ARCHIVE - Accountability in Transition

In the spring of 2014, Colorado began a transition to new assessments, the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS), which better measure our new academic standards, the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS). As a result of the transition to new standards and assessments, school and district accountability measures and timelines are impacted. The following resources have been developed to provide guidance around the transition impact. As further details are solidified, additional guidance will be posted here.

General Information

For a description of the standards, assessment and accountability transition, please see:

• A summary of the changes based on HB15-1323 and SB15-056
• A high-level overview of the assessment, reporting, accountability and improvement planning timelines

Impact on 2015 School Plan type Assignments and District Accreditation Ratings

Per HB15-1323, 2015 district accreditation ratings and school plan types will not be assigned. Districts and schools will implement their 2014 ratings during the 2015-16 school year. The accountability clock will not advance. See fact sheet below for more information. 

• HB 15-1323 Accountability Guidance

Achievement Percentile Rank Report

• Achievement Percentile Rank Report TCAP to CMAS PARCC Comparison (February 2016)
  •  This report is intended to support the interpretation of school and district level results on the CMAS PARCC assessments.  This report may be used to compare changes in a school or district's relative performance across the transition from TCAP to CMAS PARCC. The percentile ranks included in this report show how the mean scale scores for an individual school or district compare to the means of all other schools in the state at a particular level: elementary, middle, high, and by grade level. Rankings for disaggregated groups reflect their standing relative to all students. 
• Achievement Percentile Rank Report Guidance Document (PDF)
  • This document provides background information on the Achievement Percentile Rank Report TCAP to CMAS PARCC Comparison including:  the data included in the report; cautions and limitations; and recommendations on how local planning teams can use the reported data as part of Unified Improvement Planning (UIP). 
• State Totals (PDF)
  • The percentile ranks included in this report show how the mean scale scores for the state compare to distribution of  means for individual schools across the state grouped at the following levels: elementary, middle, high, and by grade level. Rankings for disaggregated groups reflect their standing relative to all students. This report can serve as a comparison point for results from the district and school level reports. 
• Flat File (Excel)
  • The statewide district and school data used to populate these reports are available consolidated in an Excel file.  This resource is intended for advanced data users experienced with filters in Excel.

Colorado Growth Model

The Colorado Growth Model can calculate growth percentiles between two different assessments. However, CDE, districts and national measurement experts will need to determine if the transitional growth percentile calculations are appropriate for use. The following fact sheet describes this process and considerations. 

• Growth Fact Sheet

Request to Reconsider Process

The next request to reconsider process will occur in the fall of 2016. During the fall of 2015, CDE staff will be able to support districts in understanding their local data, through the use of the request to reconsider local assessment templates, to prepare for 2015-16 UIPs as well as the 2016 request to reconsider process. As the request to reconsider criteria asks for three years of trend data, districts will then be prepared to add the 2015-16 data to the template at the end of the 2015-16 school year and submit a request to reconsider in the fall of 2016, if appropriate.