Presenter Bios
Table of Contents
Click on a name to jump to the bio, or scroll down to view bios in alphabetical order by last name.
Presenter Bios Appear in Alphabetical Order by Last Name
Travis Anderson
Gear Up Director - MUS -Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education
I grew up in North Dakota and began my teaching career as a middle school science teacher. Prior to joining Montana GEAR UP, I served as a superintendent, high school principal, and curriculum director. As a first generation college graduate, I am very proud of accomplishing my post-secondary goals, as well as, using that experience to help others achieve success. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, running and completing various races, and rooting for the MSU Bobcats & Green Bay Packers.
Email - tanderson@montana.edu Phone - 406-449-9139
Sessions:
Day 1 Session 3 Strand 1 - Driving College Access Through Statewide Partnerships
Crystal Andrews
Targeted Support and Title III Coordinator - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Crystal Andrews works at the Office of Public Instruction and is the Targeted Support and Improvement and Title III Specialist. She has been employed in education since 2005 and taught elementary education for twelve years. Prior to joining the OPI she was teaching elementary science in Cascade, Montana. Mrs. Andrews has experience teaching kindergarten through sixth grade and has taught in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Montana. Mrs. Andrews completed her Master of Educational Leadership at Montana State University and has her K-12 Principal certification. She completed her Master of Elementary Education along with her Bachelor of Science in Applied Developmental Psychology and Child Development at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Andrews is a life-long learner whose passion is to support educators, share researched best practices so all students can learn.
Email - crystal.andrews@mt.gov Phone - 406-444-3482
Sessions:
Day 1 Session 1 Strand 3 - Differentiating Instruction in your Virtual Classroom
Crystal Armstrong
SLDS Program Manager - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Dr. Crystal Armstrong is the SLDS Programs Manager at the Montana Office of Public Instruction. In this position, she oversees Montana’s SLDS grant team who seek to make data relevant for education stakeholders in Montana. As the lead on the SLDS team, Crystal works with researchers and analysts on programs and analytics tools at the OPI including the Early Warning System for Dropouts, the College Readiness Indicator System, and the data warehouse user interface (GEMS). She also supports internal agency research conducted on behalf of various divisions at the OPI, and facilitates external research partnerships. Previously, Crystal served as a research analyst at the OPI.
Email - crystal.armstrong@mt.gov Phone - 406-444-0475
Sessions:
Day 1 Session 2 Strand 3 - Using your local data: New tools and design for GEMS
Day 2 Session 2 Strand 2 - American Indian Student Achievement: Closing the Gap
Patrick Armstrong
Culture/Language Immersion & Instructional Specialist - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Pat D Armstrong Jr. is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe and was born and raised on the Blackfeet Reservation. He has worked in education for over 15 years as a paraprofessional, Native American Studies teacher, and as a classroom Language and Culture Immersion Teacher for 5th grade. Pat has assisted the district in developing language and cultural immersion practices and served as a grade level representative on the school leadership team. Pat has experience and knowledge in developing effective lesson and units that combine best instructional practices including infusion of Indigenous learning methods. Pat graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree Elementary Education from University of Montana Western alongside his wife and brother, something he is very proud of. He was recently awarded the MHSA 2020 Referee of the Year Award. Pat and his wife Anna, have three children.
Email - patrick.armstrong2@mt.gov Phone - 406-450-5759
Sessions:
Day 2 Session 2 Strand 2 - American Indian Student Achievement: Closing the Gap
Day 2 Session 4 Strand 3 - American Indian Student Achievement: Finding Solutions from Within
Jacob Barto
EL Assessment Specialist - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Dr. Barto is a former university lecturer with a broad interest in language acquisition and culture. He joined the OPI in 2020 to coordinate the state’s program for English language proficiency assessments. He hopes that in this role he can build strong and lasting relationships with educators around the state to empower students to unlock all the possibilities that their language skills can open for them.
Email - jacob.barto@mt.gov Phone - 406-444-4420
Sessions:
Day 1 Session 2 Strand 2 - WIDA Score Reports: Making Data Meaningful in Class and at Home
Day1 Session 4 Strand 1 - Who are Montana's ELs? Identifying English Learners and Serving Their Needs
Day 2 Session 1 Strand 1 - 5 Things You Must Know about WIDA, MSAA, and AMSA for This Year
Colet Bartow
Teaching and Learning Department Senior Manager - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Colet Bartow was the School Library Specialist in the Content Standards and Instruction division from 2007 to December 2016, before being hired as the Content Standards and Instruction Director. As of July 2020, she became the Senior Manager for the OPI Teaching and Learning Department, supervising Content Standards and Professional Learning, Career Technical and Adult Education (CTAE), and Assessment.
Ms. Bartow spent 13 years as a teacher-librarian before joining the OPI in 2007. Colet completed her M. Ed. In Curriculum and Instruction at Montana State University, and B.A. in English with endorsements in secondary English, School Library Media, and English as a Second Language at the University of Montana. Her first computer was a Radio Shack TRS-80. Her first job in a library was as a third-grade student.
Email - cbartow@mt.gov Phone - 406-444-3583
Durand Bear Medicine
American Indian Achievement Specialist - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Durand Bear Medicine is an enrolled member of the Amskapi Pikuni (Blackfeet) tribe and a member of the Assiniboine & Sioux tribes of Fort Peck. He has worked with the Blackfeet tribe in various programs as a clinician and administrator for 14 years. Durand became an LAC in 2014 and certified as a Chemical Dependency Counselor with the Northwest Indian Alcohol/Drug Certification Board in 2008. Serving as the clinical coordinator for Southern Peigan School Health, a school based clinic on the reservation, he helped develop it into an essential healthcare option for the community. Durand emphasizes the use of holistic therapy concepts, advocating for cultural practices and approaches in addiction treatment. Durand received his B.A. in Community Leadership from MSU Northern in 2020. His dedication to recovery is evident with his role on local and regional addiction boards.
Email - Durand.BearMedicine@mt.gov Phone - 406-450-5670
Sessions:
Day 2 Session 2 Strand 2 - American Indian Student Achievement: Closing the Gap
Day 2 Session 4 Strand 3 - American Indian Student Achievement: Finding Solutions from Within
Pam Birkeland
County Superintendent - Madison County
STC and AR - Alder Elementary
Pam is a seasoned educator. She taught all grades K-12. She was the district assessment coordinator for Helena Public Schools for 14 years. Upon retirement, Pam was OPI’s Project Lead for the Digital Library (now Tools for Teachers). Currently, she serves as the Madison County Superintendent of Schools. In that role, she is the STC for Alder Elementary, an independent K-8 school in her county.
Email - pbirkeland@madisoncountymt.gov Phone - 406-439-8713
Sessions:
Day 2 Keynote - Panel Discussion for Implementing State Assessments
Jilyn Chandler
CRA Middle School Assistant Principal and District Assessment Administrator - Helena Public Schools
Jilyn joined the administrative team with Helena Public Schools in the fall of 2008, and during her tenure with the district she has worn many different hats. Her leadership as an administrator at the elementary, middle, and high school levels as well as the district testing coordinator has helped the district understand the data connection vertically K-12.
Prior to her tenure with Helena Public Schools, Jilyn was the K-12 principal in Lincoln, Montana where she gained a deep understating of the unique needs of rural schools.
Her administrative experiences in both Class C and AA districts have served her well as she continues to sit on both OPI and Legislative committees in the area of data and assessment.
Email - jchandler@helenaschools.org Phone - 406-431-5664
Sessions:
Day 2 Keynote - Panel Discussion for Implementing State Assessments
Robin Clausen
GEMS Stakeholder Liaison and Research Analyst - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Dr. Robin Clausen exercises two roles within the Statewide Longitudinal Data System unit at the Montana Office of Public Instruction. He is the Stakeholder Liaison for the unit whose primary duty is to process 120 research and data requests annually. Dr. Clausen also provides outreach to communities through trainings and research dissemination. Dr. Clausen is also a Research Analyst in the unit whose primary task is to perform targeted research tasks internal to the agency.
Email - robin.clausen@mt.gov Phone - 406-444-3793
Sessions:
Day 2 Session 3 Strand 2 - Findings from a Three Year Study of SBAC Interims
Ryder Delaloye
Director of Curriculum - Whitefish School District
Ryder Delaloye is the Director of Curriculum, Assessment, and Professional Development at Whitefish School District. His experience as a teacher spans from 2nd grade through graduate school. He has taught in public and private schools both domestically and internationally. Ryder is passionate about education being a vehicle for interpersonal and societal growth. This passion has led him to work closely with national, state level, and local partners to promote and develop capacity for sustainability education and social emotional learning within schools. In addition to experience gained from being a teacher and administrator, Ryder has served as the Montana Office of Public Instruction Civics Education Coordinator, an International Baccalaureate Diploma Coordinator, a consultant to the Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning program (Emory University) and professional development provider to both teachers and administrators. As a practitioner in the field of K-12 public education Ryder understands the needs of schools. Ryder is a certified instructor of Cognitively-based Compassion Training which assists him in the development and implementation of innovative programming focused on supporting and improving the wellbeing and social emotional competence of teachers and administrators. Ryder is grounded by his wife and children; with whom he loves to play and go on adventures in the mountains.
Email - delaloyer@whitefishschools.org Phone - 406-471-0788
Sessions:
Day 2 Keynote - Panel Discussion for Implementing State Assessments
Roger Dereszynski
Director of Assessment - Billings Public Schools
Roger is the K-12 Assessment Coordinator for the Billings Public School District. In addition to managing the assessments for the district, Roger also manages the student achievement data and uses that to work with the district’s Curriculum Department to form best practices to assist students in meeting the Montana Content Standards.
Email - dereszynskir@billingsschools.org Phone - 406-281-5068
Sessions:
Day 2 Keynote - Panel Discussion for Implementing State Assessments
Yvonne Field
Assessment and Accountability Specialist - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Yvonne Field has a background in music and special education. She has taught post-secondary special education at Berkshire Hills Music Academy in South Hadley, MA. She was the music instruction coordinator; integrating functional, academic, social, work, and independent living skills in the context of music performance and music related work settings. Yvonne also taught in a comprehensive school setting in Charlotte Mecklenberg School in North Carolina as a mild to moderate disabilities special educator in Grades 3-5 in a school where co-teaching was used as the primary model for serving students with disabilities. Yvonne has been with the OPI for 8 years. The first 6 years, Yvonne worked in the assessment division with special population assessments including managing the English language proficiency assessment and the Multi-State Alternate Assessment. Currently Yvonne works in the student support services division as a monitor and specialist in the areas of accessibility and inclusion of students with disabilities in statewide assessments and instruction.
Email - yfield@mt.gov Phone - 406-444-4940
Sessions:
Day 1 Session 4 Strand 3 - Accessibility and Meaningful Participation in Statewide Assessments
Marcy Fortner
Assessment Specialist - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Marcy has been with the OPI Assessment Unit for four years, providing state assessment assistance to the education field and currently serving as the OPI's ACT Assessment Specialist. She also works closely with the secure access MontCAS Application to include monitoring practices to ensure proper test security across Montana.
Email - mfortner@mt.gov Phone - 406-444-3511
Sessions:
Day 2 Session 3 Strand 1 - Local Monitoring for Test Security
Day 1 Session 4 Strand 2 - Engaging with the Data: Classroom to Parents (ACT Score Reports)
Julie Gavin
Title 1 Support Specialist - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Julie Gavin currently works as a Title I School Specialist in the Department of Innovation and Improvement with the Montana Office of Public Instruction. Previously, she taught English Language Arts in public high and middle schools and designed children’s outside-of-school enrichment programming. Due to her love of learning, she realized at age 13 that she would pursue the field of education. Julie is passionate about encouraging people of all ages to uncover their own passions and put them into practice within their lives. In her personal life, she enjoys cooking, reading, living an active lifestyle, exploring new ideas and places, and spending time with her family.
Email - julie.gavin@mt.gov Phone - 406-444-0686
Sessions:
Day 1 Session 3 Strand 3 - People Powered Improvement: A Fresh Look at Practice and Mindset
Todd Hanson
School Board Specialist/Instructional Coordinator - Montana Office of Public Instruction
As a long serving School Board Specialist in the Tribal Relations and Resiliency Unit, Todd relies on his background as a professionally trained educator and Master teacher to guide his work in the school districts he serves. Having spent the past twenty-five years working in public education systems as well as an instructor at several colleges and universities, Todd brings a large body of both academic and practical experience to his position. In addition to his professional credentials Todd has served multiple terms as a School Board Trustee and Chairman in his hometown district and currently is finishing his fourth term as a director on the Board of a local non-profit educational foundation. Todd and his wife Erica have six daughters, three which still live at home, and they spend their free time enjoying Montana’s great outdoors.
Email - thanson3@mt.gov Phone - 406-262-2403
Sessions:
Day 2 Session 2 Strand 2 - American Indian Student Achievement: Closing the Gap
Day 2 Session 4 Strand 3 - American Indian Student Achievement: Finding Solutions from Within
Kaitlyn Kleppelid
Research Analyst - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Kaitlyn Kleppelid currently serves as the Research Analyst for the OPI’s SLDS. She studied GIS and statistics at Montana State University and joined the OPI shortly after graduating. Kaitlyn has been fortunate enough to be able to utilize those different skill sets during the development of data dashboards for OPI’s GEMS website revisions. Creating visually appealing dashboards containing interactive maps has been one of her favorite assignments. Her goal is to allow a wide variety of people to explore school and student data and get excited about it!
Email - Kaitlyn.Kleppelid2@mt.gov Phone - 406-444-1610
Sessions:
Day 1 Session 2 Strand 3 - Using your local data: New tools and design for GEMS
Aimee Konzen
Title 1 School Support Specialist - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Aimee Konzen currently works as a Title I School Specialist in the Department of Innovation and Improvement with the Montana Office of Public Instruction She is excited to incorporate her seventeen years of classroom experience into this new role. Aimee started her teaching career in Billings, and then traveled to New Zealand and worked as a coach integrating new entrants into schools there for eight years. She returned to Montana and received her master’s degree from Rocky Mountain College Educational Leadership while teaching middle school English. Aimee has created professional learning opportunities for all levels of school leaders. The topics included are standards-based learning and reporting, trauma-informed teaching, restorative justice practices, Professional Learning Communities, and data-informed teaching.
Email - aimee.konzen@mt.gov Phone - 406-422-2821
Sessions:
Day 1 Session 3 Strand 3 - People Powered Improvement: A Fresh Look at Practice and Mindset
Carrie Kouba
Title I School Support Director - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Carrie Kouba works at the Office of Public Instruction and is the Title I School Support Director. She has been employed in education and professional development since 2001 and has taught K-12 students. Prior to joining the OPI she was a Principal at Lone Rock K-8 in Stevensville, MT and an Instructional Coach in Rochester, MN. Ms. Kouba completed her K-12 Principal Leadership at Saint Mary's University, Winona MN, her M. Ed in Teaching and Learning at Saint Mary's University, Winona MN, and her B.S. in Instrumental music from Winona State University, Winona MN. Ms. Kouba is passionate about providing professional development and coaching opportunities for all who touch the lives of children.
Email - Carrie.kouba@mt.gov Phone - 406-444-0864
Sessions:
Day 1 Session 1 Strand 3 - Differentiating Instruction in your virtual classroom
Day 1 Session 3 Strand 3 - People Powered Improvement: A Fresh Look at Practice and Mindset
Jake Massman
Database Analyst and BI Developer - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Jake Massman is a key developer and DBA for the Statewide Longitudinal Data System at the Office of Public Instruction. Jake studied math, physics, history, and philosophy in college, and has been working as a BI developer at OPI since 2010, and besides helping develop the GEMS data warehouse and website, had helped develop the Accountability System at OPI for the new ESSA requirements.
Email - JMassman2@mt.gov Phone - 406-444-0715
Sessions:
Day 1 Session 2 Strand 3 - Using your local data: New tools and design for GEM
Michelle McCarthy
Science Instructional Coordinator - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Michelle is working with the state’s science education leaders to support science instruction in Montana schools. Michelle was a middle school science, social studies, and math teacher at Bridger Schools. She served as RtI and Test Coordinator, as well as ½ time principal/teacher. As an adjunct online teaching faculty at MSU-Billings, she taught undergraduate and graduate K-8/ 5-12 Science Methods courses and has been involved as a teacher leader in the Partnership to Reform Inquiry Science in Montana (PRISM). She earned her Bachelor of Science Education, SPED minor, and Master of Education at MSU-Billings, and pursued her Doctorate at MSU-Bozeman (ABD).
Email - MMcCarthy5@mt.gov Phone - 406-444-3537
Sessions:
Day 1 Session 1 Strand 1 - Standards-Aligned Assessment System
Dan McGee
Data & Reporting Compliance Administrative Specialist - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Dan McGee has been the transformational Leader for the American Indian Student Achievement Unit SIG Team for over three years. He began his educational career in 1995 teaching 7-12 science. He has also taught math and science in high school around the state until he completed his Educational Leadership program at MSU and began working as the K-12 Principal in Belt in 2008. In 2011 he took the role of Superintendent at Pryor and led them through the school improvement process making significant academic and operational improvement. Dan and his wife Laura live in Billings. They have three children in college and one in high school. They also have a grandchild in the 2nd grade.
Email - DMcGee@mt.gov Phone - 406-876-3262
Sessions:
Day 2 Session 2 Strand 2 - American Indian Student Achievement: Closing the Gap
Day 2 Session 4 Strand 3 - American Indian Student Achievement: Finding Solutions from Within
Ashley McGrath
Director of Assessment - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Ms. McGrath is a former high school science educator with a passion for education and assessment. She has been at the Office of Public Instruction since 2012. She has worked in large-scale assessment since this time including six years as Montana's NAEP State Coordinator and has extensive experience presenting at the local, regional, and national level. Over the years, she has been involved in numerous stakeholder events to engage interested and impacted persons in efforts to support positive assessment change. She also strives to provide high-quality technical assistance and training to support the varied uses and needs of assessment.
Email - amcgrath@mt.gov Phone - 406-444-3656
Sessions:
Day 1 Keynote - Challenges and Practical Implications for State Testing
Day 2 Keynote - Panel Discussion for Implementing State Assessments
Angela McLean
Director of American Indian and Minority Achievement - MUS -Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education
Angela is married to Helena attorney, Mike McLean and they have two children; Colin who is 20 and attends the University of Montana and Ellen who is 16 and a junior at Jefferson High School.
Angela McLean began her teaching career in the Arlee Public Schools and is a veteran Montana educator who has twenty years in the classroom. Angela is the only classroom teacher to serve on both the Montana Board of Public Education and the Board of Regents and has a unique perspective and understanding of P-20 efforts and policy.
As a classroom teacher and policy maker, Angela helped to craft many of the policies around Montana dual enrollment, educator licensure and educator preparatory standards. As Montana’s 31st Lieutenant Governor, Angela developed the SMART Schools initiative, Montana Women Mentors in STEM and worked to grow education and economic opportunities in Indian Country.
Angela works at the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education in Helena as the Director of American Indian and Minority Achievement and K-12 Partnerships for the Montana University System. In this role, Angela Chairs the Montana University System American Indian and Minority Achievement Council and works with the Office of Public Instruction and other K-12 partners to support college access, rural opportunities for students and educator recruitment and retention.
Email - amclean@montana.edu Phone - 406-449-9131
Sessions:
Day 1 Session 3 Strand 1 - Driving College Access Through Statewide Partnerships
Chris Noel
Assessment Specialist - Science - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Chris Noel is the Specialist for Science Assessments at the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI). Chris has held a variety of roles within the field of education in her career including - High School Science Teacher, Undergraduate Instructor, Graduate Instructor, State Science Coordinator, Data Analyst for the Preschool Development Grant, Instructional Coach, Senior Manager of Operations, Director of Learning and Development, and Director of Product Operations. Chris's focus is on supporting teachers, leaders, schools, and families in implementing instructional best practices across all grade levels, subject areas, and school types. Chris has a B.A. in Neuroscience, a M.Ed. in Teaching, and is ABD for a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a major in Learning Sciences and a minor in quantitative methods in education. Chris lives in Helena with her two teenage sons.
Email - Chris.noel@mt.gov Phone - 406-444-5899
Sessions:
Day 2 Session 1 Strand 2 - Principled-Design of Assessment: How Science was Constructed
Day 2 Session 2 Strand 1 - Five Things You Must Know About MSA This Year
Day 2 Session 4 Strand 2 - Using Science Interims and Formative Tools Data to Drive Instruction
Jeannie Origbo
Director Montana Educational Talent Search - Montana University System
Jeannie Origbo is the Director for the Montana Educational Talent Search grant program funded by the U.S. Department of Education. She holds a bachelor's degree in Writing and Literature and a master's degree in Higher Education. Jeannie has worked in education since 2005 with experience at both the secondary and post-secondary level. She worked as a teacher for Hays-Lodge Pole School district for six years before beginning work with the Montana University System. She is committed to providing educational opportunities for all students.
Email - jorigbo@montana.edu Phone - 406-449-9136
Sessions:
Day 1 Session 3 Strand 1 - Driving College Access Through Statewide Partnerships
Susan Quinn
7-12 Curriculum & Assessment Coordinator - Great Falls Public Schools
I work for the Great Falls Public Schools as the 7-12 Curriculum & Assessment Coordinator. I focus not only on the curriculum review and revision process on the secondary side of GFPS, but also with curriculum implementation which includes the creation and administration of common content assessments.
Along with district assessments, I organize and manage AP testing and state-reportable testing (ACT, SBAC, and MSA) and help to coordinate and support logistics with the alternative assessments.
I have also worked for MTDA since its beginning (2010-11) in the capacity of teaching original credit classes and serving as an academic coach for credit recovery, as well as creating classes and building classes using content from SMEs.
In the beginning (1992), I started as an elementary teacher, moved to middle school, then I moved on to high school. After that, I was an Associate Principal at C.M. Russell High School for six years, then moved back into teaching ranks, first in technology integration, then as the district’s transition coordinator, then teaching English at the alternative high school and developmental English at the adult education program, and finally ended up at my current position starting in 2017.
This August brought on a huge challenge when the school district tasked my elementary counterpart and me with building and launching a remote learning program for about 650 elementary students, 250 middle school students and about 500 high school students.
Email - susan_quinn@gfps.k12.mt.us Phone - 406-788-5411
Sessions:
Day 2 Keynote - Panel Discussion for Implementing State Assessments
Lona Running Wolf
Director of American Indian Student Achievement - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Lona Running Wolf is Blackfeet and Haida and was born and raised in Browning Montana on the Blackfeet reservation, she is an enrolled member of the Haida Tribe. She has served in many capacities in education including a certified K-8 teacher, math & literacy interventionist, instructional coach, curriculum development, university adjunct professor, and as an Instructional leader for OPI. Lona is passionate about helping American Indian students to tap into their ancestral roots to develop a strong sense of pride that she believes is the key to increase student achievement. She is also committed to advocating for equitable education amongst American Indian students. Lona has an Elementary Education A.A. from Blackfeet Community College, a B.A. in Elementary Education from Salish Kootenai College, and an M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction- Triple Literacy from the University of Texas.
Email - Lona.RunningWolf@mt.gov Phone - 406.444.3013
Sessions:
Day 2 Session 2 Strand 2 - American Indian Student Achievement: Closing the Gap
Day 2 Session 4 Strand 3 - American Indian Student Achievement: Finding Solutions from Within
Duane Schlabach
Assessment Specialist - ELA/Math - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Duane was raised in an Amish family where he was only permitted to attend school until the end of 8th Grade, and was a former English Learner within the public school system. At the age of eighteen he left home and went to work for an outfitter in the Bob Marshall Wilderness packing mules into the wilderness. In 2007, he entered college at the University of Montana - Missoula where he received a B.A. in both English and History, with teaching certification in both fields. Duane taught middle school English, history, and civics for eight years in Seeley Lake, Montana. He completed his M.Ed. in Educational Leadership at the University of Montana - Missoula in May 2018 and started his job as the ELA/math assessment specialist at the OPI in March 2019, with a focus on balanced assessments.
Email - Duane.Schlabach@mt.gov Phone - 406-444-0748
Sessions:
Day1 Session 1 Strand 2 - Engaging with the Data: Classroom to Parents (Smarter & Science)
Day1 Session 2 Strand 1 - Understanding Statewide Assessments / Balanced Assessment
Day 1 Session 3 Strand 2 - Engaging with the Data: Classroom to Parents (MSAA System)
Day 2 Session 1 Strand 1 - 5 Things You Must Know about WIDA, MSAA, and AMSA for This Year
Day 2 Session 2 Strand 3 - Smarter Balanced Math and ELA Interim Assessments
Day 2 Session 3 Strand 3 - Formative Assessment Resources (Tools for Teachers and SmART)
Day 2 Session 4 Strand 1 - Five Things You Must Know About Smarter Balanced This Year
Stephanie Swigart
ELA and Literacy Instructional Coordinator - Montana Office of Public Instruction
Stephanie Swigart is the English Language Arts and Literacy Instructional Coordinator at the Office of Public Instruction. She was an undergraduate Project LETTERS scholar at UM while earning her Secondary English Teaching Licensure, and served as a graduate teaching assistant as a College Writing instructor at UM while pursuing her M.A. in English Teaching. As a Montana Writing Project graduate and liaison she is passionate about arts integration in the ELA classroom. Stephanie has worked in both urban and rural high school and middle school ELA classrooms. She loves dystopian science fiction literature and hiking Montana’s trails with her English teacher husband, daughter, and two dogs.
Email - stephanie.swigart@mt.gov Phone - 406-444-0736
Sessions:
Day 1 Session 1 Strand 1 - Standards-Aligned Assessment System
Day 2 Session 1 Strand 3 - Connecting Claims, Targets, and our Montana Content Standards in Math and ELA
Day 2 Session 2 Strand 3 - Smarter Balanced Math and ELA Interim Assessments
Day 2 Session 3 Strand 3 - Formative Assessment Resources (Tools for Teachers and SmART)