Agencies report progress on data-sharing MOUs and STARS Act credential registry rulemaking

A board member reported that data-sharing agreements to support research across K–12 and higher education are advancing and that a data-sharing arrangement with Snowflake is in place to begin producing a consistent cross‑institution file.

“Thank you very much, Eric and team,” the board member said after noting the completed data‑sharing agreement, and added that the credential registry required under House Bill 252 (the STARS Act) was adopted on a tight timeline. The speaker said the agency met the initial rule deadline after “a furious sprint to the end” and that additional rulemaking is planned in mid‑April with a target to finish in June to allow further credential and work‑based learning guidance to be added to the Montana Credential Registry.

The board also discussed teacher‑pay analysis tied to the STARS Act. The speaker said OPI and the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) have completed a joint data‑sharing agreement and are awaiting the data transmission so economists can link employment wage records for verification. The speaker committed to having the raw data available by 2026 to share with legislators as they prepare for the 2027 legislative session, but said the full publication will not be complete before the session begins.

Director Eric Meredith said OCHE is working on MOUs with OPI to enable the data matches necessary for additional research questions — including direct admissions, tracking nontraditional students, and linking K–12 and higher education records — and that the first MOU remains a prerequisite for further linkage work. Another participant told the board they were reviewing near‑final drafts of two OPI–OCHE data‑sharing MOUs and hoped to finalize them within a week or two.

Why it matters: improved cross‑agency data sharing and a credential registry are intended to support research on postsecondary pathways, credential attainment and teacher‑pay trends tied to recent legislation. Board members asked for clearer definitions of contributing agencies and whether the board will adopt standard definitions for “private institution” and workforce entities.

No votes were taken; the board listed next steps including governance language on renewals and an annual agency data request report due at the next meeting.