Montana’s School Participation Declines

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana's top education official says the state will continue doing business with a testing company despite technical flaws this year that likely dropped Montana below a required participation rate.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau announced on Thursday that the state has calculated that about 82 percent of Montana's public-school students took the assessments provided electronically by Measured Progress.

It's the first time Montana has failed to reach the 95 percent participation rate required under the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act.

Juneau made the tests voluntary about two weeks into testing after widespread technical glitches made the exams nearly impossible at some schools. She says Measured Progress did its best to address the issues.

The U.S. Department of Education will conduct a final assessment of state participation rates in the coming months.