MAST

Two years after former state Superintendent Elsie Arntzen switched Montana’s statewide student exam to a controversial new model, education officials have finally given it the green light — with some strings attached.

The first results from Montana’s new standardized test show fewer than half of elementary-school students statewide are meeting math, reading and writing standards. The first year of testing had a rocky rollout.

Last school year, the state implemented a new standardized test designed to make sure students are meeting state and federal requirements. But teachers say the rollout has been a mess.