Results Matter FAQs

Who is required to be assessed under Results Matter?
Preschool-aged children receiving special education services.

Can parents opt their child out of assessment?
No, if a child is receiving special education then reporting the child’s progress throughout their preschool experience is a federal requirement.

Who is qualified to conduct the assessment?
Anybody in contact with the child can contribute documentation, including families and itinerant service providers. Parent interviews and observations should be treated as valid information to support ratings. However, only IRR-certified staff should make assessment ratings after considering all documentation available for each child.

Which checkpoints are required?
Fall, Winter, Spring according to Results Matter checkpoint calendar dates. Summer is optional.

Why are fall, winter, and spring checkpoint periods required?
Colorado has implemented a system based on best practices for ongoing assessment that drives instruction and program improvement. By completing the winter checkpoint, staff use the assessment as a progress monitoring tool that allows them to make instructional or programmatic modifications that will support children toward the next level of progress during the remainder of the year. The mid-year ratings support documentation of progress toward IEP goals or assist in developing the next IEP.

Which areas are required to be assessed?
Results Matter approves a menu of preschool assessment choices which programs may select from that are valid and reliable. These assessments are aligned to OSEP’s three functional preschool outcomes under Indicator 7, and have the ability to convert results to the Indicator 7 child outcome entry and exit ratings producing progress categories for the measurement of each of the outcomes. Each assessment choice is required to be implemented with fidelity as outlined in this handbook, therefore all domains or dimensions of development for a respective choice should be assessed.

Note: In GOLD®, the Science/Technology, The Arts, and Social Studies are encouraged but not required. However, choosing not to assess these areas breaks the formal alignment to the Early Learning and Development Guidelines (ELDGs), which could put programs at risk if they are seeking or have obtained Colorado Shines Levels 3-5 points for using a child assessment tool aligned to the ELDGs.

Is documentation required to be uploaded to the online system to support ratings?
Yes.

Are pictures and videos required to be entered into the online system?
No. At a minimum, typed anecdotes must be entered into the online system. Documentation apps are available as an added convenience to teachers.

Are individual readiness plans required?
Yes, as specified by CAP4K, children who have an IEP must also have an Individual Learning Plan. This information can be informed by the IEP.

What are the differences between Results Matter Assessment and Kindergarten Readiness Assessment?

There are differences between Results Matter and Kindergarten Assessment (assessment timelines, documentation opt-in, OSEP reporting, and  grade-specific assessment protocols) that require customizations and constraints unique to Results Matter/preschool and kindergarten that currently prevent CDE from maintaining a single license in the assessment tools common to both grades. 

As a result, school districts must maintain separate licenses when using either GOLD® or COR® at both grade levels. Records for publicly funded kindergarteners should not be present in the Results Matter/preschool license. Likewise, user accounts for public kindergarten teachers do not belong in the district’s preschool license but rather the district’s kindergarten license. Pay careful attention when adding kindergarten portfolios as any inadvertently added to the preschool license will use up active portfolios purchased for preschoolers, and may be difficult to replicate in the kindergarten license. In addition, kindergarten teachers should make sure to access the proper user. Some veteran teachers using GOLD® have legacy user accounts from the Results Matter license when kindergarten assessment was transitioning from one license to two. 

For help understanding which account is which, contact your district administrator or Results Matter staff. If you discover kindergarten data has been incorrectly added to the Results Matter license, notify CDE immediately.

More kindergarten information available on CDE’s School Readiness website.