MONTANA
Day School
ACCREDITATION STANDARDS
ARM 10.55.601
The Montana Board of Public Education adopts standards of accreditation based on the recommendation by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. To ensure continuous education improvement schools shall develop, implement, and evaluate school improvement plans on a yearly basis. Each plan includes school district level education profile, educational goals, a planned process of implementing content and standards, description of strategies and a professional development component. The board of trustees must report and submit their continuous school improvement plan with the Superintendent of Public education. The Superintendent of Public Education must monitor and evaluate each continuous improvement plan as well as to provide guidance, resources and evaluation of each plan.
CURRICULUM
ARM 10.55.603
Curriculum must be aligned to Montana state content standards and follow a developmentally appropriate learning progression for each grade level. Curriculum procedures are to be created by personnel licensed and endorsed in the program area, trustees, administrators, teachers, students, specialists, parents, community members and when appropriate, tribal representatives and state resource people. The determined curriculum, resources and materials must be reviewed at least every five years and modified as needed.
ASSESSMENT
ARM 10.55.603 &Â MCA 20.2.121
The Montana Board of Education sets rules for state wide assessments within public schools and private schools who are seeking state accreditation. The Board presents a balance assessment system including formative, interim, and summative assessments aligned with state content standards. All accredited schools should annually administer a single system of state level assessments approved by the board. All students must participate in state level assessments. Students with disabilities have the ability to specify accommodations via an IEP. The state level assessment results will then become a part of each student's permanent record. The superintendent of public instruction shall provide a report of the results to the Legislature and annually to the board.
FACILITIES
ARM 10.55.908
School facilities are to be constructed and maintained in accordance with all local, state and federal codes, regulations and laws. Additionally, the facilities must be appropriate in size and structure to accommodate the needs of the school. Educational facilities constructed for educational and extracurricular activities are to be provided by the local board of trustees. All buildings must meet federal accessability standards. If the board of trustees would like to build or remodel an existing facility they must seek expertise and commentary from faculty, students and community. The local board of trustees will develop and maintain a written policy on the use of school faciliteis and other resources.
STUDENT RECORDS
ARM 10.55.909
A Montana state accredited school must keep a permanent file of students’ records including the students name and address, The name of the parent or guardian, the students birth date, academic transcripts, achievement date (grades, standardized test), immunization records, attendance data and the statewide student identifier assigned by the Office of Public Instruction.
ADMINISTRATION AND PERSONNEL
ARM 10.55.705-10.55.708
The assignment of school staff and the development of school structure is based on full-time equivalency (FTE).
Principal's are to be appropriately licensed and endorsed in accordance with Montana state statutes and Board of Public Education rules. If a school has no more than nine FTE licensed staff and no licensed superintendent they may use a supervising teacher and the office of the county superintendent to satisfy principal needs. Otherwise, FTE liscensed principles are assigned to schools based on the number of students enrolled.
Teachers and specialists are to be appropriately licensed and endorsed in accordance with Montana state statues and Board of Public Education rules. Alternatively, teachers and specialists may be considered appropriately assigned if they are enrolled in an internship. Teachers are to be assigned based on their current licensure and endorsements. Teachers who hold a secondary liscence and are assigned to grades five or six in the departmentalized classroom or in middle school must be endorsed in the subjects which they teach. Teachers with a elementary license are qualified to teach grades K through 8. Teachers are to have a maximum of 28 hours of assigned student responsibility per week. Exceptions are available for schools who have a maximum of three teachers.