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 […]
Standardized Testing
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 inColoradans, COVID, Education, News
Colorado parents’ multiple choice on standardized tests: A) The collective good B) sending their kids over the edge
A few times a week, one of Dan Maloit’s three young kids will dissolve into tears, often breaking down sobbing next to his home office or while hiding in the pantry or sitting behind the couch. The meltdowns are usually the culmination of frustration over school — as they struggle to answer a question or […]
Posted inCOVID, Education, News, Politics and Government
Colorado lawmaker pushing ahead with effort to suspend state testing despite federal requirement
The sponsor of a bill seeking to suspend Colorado’s standardized tests this year believes the state can use other tests most students already take and still adhere to federal testing rules. A letter sent Monday by Ian Rosenblum, acting assistant education secretary, calls for states to give standardized tests this year, despite pandemic disruptions. Rosenblum […]
Posted inNews
Schools must still give standardized tests this year, Biden administration says
By Matt Barnum, Chalkbeat The Biden administration said Monday that states must administer federally required standardized tests this year, but schools won’t be held accountable for the results — and states could give shorter, remote, or delayed versions of the exams. It’s the first high-stakes decision for the new administration’s Department of Education, coming even before […]
Posted inEducation, News, Politics and Government
Colorado governor, legislature will decide whether students take standardized tests during coronavirus
The question of whether Colorado should press forward with standardized testing for elementary and middle school students in 2021 despite the coronavirus pandemic is gearing up to be one of the biggest education battles at the statehouse this year. The debate is also serving as a proxy war for the longtime fight over the effectiveness […]
Posted inEducation, News
Most Colorado students not proficient in reading and math — but there’s some good news
By Erica Metzler, Chalkbeat Colorado More than half of Colorado students in grades three through eight didn’t meet grade-level expectations in reading, writing, or math on state tests they took this past spring, and glaring disparities based on income and race remain essentially unchanged. The 2019 Colorado test results released Thursday paint a student performance […]