Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen has launched a new online platform intended to make state and district education data easier for the public to search and understand.
The Community Engagement platform, built on software from PowerSchool, provides access to Montana’s annual report cards required under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act at the state, district and school levels. Users can search and filter results by school, district and school year through what the Office of Public Instruction described as a more modern interface than the state’s previous system.
“Montanans deserve clear, accessible information about the performance and spending of their public schools,” Hedalen said in a statement. “This new platform gives families and communities an easier way to understand school data, celebrate successes, and stay informed about the progress being made to prepare every Montana student for future opportunities.”
The ESSA report cards, published annually by the office, cover academic performance, student achievement and growth, attendance, educator qualifications, school quality and safety, and school finances. Under Montana’s ESSA state plan, schools are evaluated on federally required indicators including English language arts and math achievement, academic growth, English learner progress and four-year graduation rates, along with state-added indicators such as attendance, college and career readiness, and science proficiency. Schools receive scores only on indicators with sufficient student participation to protect privacy and ensure the data is statistically meaningful.
The office said the launch reflects its ongoing effort to improve transparency and public access to education data. Educators will also have access to comparison tools through PowerSchool covering student academics and behavioral interventions and supports, according to the office.
The report cards are available to the public through the Office of Public Instruction’s website.