Decision Letter on Request to Amend Montana Accountability Plan

November 29, 2006

The Honorable Linda McCulloch
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Montana Office of Public Instruction
1227 11th Avenue
Helena, Montana 59620-2501

Dear Superintendent McCulloch:

I am writing in response to Montana’s request to amend its State accountability plan under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Following our discussions with your staff, the changes that are aligned with NCLB are now included in an amended State accountability plan that Montana submitted to the Department on November 20, 2006. I am pleased to fully approve the revised plan, which will be posted on the Department’s website. A summary of the approved amendment is enclosed with this letter.

As you know, any further requests to amend the Montana accountability plan must be submitted to the Department for review and approval as required by section 1111(f)(2) of Title I. Please note that approval of Montana’s accountability plan does not constitute approval of the State’s standards and assessment system.

Please also be aware that approval of Montana’s accountability plan for Title I, including the amendments approved above, does not indicate that the plan complies with Federal civil rights requirements, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

NCLB has provided a vehicle for States to raise the achievement of all students and to close the achievement gap. We are seeing the results of our combined endeavor; achievement is rising throughout the nation. I appreciate Montana’s efforts to raise the achievement of all students and hold all schools accountable. If you need any additional assistance to implement the standards, assessments, and accountability provisions of NCLB, please do not hesitate to contact Patrick Rooney (Patrick.Rooney@ed.gov) or Timothy Vansickle (Tim.Vansickle@ed.gov) of my staff.

Sincerely,

Henry L. Johnson

Enclosure

cc: Governor Brian Schweitzer
Nancy Coopersmith

Amendment to the Montana accountability plan

The following is a summary of the State’s approved amendment. Please refer to the Department’s website (www.ed.govhttps://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/stateplans03/index.html) for the complete Montana accountability plan.

Starting points, annual measurable objectives (AMOs), and intermediate goals (Elements 1.6, 3.1, 3.2a-c)

Revision: Montana’s accountability workbook currently does not have AMOs beyond the 2004-05 school year, due to the fact that Montana knew it would be implementing new assessments in 2005-06. Montana has proposed the following starting points, AMOs, and intermediate goals for the reading and mathematics assessments in grades 3-8 and high school:

Decision Letters on State Accountability Plans