The Superintendent of Public Instruction is an elected official authorized by Article VI, Section 1, of the Montana Constitution.  The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) distributes funding to school districts and provides services to Montana’s school-age children and to teachers in approximately 400 school districts.  The core processes of the agency include licensure of educators, accreditation of schools, administration of statewide student assessments, distribution of state and federal grants/aid to schools, collection and reporting of data and dissemination of information about K-12 education. The staff provides technical assistance in planning, implementing, and evaluating educational programs in such areas as teacher preparation, teacher certification, school accreditation, academic standards and curriculum, school finance, and school law.  The staff also administers a number of federally funded programs and provides a variety of information services, including the information systems necessary to assess student achievement and the quality of Montana’s elementary and secondary school systems.