Title**       **E-mail**       **Phone**

  Project Manager To Be Named   Senior                           
                                Consulting                       
                                Manager                          

  Programming     To Be Named   Programmer                       
  Contact                                                        

  Technical       To Be Named   Senior                           
  Contact                       Technical                        
                                Manager                          
  --------------- ------------- --------------- ---------------- ------------

# Additional Terms and Conditions Specific to this SOW

# All work and intermediate work products will be delivered to the Montana Office of Public Instruction. 

**[Team Guidelines]{.underline}**

One or two individuals focused on data side.

People involved who understand the statistical reporting, so data is
formatted correctly.

Response needed by e-mail and/or phone within 24-hour from all team
members. (Usually simple questions)

Style and formatting leader for web report cards.

Standard Terms and Conditions

**By submitting a response to this invitation for bid, request for
proposal, limited solicitation, or acceptance of a contract, the vendor
agrees to acceptance of the following Standard Terms and Conditions and
any other provisions that are specific to this solicitation or
contract.**

**ACCEPTANCE/REJECTION OF BIDS, PROPOSALS, OR LIMITED SOLICITATION
RESPONSES:** The State reserves the right to accept or reject any or all
bids, proposals, or limited solicitation responses, wholly or in part,
and to make awards in any manner deemed in the best interest of the
State. Bids, proposals, and limited solicitation responses will be firm
for 30 days, unless stated otherwise in the text of the invitation for
bid, request for proposal, or limited solicitation.

**ACCESS AND RETENTION OF RECORDS:** The contractor agrees to provide
the department, Legislative Auditor, or their authorized agents, access
to any records necessary to determine contract compliance (Mont. Code
Ann. § 18-1-118). The contractor agrees to create and retain records
supporting the services rendered or supplies delivered for a period of
three years after either the completion date of the contract or the
conclusion of any claim, litigation, or exception relating to the
contract taken by the State of Montana or third party.

[]{.mark}

**ALTERATION OF SOLICITATION DOCUMENT:** In the event of inconsistencies
or contradictions between language contained in the State\'s
solicitation document and a vendor\'s response, the language contained
in the State\'s original solicitation document will prevail. Intentional
manipulation and/or alteration of solicitation document language will
result in the vendor\'s disqualification and possible debarment.

**ASSIGNMENT, TRANSFER AND SUBCONTRACTING:** The contractor shall not
assign, transfer or subcontract any portion of the contract without the
express written consent of the department. (Mont. Code Ann. § 18-4-141.)

**AUTHORITY:** The following bid, request for proposal, limited
solicitation, or contract is issued under authority of Title 18, Montana
Code Annotated, and the Administrative Rules of Montana, Title 2,
chapter 5.

**COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS:** The contractor must, in performance of work
under the contract, fully comply with all applicable federal, state, or
local laws, rules and regulations, including the Montana Human Rights
Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975,
the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Any subletting or subcontracting by the
contractor subjects subcontractors to the same provision. In accordance
with section 49-3-207, MCA, the contractor agrees that the hiring of
persons to perform the contract will be made on the basis of merit and
qualifications and there will be no discrimination based upon race,
color, religion, creed, political ideas, sex, age, marital status,
physical or mental disability, or national origin by the persons
performing the contract.

**CONFORMANCE WITH CONTRACT:** No alteration of the terms, conditions,
delivery, price, quality, quantities, or specifications of the contract
shall be granted without prior written consent of the State Procurement
Bureau. Supplies delivered which do not conform to the contract terms,
conditions, and specifications may be rejected and returned at the
contractor\'s expense.

**DEBARMENT:** The contractor certifies that neither it nor its
principals are presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment,
declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this
transaction (contract) by any governmental department or agency. If the
contractor cannot certify this statement, attach a written explanation
for review by the State.

**DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS:** The State of Montana does not
discriminate on the basis of disability in admission to, access to, or
operations of its programs, services, or activities. Individuals, who
need aids, alternative document formats, or services for effective
communications or other disability-related accommodations in the
programs and services offered, are invited to make their needs and
preferences known to this office. Interested parties should provide as
much advance notice as possible.

**FACSIMILE RESPONSES:** Facsimile responses will be accepted for
invitations for bids, small purchases or limited solicitations ONLY if
they are completely [received]{.underline} by the State Procurement
Bureau prior to the time set for receipt. Bids, or portions thereof,
received after the due time will not be considered. Facsimile responses
to requests for proposals are ONLY accepted on an
[exception]{.underline} basis with [prior approval]{.underline} of the
procurement officer.

**FAILURE TO HONOR BID/PROPOSAL:** If a bidder/offeror to whom a
contract is awarded refuses to accept the award (PO/contract) or, fails
to deliver in accordance with the contract terms and conditions, the
department may, in its discretion, suspend the bidder/offeror for a
period of time from entering into any contracts with the State of
Montana.

**HOLD HARMLESS/INDEMNIFICATION:** The contractor agrees to protect,
defend, and save the State, its elected and appointed officials, agents,
and employees, while acting within the scope of their duties as such,
harmless from and against all claims, demands, causes of action of any
kind or character, including the cost of defense thereof, arising in
favor of the contractor\'s employees or third parties on account of
bodily or personal injuries, death, or damage to property arising out of
services performed or omissions of services or in any way resulting from
the acts or omissions of the contractor and/or its agents, employees,
representatives, assigns, subcontractors, except the sole negligence of
the State, under this agreement.

**LATE BIDS AND PROPOSALS:** Regardless of cause, late bids and
proposals will not be accepted and will automatically be disqualified
from further consideration. It shall be solely the vendor\'s risk to
assure delivery at the designated office by the designated time. Late
bids and proposals will not be opened and may be returned to the vendor
at the expense of the vendor or destroyed if requested.

**PAYMENT TERM:** All payment terms will be computed from the date of
delivery of supplies or services OR receipt of a properly executed
invoice, whichever is later. Unless otherwise noted in the solicitation
document, the State is allowed 30 days to pay such invoices. All
contractors may be required to provide banking information at the time
of contract execution in order to facilitate State electronic funds
transfer payments.

**RECIPROCAL PREFERENCE:** The State of Montana applies a reciprocal
preference against a vendor submitting a bid from a state or country
that grants a residency preference to its resident businesses. A
reciprocal preference is only applied to an invitation for bid for
supplies or an invitation for bid for nonconstruction services for
public works as defined in section 18-2-401(9), MCA, and then only if
federal funds are not involved. For a list of states that grant resident
preference, see
<http://www.discoveringmontana.com/doa/gsd/css/Resources/ReciprocalPreference.asp>.

**REFERENCE TO CONTRACT:** The contract or purchase order number MUST
appear on all invoices, packing lists, packages and correspondence
pertaining to the contract.

**REGISTRATION WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE:** Any business intending to
transact business in Montana must register with the Secretary of State.
Businesses that are incorporated in another state or country, but which
are conducting activity in Montana, must determine whether they are
transacting business in Montana in accordance with sections 35-1-1026
and 35-8-1001, MCA. Such businesses may want to obtain the guidance of
their attorney or accountant to determine whether their activity is
considered transacting business.

If businesses determine that they are transacting business in Montana,
they must register with the Secretary of State and obtain a certificate
of authority to demonstrate that they are in good standing in Montana.
To obtain registration materials, call the Office of the Secretary of
State at (406) 444-3665, or visit their website at
[http://www.sos.state.mt.us](http://www.sos.state.mt.us/).

**SEPARABILITY CLAUSE:** A declaration by any court, or any other
binding legal source, that any provision of the contract is illegal and
void shall not affect the legality and enforceability of any other
provision of the contract, unless the provisions are mutually dependent.

**SHIPPING:** Supplies shall be shipped prepaid, F.O.B. Destination,
unless the contract specifies otherwise.

**SOLICITATION DOCUMENT EXAMINATION:** Vendors shall promptly notify the
State of any ambiguity, inconsistency, or error, which they may discover
upon examination of a solicitation document.

**TAX EXEMPTION:** The State of Montana is exempt from Federal Excise
Taxes (#81-0302402).

**TECHNOLOGY ACCESS FOR BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED:** Contractor
acknowledges that no state funds may be expended for the purchase of
information technology equipment and software for use by employees,
program participants, or members of the public unless it provides blind
or visually impaired individuals with access, including interactive use
of the equipment and services, that is equivalent to that provided to
individuals who are not blind or visually impaired. (Mont. Code Ann. §
18-5-603.) Contact the State Procurement Bureau at (406) 444-2575 for
more information concerning nonvisual access standards.

**TERMINATION OF CONTRACT:** Unless otherwise stated, the State may, by
written notice to the contractor, terminate the contract in whole or in
part at any time the contractor fails to perform the contract.

**UNAVAILABILITY OF FUNDING:** The contracting agency, at its sole
discretion, may terminate or reduce the scope of the contract if
available funding is reduced for any reason. (Mont. Code Ann. § 18-4-313
(3).)

**U.S. FUNDS:** All prices and payments must be in U.S. dollars.

**VENUE:** This solicitation is governed by the laws of Montana. The
parties agree that any litigation concerning this bid, request for
proposal, limited solicitation, or subsequent contract, must be brought
in the First Judicial District in and for the County of Lewis and Clark,
State of Montana, and each party shall pay its own costs and attorney
fees. (Mont. Code Ann. § 18-1-401.)

**WARRANTIES:** The contractor warrants that items offered will conform
to the specifications requested, to be fit and sufficient for the
purpose manufactured, of good material and workmanship and free from
defect. Items offered must be new and unused and of the latest model or
manufacture, unless otherwise specified by the State. They shall be
equal in quality and performance to those indicated herein. Descriptions
used herein are specified solely for the purpose of indicating standards
of quality, performance and/or use desired. Exceptions will be rejected.

Revised 3/03

**Appendix C**

**Student Participation Validation Form**

´SCª ´School_Nameª

Grade: ´Gradeª

Montana Comprehensive Assessment System, Phase 1

Spring 2003

*Consistent with accountability requirements under 10.56.101 ARM and the
No Child Left Behind Act, validation of full participation is required.*
Please complete this form as you prepare your materials for scoring. If
you have any questions, please contact Judy Snow at 406-444-3656 or
<jsnow@state.mt.us>. Fax completed forms to Maria Bates at the Office of
Public Instruction, 406-444-1369, **by April 7, 2003.**

This form consists of three parts. There is a separate form for each of
the grades (4, 8, and 11) that you are testing.

> **Part I** Enrollment update

**Part II** Participation validation

> **Part III** Authorized signature

**PART I -- Enrollment Update**

+--------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
| 1.  February 2003 Grade ´Gradeª      | 1\. ´Totalª                   |
|     Reported Enrollment              |                               |
+--------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
| 2a. Enter the first day of testing   | 2a. First day of testing      |
| at your school (a date within the    | **[March ,                    |
| March 10-28 testing window).         | 2003]{.underline}**           |
|                                      |                               |
| 2b. Enter the TOTAL number of grade  | 2b. Grade ´Gradeª Total       |
| ´Gradeª students enrolled\* on the   |                               |
| first day of testing.                |                               |
+--------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
| 3\. If the two enrollment numbers    | 3\.                           |
| are different, please explain. If    |                               |
| necessary, please attach             |                               |
| documentation.                       |                               |
|                                      |                               |
| \*NOTE: Enrolled students include    |                               |
| even those who attend only part of   |                               |
| the school day. All enrolled         |                               |
| students must be assessed.           |                               |
+--------------------------------------+-------------------------------+

**PART II -- Participation Validation**

+--------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
| > 1\. Number of grade ´Gradeª public | 1\. Grade ´Gradeª             |
| > school students who participated   | Participants                  |
| > fully in the 2003 statewide        |                               |
| > assessment. This number includes   |                               |
| > students who participated in all   |                               |
| > areas being assessed by the Iowa   |                               |
| > Tests (with or without             |                               |
| > accommodations), the alternate     |                               |
| > assessment, or a combination of    |                               |
| > the two.                           |                               |
+--------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
| 2\. Number of grade ´Gradeª public   | 2\. Grade ´Gradeª Absentees   |
| school students who were ABSENT for  |                               |
| the ENTIRE testing period and were   |                               |
| unable to participate in any part of |                               |
| the test, including the makeup. *An  |                               |
| answer document must be submitted    |                               |
| for each of these students.*         |                               |
+--------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
| 3\. Number of grade ´Gradeª public   | 3\. Grade ´Gradeª Partial     |
| school students who completed some,  | Testers                       |
| but not all, areas of the 2003       |                               |
| statewide assessment.                |                               |
+--------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
| > 4\. Add the numbers in boxes 1,2,  | 4\. Total of boxes 1, 2, and  |
| > and 3 above. This total should     | 3                             |
| > equal the number in Part I, box    |                               |
| > 2b.                                |                               |
+--------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
| 5\. If Part II, box 4 does not match | 5\.                           |
| Part I, box 2b, please explain. If   |                               |
| necessary, please attach             |                               |
| documentation.                       |                               |
+--------------------------------------+-------------------------------+

**PART III -- Authorized Signature**

I certify that:

-   an answer document has been submitted for every student enrolled;

-   the information provided on this form is correct to the best of my
    knowledge;

-   testing was completed in accordance with the directions in the
    "Montana Guide for Test Coordinators & Administrators 2002", the
    update for 2003, and The Iowa Test *Directions for Administration.*

  ------------ ----------------------- ------------- ----------- -------------
  District     ´District_Nameª                                   
  Name                                                           

  School Name  ´School_Nameª                         School Code ´SCª

  Name:                                Title:                    
  (Please                              (Principal or             
  print)                               Supervising               
                                       Teacher)                  
  ------------ ----------------------- ------------- ----------- -------------

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Signature Date

Dear Linda,

I spoke with Ron Tomalis, our acting Assistant Secretary, and he has
approved your n-size of 20 without a confidence interval to make your
AYP determinations this year. I will attach this email chain as an
addendum to your approved state accountability plan indicating the use
of 20 without a confidence interval this year and the use of 10 with a
confidence interval in all future years. Please let me know if we can be
of any further assistance to you all.

Best,\
Celia

\-\-\-\--Original Message\-\-\-\--\
From: McCulloch, Linda
\[[mailto:lmcculloch@state.mt.us](mailto:lmcculloch@state.mt.us)\]\
Sent: Monday, August 04, 2003 4:58 PM\
To: \'celia.sims@ed.gov\'\
Cc: Granbery, B J; Coopersmith, Nancy\
Subject: Change to Montana Plan

Hi Celia,  As you\'ve been discussing with BJ Granbery of our office,
we\
would like to use the minimum \"N\" of 20 this year instead of 10.  In
future\
years we will use a confidence interval in connection with the minimum
of\
10.  The discussion thus far with you has been that using 20 without a\
confidence interval would be roughly equivalent to 10 with a confidence\
interval.  We hope you can approve right away and let us know so we can\
finish running our data.

Thanks so much!

\*\*\*Linda McCulloch\
State Superintendent\
Montana Office of Public Instruction\
1227 11th Avenue\
PO Box 202501\
Helena, MT  59620-2501

[^1]: System of State achievement standards will be reviewed by the
    Standards and Assessments Peer Review. The Accountability Peer
    Review will determine that achievement levels are used in
    determining AYP.

[^2]: If the state has separate assessments to cover its language arts
    standards (e.g., reading and writing), the State must create a
    method to include scores from all the relevant assessments.

[^3]: Decisions may be based upon several years of data and data may be
    averaged across grades within a public school \[§1111(b)(2)(J)\].

[^4]: The minimum number is not required to be the same for reporting
    and accountability.

[^5]: The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prohibits an
    LEA that receives Federal funds from releasing, without the prior
    written consent of a student's parents, any personally identifiable
    information contained in a student's education record.

[^6]: State Assessment System will be reviewed by the Standards and
    Assessments Peer Review Team.

[^7]: See USC 6311(b)(2)(I)(i), and 34 C.F.R. 200.20(b)

[^8]: NCLB only lists these indicators as examples.

[^9]: If the state has more than one assessment to cover its language
    arts standards, the State must create a method for including scores
    from all the relevant assessments.

[^10]: Several events may occur which necessitate such a plan. For
    example, (1) the State may need to include additional assessments in
    grades 3-8 by 2005-2006; (2) the State may revise content and/or
    academic achievement standards; (3) the State may need to
    recalculate the starting point with the addition of new assessments;
    or (4) the State may need to incorporate the graduation rate or
    other indicators into its State Accountability System. These events
    may require new calculations of validity and reliability.