Montana officials defend MAST assessment rollout as teachers, advocates raise concerns

Lede: Montana's education officials defended MAST, a through-year statewide assessment system designed to deliver fast, standards-aligned feedback, while educators and public commenters in a joint legislative meeting cautioned that implementation problems have limited classroom use.

Nut graf: OPI Superintendent Susie Hedalen and State Assessment Director Cedar Rose told the joint Education Interim Committee on March 17 that the Montana Aligned to Standards Test (MAST) provides testlet reports to educators within days and meets federal technical standards, but public witnesses and several legislators pressed OPI on professional development gaps, item-bank depth, and whether teachers actually use the reports.

OPI's case: Cedar Rose said MAST was designed to replace once-a-year summative tests with shorter, frequent testlets so teachers get timely information while instruction can still be adjusted. "Starting this month, score reports will be provided the Monday after students test," she told the committee, adding that interactive reporting and progress reports are intended to let educators identify students at high, moderate or low risk of meeting end-of-year proficiency.

Hedalen acknowledged rollout challenges and described actions OPI has taken: additional professional development, clearer reporting language for families, and a vendor-driven technical advisory process to improve item quality. "We had to back up and take some steps back," she said, noting OPI has shortened windows and reduced testlet duration where possible and is pursuing growth-reporting work with technical advisors.

Field skepticism: Several public commenters and legislators flagged skepticism in the field. Rob Watson, executive director for school administrators in Montana, cited University of Montana survey findings that, after the pilot year, 73% of surveyed educators said MAST could not inform instruction and the second-year figure remained high (71%). "They are not using the results of this assessment to inform instruction," Watson said in public comment.

OPI response and next steps: OPI officials said interactive reporting (rolling out in the next window) will allow districts to see who logs in and how reports are used, enabling the agency to track educator uptake. They also said ongoing item development and field testing are expanding the item bank. Rose said participation and testlet completion have met federal targets and that OPI will continue educator outreach including a teacher-leader cohort and technical assistance.

Ending: OPI asked legislators for patience and cooperation while implementation proceeds; committee members noted the need for continued oversight and asked OPI to deliver follow-up metrics on interactive-report usage and item-bank expansion at future meetings.