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Board flags need to modernize 'Class 8' dual‑credit licensure as demand grows
Summary
Board members and Office of Public Instruction staff said Montana’s Class 8 dual‑enrollment license is not keeping pace with rising dual‑credit demand; OPI reported slow growth in approvals and outlined options — clearer guidance, streamlined applications and ARM revisions — for the Board to consider.
At its March 19 meeting, the Board of Public Education received an information briefing from the Office of Public Instruction on Montana’s Class 8 dual‑enrollment faculty license and the tension between rising demand for dual‑credit courses and the relatively small number of Class 8 approvals.
Julie Murgel, OPI chief program officer, said the state requires postsecondary faculty who teach K–12 dual‑credit to hold a K–12 teaching license and described how that requirement makes Montana unique. "Montana is the only state that requires postsecondary educators to obtain a K–12 teaching license to teach dual enrollment courses," Murgel said, and she outlined options to streamline the process, including clarifying endorsement pathways and revising ARM 10.57.437 that governs Class 8 licensure.
OPI staff provided historical application counts to illustrate the gap between interest and approvals: 33 Class 8 applications approved in 2023, 33 in 2024, 14 in 2025 and one approved so far in 2026, with several additional applications in the queue. Board and Montana University System (MUS) representatives said some verification steps are duplicative and noted opportunities for better communication and coordinated graduate offerings so licensed teachers can meet postsecondary qualification requirements without unnecessary barriers.
Board members asked for clearer written guidance to districts and for work with MUS and OPI to propose specific rule changes or statutory recommendations if needed. Staff said licensure‑committee conversations will continue and that formal recommendations will be brought back to the full board for consideration.
What happens next: The licensure committee will continue work with OPI and MUS and is expected to return recommendations to the full board, potentially including administrative‑rule revisions or legislative referral if statutory change is required.
