- 2025
69th Legislature 2025 HB0462.3
- 1 - Authorized Print Version – HB 462
1 HOUSE BILL NO. 462
2 INTRODUCED BY D. BEDEY
3
4 A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: “AN ACT REVISING EDUCATION LAWS RELATED TO STATE SUPPORT
5 FOR CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION; CREATING A PROCESS THROUGH WHICH HIGH-QUALITY
6 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS ARE IDENTIFIED AS PART OF THE CONTENT STANDARD REVISION
7 PROCESS; REQUIRING THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, CONTINGENT ON
8 APPROPRIATION FROM THE LEGISLATURE, TO PROVIDE REDUCED-COST ACCESS TO
9 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS AND CURRICULUM-ALIGNED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR
10 SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT CHOOSE TO ADOPT HIGH-QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS;
11 PROVIDING DEFINITIONS; PROVIDING AN APPROPRIATION; AMENDING SECTIONS 20-7-101, 20-7-113,
12 AND 20-7-114, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.”
13
14 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
15
16 NEW SECTION. Section 1.
17 recommendations for new or revised content and performance standards under 20-7-101, the superintendent of
18 public instruction, utilizing the applicable negotiated rulemaking committee, shall develop recommendations and
19 cost estimates for high-quality instructional materials aligned with the content and performance standards as
20 described in this section.
21 (2) The intent of this section is to:
22 (a) ensure the availability of high-quality instructional materials to school districts in the most cost-
23 efficient manner, while respecting the supervision and control of schools in each district by elected boards of
24 trustees;
25 (b) support the implementation of high-quality instructional materials, including professional
26 development for teachers and instructional leaders in a district;
27 (c) enhance opportunities for teacher collaboration within and between schools and districts
28 across the state; - 2025
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1 (d) reduce the amount of time teachers spend on developing instructional materials;
2 (e) enable partnerships with parents in supporting effective learning for their children with
3 transparent curricula; and
4 (f) put Montana on par with high-performing education systems around the world.
5 (3) The recommendations and cost estimates under subsection (1) must:
6 (a) identify no more than five AND NO FEWER sets of HQIM for a set of content and
7 performance standards;
8 (b) be developed during the negotiated rulemaking process with the support of the external
9 nonprofit partner CONSULTANT; and
10 (c) include cost estimates for providing access to each set of HQIM based on various percentages
11 of adoption by school districts for the appropriate grade levels. The percentages must be in 10% increments
12 and based on the number of students, ranging from 10% of the total statewide enrollment for the appropriate
13 grade levels to 100% of the total statewide adoption. The cost estimates must also include the provision of
14 curriculum-aligned professional development for teachers and instructional leaders in implementing the HQIM.
15 (4) For the purposes of this part, the following definitions apply:
16 (a) "External nonprofit partner CONSULTANT" means a qualified nonprofit AN INDIVIDUAL OR
17 organization that:
18 (i) possesses deep expertise with HQIM and experience in supporting broad and effective
19 implementation of HQIM as part of multidistrict initiatives;
20 (ii) does not receive financial support from publishers of HQIM; and
21 (iii) is approved by the board of public education on recommendation of the superintendent of
22 public instruction to support the selection and implementation of HQIM. The superintendent shall provide this
23 recommendation to the board at the time the superintendent requests board approval to begin the content
24 standard revision process.
25 (b) "High-quality instructional materials" or "HQIM" means systematic, knowledge-building
26 materials used for pupil instruction by a teacher that:
27 (i) align with, OR CAN BE READILY ADAPTED TO ALIGN WITH, the content and performance standards
28 adopted by the board of public education in exercising its general supervision over the public school system; - 2025
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1 (ii) are designed for, or easily adaptable to, proficiency-based learning as defined in 20-7-1601;
2 (iii) include:
3 (A) support for implementation at the district, school, and classroom level; and
4 (B) initial and ongoing professional development for teachers and instructional leaders; and
5 (iv) are recommended by the superintendent of public instruction as described in this section.
6 (c) "Instructional leaders" means instructional coaches, school principals, and district
7 administrators with a role in supporting instruction and curriculum implementation.
8
9 Section 20-7-101, MCA, is amended to read:
10 "20-7-101. (1) (a) Accreditation standards, as
11 defined in 20-1-101, for all schools must be adopted by the board of public education upon the
12 recommendations of the superintendent of public instruction. The superintendent shall develop
13 recommendations in accordance with subsection (2). For an accreditation standard that requires
14 implementation by school districts, the recommendations presented to the board must include an economic
15 impact statement, as described in 2-4-405, prepared in consultation with the negotiated rulemaking committee
16 under subsection (2).
17 (b) (i) For accreditation standards addressing academic requirements, program area standards, or
18 content and performance standards, the economic impact statement under subsection (1)(a) must include an
19 analysis of the ability of school districts to implement the standard within existing resources, including time. The
20 intent of this subsection (1)(b) is to ensure that school districts have the capacity to adhere to required
21 accreditation standards within a basic system of free quality public elementary and secondary schools.
22 (ii) For accreditation standards addressing content and performance standards, the economic
23 impact statement must include recommendations and cost estimates for high-quality instructional materials
24 pursuant to [section 1].
25 (2) The accreditation standards recommended by the superintendent of public instruction must be
26 developed through the negotiated rulemaking process under Title 2, chapter 5, part 1. The superintendent may
27 form a negotiated rulemaking committee for accreditation standards to consider multiple proposals. The
28 negotiated rulemaking committee may not exist for longer than 2 years. The committee must represent the - 2025
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1 diverse circumstances of schools of all sizes across the state and must include representatives from the
2 following groups:
3 (a) school district trustees;
4 (b) school administrators;
5 (c) teachers;
6 (d) school business officials;
7 (e) parents; and
8 (f) taxpayers.
9 (3) Prior to adoption or amendment of any accreditation standard, the board shall submit each
10 proposal, including the economic impact statement required under subsection (1), to:
11 (a) during a regular legislative session, the joint appropriations subcommittee on education; or
12 (b) during the legislative interim, the education interim budget committee established in 5-12-501,
13 for review at least 1 month in advance of a scheduled committee meeting.
14 (4) Unless the expenditures by school districts required under the proposal are determined by the
15 appropriate committee under subsection (3) to be insubstantial expenditures that can be readily absorbed into
16 the budgets of existing district programs, the board may not implement the standard until July 1 following:
17 (a) under subsection (3)(a), the current legislative session; or
18 (b) under subsection (3)(b), the next regular legislative session and shall request the
19 superintendent of public instruction include a request in the superintendent's budget that the same legislature
20 fund implementation of the proposed standard.
21 (5) The provisions of this section may not be construed to reduce or limit the authority of the
22 education interim committee to review administrative rules, including accreditation standards, within its
23 jurisdiction pursuant to 5-5-215.
24 (6) Standards for the retention of school records must be as provided in 20-1-212."
25
26 Section 20-7-113, MCA, is amended to read:
27 "20-7-113.
28 - 2025
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1 (1) The superintendent of public instruction shall collect and maintain a file of curriculum guides to
2 be made available to districts for the use of schools in planning courses of instruction. The superintendent may
3 prepare, publish, and distribute curriculum guides for the use of schools in planning courses of instruction. The
4 superintendent may solicit the assistance of educators and other qualified persons in the preparation of
5 curriculum guides.
6 (2) (a) Contingent on appropriation from the legislature, the superintendent of public instruction
7 shall, after surveying interest and preference from school districts, ensure reduced-cost access for school
8 districts to HQIM and associated professional development of up to three of the HQIM recommended under
9 [section 1] and in a manner that provides ongoing cost savings for participating school districts, if possible.
10 (b) A school district provided subsidized access to and adopting HQIM under subsection (2)(a)
11 shall commit to utilizing pupil instruction-related days as necessary to ensure curriculum-aligned professional
12 development for teachers and instructional leaders coordinated by the office of public instruction in
13 collaboration with the external nonprofit partner CONSULTANT for the applicable grade levels and content areas
14 utilizing the HQIM for the first 2 years following adoption.
15 (c) School districts are encouraged to work with neighboring school districts, especially if students
16 frequently transfer between districts, in selecting the same HQIM to foster greater collaboration among teachers
17 and instructional consistency and continuity for students and families.
18 (3) In implementing this section, the superintendent may:
19 (a) collaborate with the Montana digital academy; and
20 (b) partner with entities that provide curriculum support and curriculum-aligned professional
21 development."
22
23 Section 20-7-114, MCA, is amended to read:
24 "20-7-114.
25
26 superintendent of public instruction shall, at the request of the district or county superintendent, assist the
27 schools with the planning, implementation, operation, and evaluation of instruction through inservice training
28 and individual consultation. - 2025
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1 (2) Contingent on appropriation from the legislature and in coordination with the external nonprofit
2 partner under [section 1], the superintendent of public instruction shall:
3 (a) ensure reduced-cost, curriculum-based professional learning for teachers and instructional
4 leaders in districts adopting HQIM under 20-7-113(2); and
5 (b) monitor student achievement in districts adopting HQIM through the statewide K-12 data
6 system.
7 (3) In implementing this section, the superintendent may:
8 (a) collaborate with the Montana digital academy; and
9 (b) partner with entities that provide curriculum support and curriculum-aligned professional
10 development."
11
12 NEW SECTION. Section 5. There is appropriated $5 million from the general fund to
13 the office of public instruction for the biennium beginning July 1, 2025. The money must be spent in providing
14 support to school districts in implementing the revised math content standards adopted by the board of public
15 education that are effective July 1, 2026, in the following manner:
16 (1) $3 million to support elementary and K-12 school districts in the adoption of HQIM for
17 mathematics in grades K-8 in the manner described in [this act]. In identifying HQIM aligned with the revised
18 standards, the superintendent may reform the negotiated rulemaking committee that developed the
19 recommendations for the revised math content standards or identify HQIM in another collaborative manner with
20 the assistance of an external nonprofit partner CONSULTANT.
21 (2) $2 million to support high school and K-12 school districts in developing curriculum and
22 purchasing instructional materials for expanded high school math offerings, including math courses within
23 industry and trades pathways and for curriculum-aligned professional development.
24
25 NEW SECTION. Section 6. [Section 1] is intended to be codified as an
26 integral part of Title 20, chapter 7, part 1, and the provisions of Title 20, chapter 7, part 1, apply to [section 1].
27
28 NEW SECTION. Section 7. [This act] is effective July 1, 2025. - 2025
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