Greetings from the Executive Director! Thanks for taking the time to review our website. Our site possesses a wealth of resources for members and non-members alike. All links are located just above each page and the home page carries the most current news. Look the MSSA over and do not hesitate to "contact us" with any questions, comments or interest in our varied programs. Thanks, Dan Rask

Things are moving fast at the MSSA right now. We are involved with developing the statewide model for instructional and administrative evaluations that the districts around the state can choose to voluntarily use as their model or to assess whether their own documents meet the new Chapter 55 standards. Since I am involved with development I can tell you these evaluation documents are aligned and reflect the common core standards, is based on educationally sound principals of Charlotte Danielson, and are very similar to what I have used throughout my career with regard to objective data to determine performance standards for instructors, principals and superintendents. My involvement has been good as a means to insure that we not making this too cumbersome and detailed for those who are just very busy with everything else. This effort will be rolled out at the "Montana Educator Institute" to be held at the Great Northern Hotel in Helena on June 11, 12 and 13.

We are also involved in developing a statewide means to communicate and coordinate professional development across the state in order to bring the best without duplication. While the focus is on the common core trainings, we hope to carry this over into all professional learning opportunities for instructors across the state.

Our team of instructors and county superintendents working on our common core curriculum alignment is just about complete in ELA and mathematics. By summer's end we will not only have aligned and mapped our K-12 curriculum, we will have installed any standards missing into our curriculum. This will be a very valuable document as you implement the standards in your instruction next fall.

We have just wrapped up professional development seminars for the year and in April we set a record by providing Common Core training to 143 participants over the past two weeks. We enjoyed attendance from 126 K-12 instructors, 15 county superintendents and two regional service agency directors. Evaluations were very high and I do apologize for running over on lunch and breaks in Miles City. The presenters did a fine job of adjusting the materials for the remainder of the sessions.

We are scheduling our trainings for next year. Dates and sites are at the bottom of the homepage and MSSA along with OPI will sponsor the "Teachers of Hutterite Children Conference" on Wednesday, August 7, 2013 at UGF in Great Falls. The agenda will be posted soon and you will be able to register online at our website. The all day conference is a great day of learning, meals, renewal units and communication for the very reasonable price of $35.00.

I am involved with the planning and organization of our National Rural Education Association Annual Convention to be held in October next fall in Branson, Missouri. The workshop schedule will be expanded to bring practitioner training and presentations to the conference as well as the excellent slate of research projects either completed or in progress.

Memberships are rolling in right now. Let us know if you did not receive or are in need of the membership packets that should be to each school by now. You can get the forms on the home page or request those be sent out by our office.

If you are considering using our MAP program through NWEA and are interested in web based instead of school based, look at the specifications below and let me know this week so I can get you on the list with NWEA for the conversion. Contact me with any questions. Thanks.

Our Office Manager, Linda Sunderlin works from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday each week. I am in the office Tuesday and Wednesday and some Thursdays. During the legislative session, my schedule is variable. Please use my email or cell number (406-221-6303) to contact me directly if I am not available at the office. Thanks!

As always, "Our students are worth the effort".

If your school can handle the requirements then contact us as soon as possible to get on the list of schools for transition.

MSSA CONSORTIUM WORKSHOP SCHEDULES

Below is a calendar year version of the dates and sites of MSSA Consortium workshops. Specific workshop information is placed on this page with an agenda as well as the workshop registration page located above. Also listed is the revised schedule for 2013-2014. Click the link to get directions to our seminars. Find Venues