State Assessment Director (00620)

This first review of applications will be May 13, 2026. Please submit the following required documents on the State of Montana Careers website:

• Resume - Please include dates of employment and your supervisor's name/phone number for each position.

For a complete job description, please email opi.careers@mt.gov

To be considered for this position, you must reside in Montana.

Why you would enjoy working here; Office of Public Instruction employees are a passionate group of professionals dedicated to leading and supporting our education system. We house a diverse collection of experiences with the 200 unique individuals we employ. Our specialists further OPI's purpose with applicable knowledge in education, health, research and analysis, nutrition, finance, administration, human resources, licensing and regulation, information technology, and many others. We are proud to serve 149,000 students pre-K to grade 12, their parents and guardians, 400 school districts, 16,000 educational professionals, and 3,000 adult learners.

Benefits of working for OPI:

• Work/life balance

• Family friendly

• Dedicated and caring colleagues

• Health coverage

• Retirement plans

• Paid vacation, sick leave, and Holidays (combination of up to 38 per year)

• Opportunities and room for professional growth

• Public service loan forgiveness-Employment with the State of Montana may qualify you to receive student loan forgiveness under the PSLF.

Job Overview:

The Director of Assessment serves as the state's program manager for the Montana Comprehensive K-12 Assessment System (MontCAS), providing overall leadership for the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the statewide assessment system.

The Director ensures statewide assessments are aligned to Montana's content standards and meet rigorous technical quality standards, including validity, reliability, accessibility, and fairness for all students, including English Learners (ELs) and students with disabilities. This role leads both the administration of statewide summative assessments and the advancement of innovative assessment models, including the Montana Aligned to Standards Through-Year (MAST) system, supporting the evolution of more responsive and instructionally meaningful approaches to measuring student learning.

MontCAS includes the following statewide assessments:

• Montana Aligned to Standards Through-Year (MAST) assessments in English Language Arts and Mathematics (grades 3-8)
• Montana Science Assessment (grades 5 and 8)
• ACT with Writing (grade 11, Math, ELA & Science)
• English Language Proficiency Assessment (WIDA ACCESS for ELLs)
• Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM, Montana Alternate Assessments aligned to for students with significant cognitive disabilities, Math, ELA & Science, 3-8th, 11th).

This role provides leadership for assessment policy, federal compliance, vendor partnerships, and data systems to ensure accurate, timely, and actionable reporting of results. The Director ensures compliance with federal requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Title III-Language Acquisition for English Learners, including appropriate inclusion, accessibility, accommodations, and reporting for English Learners and students with disabilities. The position works closely with agency leadership, educators, and national partners to ensure assessment systems support instructional decision-making and provide meaningful information to students, families, educators, and policymakers, including school and district accountability systems.

A central responsibility of this position is the leadership and oversight of a complex, multi-vendor assessment ecosystem, including end-to-end procurement strategy and contract lifecycle management. The Director leads RFP development, vendor selection, contract negotiation, and performance-based contracting, ensuring all vendors meet contractual, technical, security, and timeline requirements across multiple assessment programs. This includes coordinated oversight of partners responsible for test design, technology platforms, item development, scoring, psychometrics, reporting systems, accessibility supports, and secure administration systems. The Director ensures system interoperability, alignment to state standards, and accessibility requirements while proactively managing vendor performance, mitigating risk, and driving continuous improvement across all deliverables.

The Director oversees the development and delivery of statewide professional learning to build educator capacity in assessment literacy, including test administration, test security, appropriate use of accommodations, and effective interpretation and use of results.

The Director maintains ongoing communication with system test coordinators across Montana's 300 school systems through multiple channels, including newsletters, webinars, training, and site visits. The position also communicates regularly with agency and state leadership regarding assessment policy, administration, testing irregularities, and reporting.

This position supervises 5.0 full-time staff and additional temporary staff who support training and technical assistance to school districts. The Director manages an annual budget of approximately $4 million, primarily funded through a federal assessment grant, with some additional state general fund support.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (Behaviors):

• Knowledge of personnel management practices and techniques

• Knowledge of state and federal laws

• Knowledge of federal grant and contract management, including compliance and reporting requirements.

• Knowledge of motivation and supervision.

• Knowledge of standards-based assessment design and alignment to academic content standards.

• Knowledge of state education governance, including roles of the Board of Public Education and OPI in standards and assessment policy.

• Knowledge of teaching and learning principles as they relate to assessment design and use of data.

• Skilled in strategic leadership and long-term systems planning.

• Skilled in supervising and developing diverse teams across technical and program areas.

• Skilled in collaboration and representing the agency in cross-agency, state, and national partnerships.

• Skilled in verbal and written communication skills.

• Ability to analyze, interpret and summarize information accurately and clearly.

• Ability to multi-task, adapt to changing priorities, and meet deadlines while demonstrating accuracy, attention to detail, perseverance.

• Ability to handle sensitive issues and maintain confidentiality.

• Ability to effectively present technical and complex information to various audiences.

• Ability to develop written materials and internal content with attention to details

• Ability to develop and manage work plans, projects, and performance timelines.Ability to manage budgets, contracts, and financial planning processes.

Minimum Qualifications (Education and Experience):

• Bachelor's degree in education, assessment, measurement, research, statistics, data science, or a related field.

• Five (5) years of professional experience in K-12 education or assessment.

• Three (3) years of experience in a supervisory, lead, or project management role.

Preferred Experience:

• Master's degree in education, assessment, measurement, research, statistics, or a related field.

• Experience working with large-scale assessment systems at the district, state, or consortium level.

• Experience with federal education programs or accountability systems.

• Other combinations of related education and experience may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Does this sound like you?

Please tell us how and why by submitting your resume online, including any veterans or disability preference documentation. When submitting the required documents, you must check the "relevant document" box to ensure your attachments are uploading correctly to the specific application for this position. Documents not requested will not be considered in the recruitment process.

OPI is an equal opportunity employer. Women, minorities, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

This position is in the TRS retirement system.