Assessment

Assessment Toolkit

The following items are designed to help districts and schools communicate with parents about state assessments. These materials can be shared in newsletters or during parent information events or parent-teacher conferences. All materials may be tailored to meet your local needs. More materials will be added as they are updated.

Which tests will students take — CMAS: English Language Arts / Literacy, grades 3 through 8. Math, grades 3 through 8. Social Studies, grades 4 and 7 (sampling approximately 1/3 of schools participating). Science, grades 5, 8, and 11. PSAT / SAT: PSAT, grades 9 and 10. SAT, grade 11.

CMAS (Colorado Measures of Academic Success)

2020 Tests

The administration of statewide assessments - including CMAS, PSAT and SAT - for the 2019-20 school year were canceled due to the suspension of in-person learning in Colorado schools because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Colorado public school 12th graders would be able to take the SAT test on a school day in the fall of 2020 for no cost under an agreement the Colorado Department of Education is pursuing with the College Board, the organization that administers the test. Under this agreement, CDE expects it would be able to offer vouchers for interested students who are unable to take the SAT on the designated school day to participate in a national administration on a Saturday in the fall of 2020. Additionally, options for offering the PSAT tests that are normally taken by ninth and 10th graders are being investigated.

CMAS

About CMAS

CMAS Fact Sheet - What to expect for the 2019-20 school year
English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF)
Description of what to expect for the 2019-20 school year.
CMAS At-a-Glance (PDF)
Times and dates of the assessments for the 2019-20 school year.
Frequently Asked Questions about Colorado's statewide assessment system.
English | Spanish (PDF)
Understanding Colorado's Academic Growth System (PDF)
Parent-friendly guide to understanding Colorado's Academic Growth system.
Purpose and Value of State Assessments (PDF)
CMAS and PSAT/SAT are the only common measuring tools for Colorado students.
CMAS results and teacher evaluations
Data Privacy and Assessment Results (PDF)

PSAT and SAT

About PSAT and SAT

PSAT/SAT Fact Sheet (PDF)
PSAT/SAT are aligned to the Colorado Academic Standards and provide other benefits, including free, high-quality practice tools and scholarship opportunities.
PSAT & SAT Overview and Testing Dates

2019 Test Results

Students in third through eighth grade took CMAS tests in English language arts and math in the spring of 2019. Students in the fifth, eighth and 11th grades took CMAS science tests. A sampling of students in the fourth and seventh grades took the social studies CMAS tests. Students in the ninth and 10th grades took the PSAT tests and 11th graders took the SAT, college entry exam. School districts received their results in July and the results will be released publicly in August. Districts send out score reports to parents. These materials can help communicate about the results and the score reports.

Score Reports

2018-19 Sample Score Reports

Sample score reports to help explain how to interpret score reports.

English Language Arts Sample Score Report Grade 4
English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF)
Math Sample Score Report Grade 6
English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF)
Science Sample Score Report Grade 5
English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF)
Social Studies Sample Score Report Grade 4
English (PDF) | CoAlt English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF)
Spanish Performance Level Descriptors - CMAS English language arts and Math

About Score Reports

Parent's Guide to Understanding the Score Reports - Help teachers, parents and students understand score reports.
- Parent's Guide - English (PDF)
- Parent's Guide - Spanish (PDF)
How to Use the Test Results to Support Your Student - Basic background information on test results.
- Using Test Results - English (PDF)
- Using Test Results - Spanish (PDF)