Montana Board of Public Education approves notice and expedited timeline to add early numeracy to literacy interventions

The Montana Board of Public Education on June 16 approved a notice and an expedited rulemaking timeline to add early numeracy instruction to existing early literacy targeted-intervention rules so eligible students can receive both early English language arts and math instruction in the 2025'1026 school year.

McCall, a board staff member who presented the proposal, said the Early Literacy Advisory Council drafted a temporary rule to allow districts to include eligible students in early numeracy "for any school district who already assessed students for the early literacy target interventions for the fall, they can include those eligible students in early literacy and early numeracy." McCall described the packet and underlined that the temporary measure is intended only to bridge this school year while the advisory council completes a fuller revision.

The board discussed timing and statutory context. Chair Tharp summarized the bill history, identifying Representative Romano's House Bill 338 as the authority that prompted the rule change and noting the bill was signed by the governor on May 5 and assigned chapter numbers in late May. McCall gave the proposed administrative timeline: the adoption notice would be filed with the secretary of state on August 8 with an effective date of August 9; the public comment period would begin June 27 with a hearing scheduled for July 18; the board would receive the adoption notice on July 25 or 28 and the filing with the secretary of state would follow by July 29.

Board members asked whether the effective date would allow districts to use the change for summer "jump start" programs. McCall said the legislation intended summer coverage, but because the board's formal rule adoption was required first and the rulemaking timeline could not be completed earlier, schools were "not doing early numeracy this summer in the way in which they had intended for it to happen." The advisory council was described as an advisory body created in September 2023 that may require renewal if it continues past this fall.

Board member Renee Rasmussen moved to "approve the Early Literacy Advisory Council recommendation on the proposed notice of public hearing and timeline pertaining to rule making in ARM Title 10 Chapter 54, early numeracy integration for the 2025, 2026 school year, and Title 10 Chapter 63, early childhood education content standards, and authorize filing of the notice with the secretary of state for publication in the Montana Administrative Register." The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote; the chair declared "motion carries." The transcript records multiple "aye" responses but does not include a roll-call tally of votes.

The board thanked staff for the quick work and adjourned the special meeting at 8:48 a.m. Mountain Time. The board will notify districts and stakeholders of hearing dates and the public comment window via usual distribution channels, per staff comments in the meeting.

Authorities cited during the discussion included Representative Romano's House Bill 338 and references in the packet to ARM Title 10 Chapter 54 and Title 10 Chapter 63; specific in-packet rule references were read as strings such as "10 63 1 10" and "new rule 10 54 9 0 3." No formal regulatory text beyond the packet references was included in the transcript.