Subscribe to the Montana AIM Mailing List
To see the collection of prior postings to the list, subscribe to our RSS Feed, AIM Archives.
Achievement in Montana (AIM)
AIM Data Collection Guides
AIM Reference Guides
AIM File Upload Templates
Average Daily Attendance Template
CTE Career and Technical Education Template
Fall Attendance Template
FRAM Import Template
LEP Template
Program Participation Template
Spring Count Template
Student Demographic Template
Student Enrollment Template
Test Window Attendance Template
AIM General Information
The purpose of this page is to provide general information about the OPI AIM student information system along with its purpose and processes.
At any time, should you have questions, suggestions or need further information, please call or email the OPI AIM Help Desk: 1-877-424-6681 opiaimhelp@mt.gov
The AIM system is designed to collect demographic, enrollment, program participation, and assessment data for each student. The program also tracks students from school to school and district to district within Montana and reports timely and accurate information and data through standardized reporting capabilities. This system allows school districts to submit the required student information electronically. The AIM system provides the OPI, the State of Montana, federal entities, and the education community timely and accurate data about the progress of our students, schools, school districts and the state.
Please see the AIM Policy References webpage (gray buttons listed on the left of each page) for pertinent State and Federal laws that apply to AIM.
The software application that houses the OPI AIM data is called Infinite Campus, which is also the name of the company that owns the software. Infinite Campus is based in Minnesota and is the one of the largest student information systems in the country.
There are multiple editions of the software based on the use of the application. The ’State Edition’ of Infinite Campus is used by the OPI staff and it contains all the Montana districts’ enrollment, demographic, programs and special education IEP data.
The ‘District Edition’ of Infinite Campus is the edition that can be used by the districts as their main local student information system and contains a complete package of student data and features. This is the only edition that costs the district. Districts that use this ‘District Edition of Infinite Campus as their local student information system receive a $3 per student discount from the state on the annual maintenance cost. There is currently approximately a third of our districts using this edition.
The ‘Montana Edition – Valued Added’ is typically used by smaller districts as their main local student information system. It contains the same basic set of enrollment, demographic, programs and special education IEP data as the state. It also has daily attendance and marks data. There is no cost to the district for this edition.
The ‘Montana Edition’ of Infinite Campus is the edition that is typically used by the districts who have an additional/separate local student information system. It contains the same basic data as the state including the Special Education IEP data.
Reduce financial cost: It is more cost effective with the OPI providing a 50% discount per student towards the license fee. OPI also pays for the cost of the Campus Cloud hosting option. (If those districts using the Campus District Edition choose a hosting option different than the cloud, they will be responsible for the difference.) There is an additional advantage for smaller districts in that there is no minimum pricing associated with enrollment counts on the district's license and support fees.
Reduce verification time: One of the main advantages for a district who uses Infinite Campus as a local SIS is less time involved with verifying data in multiple systems.
Eliminate programmer scripting time: For larger districts, another advantage is eliminating the time/work it takes to create and maintain the programming scripts to export the data and match file upload templates.
Eliminate upload time: It would eliminate the wait time for the data to upload and sync.
Eliminate dual entry: For some districts it would eliminate duplicate entry into two systems (local SIS and Infinite Campus Montana Edition).
The data originates at the district level and gets copied to the state level of Infinite Campus by a syncing process. The syncing process happens automatically when data is manually entered and ‘saved’ in Infinite Campus or when the district executes a mass syncing process to get the data to the state level.
If the local district data is housed in Infinite Campus District Edition or Montana Edition Valued Added, it takes one step to get copied into the State Edition by the syncing process.
If the local district data is housed in different local student information system (other than Infinite Campus) it goes through a mass export and then an upload process to get into the Montana Edition of AIM. The smaller districts can choose to hand enter their data into the Montana Edition. It then goes through a final syncing process to get copied into the State Edition of AIM.
Once the data is at the state level it is ready to be accessed by OPI snapshots processes for some of the federal reporting or imported into three main OPI subsystems that also affect school funding. There are multiple other systems that pull data from the State level data such as (Child Nutrition Program) CNP for Free and Reduced lunch funding.
AIM Data Dictionary
AIM Data Dictionary
This Data Dictionary is intended to assist local education agencies (LEA) staff and their student information system vendors in understanding the specific data elements and codes that must be populated for state reporting through AIM. It is intended to improve the accuracy and integrity of collected data by maintaining consistency in data elements. It relies and builds on previous data definitions, used throughout the agency, that meet state and federal guidelines for collecting and reporting purposes.
AIM Training
Technical References
INFINITE CAMPUS REFERENCES
AIM Policy References
AIM DATA SECURITY POLICIES
- Student Records Confidentiality Policy
- AIM Record Series Profile
- FERPA Parent Overview
- FERPA SEA LEA Overview
AIM DATA SECURITY PRESENTATIONS
- OPI Student Data Security Presentation
- OPI Student Records Confidentiality & Security
- School District Responsibilities and Features of AIM
- Technology and Infrastructure for AIM
AIM RELEVANT STATE LAWS AND RULES
- ARM Title 10 Education
- ARM 10.15.101 School Funding Definitions (Please note specifically, (3) "Average daily attendance" or "ADA")
- ARM 10.20.102 Calculation of Average Number Belonging (ANB)
- MCA 20-1-230 Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children
- MCA 20-9-309 Basic system of free quality public elementary and secondary schools defined
- MCA 20-9-311 Calculation of average number belonging (ANB) -- 3-year averaging
US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RACE & ETHNICITY POLICY Q&A LINKS
- Dear Colleague letter from Bill Evers Assistant Secretary, OPEPD
- US Department of Education Race and Ethnicity Policy Questions/Answers
- Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development
- Race and Ethnicity Guidance for the Collection of Federal Education Data
The U.S. Department of Education has finalized changes to the collection and reporting of race and ethnicity. Starting with the 2010-2011 school year, the new standards will require all students to be identified using a new two-part race/ethnicity question. The federal government has established the two-part question to recognize Hispanic ethnicity and race as two separate and distinct concepts. Additionally, the change allows the reporting of multiple races (American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and White).
The OPI has developed the following guidance and resource materials for district use as they transition to the new standards.
- District Information
Race and Ethnicity Guidance to Schools
Race and Ethnicity Reporting Form Detailed
Race and Ethnicity Reporting Form Short
Suggestions for Conducting Observer Identification - Parent Information
Sample Letter to Parents for Re-identification
Reporting Race and Ethnicity Brochure for Parents - Resources
NCES Forum Guide to Implementing New Federal Race and Ethnicity Categories
Additional Resources
The OPI Reporting Center Website
Growth and Enhancement of Montana Students (GEMS) Website
School Staffing Project/TEAMS Website
School Finance & Grants>>Student Count for Average Number Belonging (ANB) Guides Website
Montana Early Warning System (EWS)
The Montana EWS model uses readily available school, student, and other live data to identify students who are at risk of dropping out of school before they drop out. Students are identified early on so that action can be taken by school officials to help keep the student in school. The Montana EWS is a logistic regression model that uses attendance, behavior, grades, mobility, and other data to determine if a student is at risk. The model will identify students in grades 6-12 that are at risk and also provide indicators for why each student is at risk.
Since the Montana EWS uses live data it can be run at any time during the school year or summer. What this does is allow educators to see how a student is progressing or regressing over time. Tracking over time also allows educators to track any interventions they are administering with students to determine if the interventions are in fact working.
School reports are also available on the Montana EWS that allow educators to track their school-wide EWS results over time. The school reports also allow schools to compare their results to the statewide average results to get an idea of where their school is at.
EWS User Guide: Montana Early Warning System - Required Data Setup This document is for Districts using District Edition of Infinite Campus. Please see ‘Required Data Setup’ starting on Page 14.
It can also be found inside Campus Community at this link: (If you haven’t yet signed up for Campus Community, here is a link to the guide for doing just that: Creating a Campus Community Account)
If you have further EWS questions please contact: Eric Meredith Education Data Analyst Office of Public Instruction emeredith@mt.gov 406-444-3642
