Colorado students made significant headway in overcoming academic setbacks due to pandemic-related hiccups in learning, but their progress still hasn’t set them fully back on track, according to state standardized test data published by the Colorado Department of Education on Wednesday. Colorado Measures of Academic Success assessments are typically conducted each spring as a way […]
CMAS
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News
Colorado kids are floundering in math, a “crisis” that may add up to trouble for tomorrow’s workforce
Colorado students tumbled further behind in math as the pandemic closed schools and learning went largely virtual, according to a new analysis of this year’s state assessments results. A new report from the Keystone Policy Center, a nonprofit research group, found that math test scores plummeted for many students across the state, falling at an […]
Posted inEducation, News
Colorado’s standardized test scores are in. But did your kid even take the test?
Colorado has released district- and school-level results from spring standardized tests known as CMAS that give a more detailed picture of student achievement during a deeply disrupted school year, but with participation rates varying widely and little information on how much time students spent in the classroom, that picture is hard to bring into focus. […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News
Some achievement gaps widened between white students and their Black and Hispanic peers, new Colorado data shows
The pandemic set Colorado students back and widened some achievement gaps between white children and their Black and Hispanic peers, newly released data from state standardized assessments conducted in the spring show. But the new results have big holes because of a significant drop in the number of students who took the test, and questions […]
Posted inEducation, News, Politics and Government
Colorado students will take modified CMAS exams this spring following federal approval
Colorado students in grades three through 11 will take state standardized assessments this spring, with students testing in either English language arts or math depending on their grade level, following the U.S. Department of Education’s partial approval of a state plan for assessments. Under the approved part of the plan, students in third, fifth and […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News
Coronavirus set back Colorado schools already battling to improve student performance
The pandemic froze some Colorado schools in a bad place, in state regulators’ eyes. Peakview School in southern Colorado was doing the hard work to emerge from the state performance watch list when the pandemic pinned it in time: Students were shut out of taking the tests that could prove their progress and get the […]
Posted inCOVID, Education, News, Politics and Government
How Colorado is changing standardized tests for elementary and middle school students this year — and why
The Colorado Measures of Academic Success, which is administered to students in grades three through eight, will look a lot different this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. That’s thanks to House Bill 1161, which is the result of a legislative compromise reached between testing opponents and proponents at the Colorado Capitol. Gov. Jared Polis […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Colorado’s Teacher of the Year on why we need to put CMAS standardized testing on pause in our schools
As Colorado’s Teacher of the Year, I can tell you that annual standardized testing in our schools is a runaway car, ready to crash and burn our students if we don’t pump the brakes now. Spring Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) and ACCESS English-proficiency tests have the potential to do serious harm to students’ […]
Posted inCOVID, Education, News, Politics and Government
Colorado plan to scale back CMAS testing moves forward. Kids would test in literacy or math, but not both.
By Jason Gonzales, Chalkbeat Colorado A proposal to significantly scale back Colorado’s standardized school testing this year cleared its first hurdle Friday after proponents and opponents came together in an overwhelming show of support. The bill cleared the House Education Committee with a bipartisan 8-1 vote after sponsors decided not to pursue their original proposal […]
Posted inCOVID, Education, News
Colorado districts prepare for CMAS testing amid uncertainty about federal waiver
Reluctant Colorado school districts are preparing to administer standardized tests amid uncertainty about whether the state can get any relief from federal testing requirements. Last Monday, federal education officials directed states to proceed with the administration of standardized tests, known here as the Colorado Measures of Academic Success or CMAS, because the tests will help […]