(1) Local school districts shall incorporate all content and performance standards into their curriculum, implementing them sequentially and developmentally. School districts shall assess the progress of all students toward achieving content and performance standards in all program areas. Assessment of all students shall be used to examine the educational program and measure its effectiveness based on the content and performance standards.

(a) The examination of program effectiveness using assessment results shall be supplemented with information about graduates and other students no longer in attendance.

(b) The information obtained shall be considered in curriculum and assessment development.

(2) For content and performance standards in all program areas in accordance with ARM 10.55.602(8), school districts shall:

(a) establish curriculum and assessment development processes as a cooperative effort of personnel certified and endorsed in the program area and trustees, administrators, other teachers, students, specialists, parents, community and, when appropriate, tribal representatives and state resource people;

(b) review curricula at intervals not exceeding five years and modify as needed to meet educational goals of the five-year comprehensive education plan in accordance with ARM 10.55.601;

(c) at least every five years, review and select materials and resources necessary for implementation of the curriculum and assessment that are consistent with the goals of the five-year comprehensive education plan; and

(d) review curricula to ensure the inclusion of the distinct and unique cultural heritage of the American Indians.

(3) School district assessment plans shall be included in the comprehensive education plan.

(a) School districts shall use effective and appropriate multiple measures and methods to assess student progress in achieving content and performance standards in all program areas.

(b) Utilizing input from representatives of accredited schools, the Office of Public Instruction shall develop criteria and procedures for the selection of effective and appropriate multiple measures and methods to be used to assess student progress in reading and mathematics in grades 4, 8 and 11.

(c) The Office of Public Instruction shall provide technical assistance to districts to meet the criteria and procedures in (3)(b).

(d) Not later than the school year immediately following the completion of written sequential curricula aligned with the content and performance standards in a program area in accordance with ARM 10.55.601(6), the school district shall begin the development of a student assessment process for that program area. The assessment process must be in place two years following the development of written curriculum.

(4) In addition to the school-by-school reporting of norm-referenced testing results in accordance with ARM 10.56.101, districts shall annually report to the Office of Public Instruction the school level results of measures for the standards that are not adequately assessed by the norm-referenced tests in reading and mathematics at grades 4, 8 and 11.

(a) Utilizing input from representatives of accredited schools, the Office of Public Instruction will identify the additional standards in reading and mathematics that are to be assessed with other measures.

(b) The measures used to report to the Office of Public Instruction shall be included within the district assessment plan in accordance with ARM 10.55.601.

(c) The criteria and procedures set forth in (3)(b) shall be used by the Office of Public Instruction in an approval process to assure the quality of the other measures that will be used to assess and report progress in reading and mathematics at grades 4, 8 and 11.