10.55.605    CATEGORIES OF ACCREDITATION

(1) Regular accreditation means the school has met the assurance standards and student performance standards as defined in ARM 10.55.606, and the Licensure Endorsement Requirements Related to Teaching Assignments.  A copy of the Accreditation Status Criteria Reference Guide must be made publicly available by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. 

(2) Regular with minor deviation accreditation means the school does not meet all the requirements of regular accreditation outlined in (1), as defined in the Accreditation Status Criteria Reference Guide, which must be made publicly available by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

(3) A school with regular accreditation with a deviation in student performance standards, as defined in ARM 10.55.606, or regular with minor deviations accreditation, as defined in ARM 10.55.606, shall remedy the deviations within three years or will be reassigned to a lower category of accreditation.

(4)  Advice accreditation means the school exhibits serious and/or numerous deviations from the standards. A copy of the Accreditation Status Criteria Reference Guide must be made publicly available by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. 

(5) Deficiency accreditation means the school is in advice status for two years, has not complied with the required corrective plan, and continues to have serious and/or numerous deviations, or has substantially increased the seriousness of deviations over the previous year.

(6) For a district with a school in advice or in deficiency status, the district administrator and the chair of the local board of trustees shall submit to the Superintendent of Public Instruction a corrective plan, including a systematic procedure and timeline for resolving the deviations noted.

(7) A school shall be immediately placed in deficiency status if:

(a) the school employs a teacher who does not have a Montana teaching license; or

(b) the school has a facility that creates an unhealthy environment with safety and health hazards.

(8) A school in deficiency status failing to comply with the required corrective plan shall be placed into the intensive assistance process as defined in the Accreditation Status Criteria Reference Guide, which must be made publicly available by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

(9) Nonaccredited status means that a school in deficiency status fails to meet the requirements of intensive assistance and is out of compliance with the Board of Public Education standards of accreditation.

(10) A school seeking initial accreditation or reinstatement of accreditation shall meet the requirements of regular accreditation outlined in (1). This process shall include an on-site review from the Office of Public Instruction.

History: Mont. Const. Art. X, sec. 9, 20-2-114, 20-2-121, 20-7-101, MCA; IMP, Mont. Const. Art. X, sec. 9, 20-2-121, 20-3-106, 20-7-101, MCA; NEW, 1989 MAR p. 342, Eff. 7/1/89; AMD, 1998 MAR p. 2707, Eff. 10/9/98; AMD, 2000 MAR p. 3340, Eff. 12/8/00; AMD, 2012 MAR p. 2042, Eff. 7/1/13; AMD, 2019 MAR p. 1742, Eff. 10/5/19; AMD, 2023 MAR p. 255, Eff. 7/1/23.