2024 Colorado State Standardized Assessments

CMAS English Language Arts (ELA) and Math assessments will be administered to all students in grades 3-8. CMAS Science will be administered to all students in grades 5,8, and 11.

PSAT 9 and PSAT/NMSQT will be administered to all MA Freshman through Junior classes in October, 2023. Monument Academy has chosen to offer these assessments to our high school students in order to better prepare them for official spring testing and to connect qualifying students to national scholarship opportunities. 

The Colorado State PSAT will be administered to all Monument Academy Freshman and Sophomore classes. SAT will be administered to Junior classes. All Colorado high school students must pass the SAT or equivalent test to meet Colorado state graduation requirements.

Check back in February 2024 and stay tuned to Parent Square for the official 2024 testing schedules. 

West Campus Standardized Assessment Schedule

Assessment	Grade Level(s) Assessed	Proposed Assessment Dates
CMAS ELA/CoAlt	3rd-5th	Morning sessions: April 2-4
CMAS Math/CoAlt	3rd-5th	Afternoon sessions: April 2-4
CMAS Science	5th	Morning sessions: April 15-16
All students, whether completing the assessments or not, are expected to be in attendance for the full academic day on these dates.

East Campus Standardized Assessment Schedule

Assessment	Grade Level(s) Assessed	Proposed Assessment Dates
CMAS ELA/CoAlt	6th-8th	Morning sessions: April 8-10
CMAS Math/CoAlt	6th-8th	Afternoon sessions: April 8-10
CMAS Science/CoAlt	8th	Morning sessions: April 11-12
CMAS Science/CoAlt	11th	Morning sessions: April 3
CO PSAT	9th, 10th	April 17
CO SAT	11th	April 17
All students, whether completing the assessments or not, are expected to be in attendance for the full academic day on these dates.

In order to set your child(ren) up for success on these important assessments, please ensure that they are well-rested, have eaten a good breakfast, and are in school on time for the assessments to begin. Also, please avoid scheduling appointments during assessment days. have students who are completing assessments in school and on-time. Please avoid scheduling appointments on their scheduled assessment days. When the school has to “make-up” state standardized assessments for students who are late or must leave during the assessments we often have no choice but to significantly interrupt their regular instructional time. Thank you.

General information about assessments administered at Monument Academy throughout the year can be found at: https://www.monumentacademy.net/assessments

2024 Colorado State Standardized Assessment Refusals

Monument Academy accepts form refusals ONLY per MA Board Policy #1525. If you plan to refuse allowing your students to participate in standardized assessments this spring, regardless of the reason, please reach out to our School Assessment Coordinator so that Monument Academy may comply with CDE requirements and avoid negative consequences to our school.
3rd-8th grade CMAS refusal form
9th-11th grade CMAS/(P)SAT refusal form

Answers Courtesy of CDE Fact Sheets and FAQs:

** Please Note: Monument Academy’s charter authorizer is Lewis-Palmer District 38. As a public charter school, we are governed by our own school board and policies; however, those policies must meet state guidelines and policy requirements. As such, Monument Academy is required to meet state academic standards as measured by the state’s chosen assessment (currently CMAS and PSAT & SAT).

CDE Parent Resources Page

Impact on Accountability

How are schools, districts and educators held accountable for the test results?

Colorado’s education accountability system is based on the belief that every student should receive an excellent education and graduate ready to succeed in careers or in college. Successful schools and districts are recognized and serve as models, while those whose students struggle are identified for support.

Specifically, schools are identified for support and improvement under various state and federal laws that look at performance on several indicators.

Schools, districts and educators are expected to use the results to reflect upon the education program and progress of individual students to improve attainment for students. Part of this work is done through the Unified Improvement Plan.

Funding is never withheld from schools or districts based on low test scores. Instead, increased funding is available to support school and district improvement in places where students are struggling.

Schools’ overall performance is evaluated by looking at scores on assessments, measuring how well students are growing academically year to year and seeing how well they are preparing students for success after high school. Under this measure, districts and schools are given performance ratings. Those that need additional support (e.g., grants, specialized programming) for improvement are also identified.

If a school or district has been consistently underperforming on multiple measures (e.g., achievement on state assessments, growth, graduation rates, dropout rates, matriculation rates) for five years or more, the State Board of Education must direct the local board of education to take a more drastic measure to improve performance for students.

Additionally, schools with lower graduation rates on the four-year and seven-year cycle may be identified for additional support. Schools are also examined for how well they are serving students from specific groups on academic achievement and academic growth, how well they are being prepared for life after high school, and whether they are chronically absent. These specific groups of students include English learners, students with disabilities, those who are economically disadvantaged and students with individual race and ethnicities.

State assessment results may be used as part of an educator’s evaluation, as a measure of student growth in the current school year only if results are received two weeks prior to the end of school. If results are not received at least two weeks before the end of school, the assessments may be used as prior-year data for the following year.

 

What are some of the ways CMAS scores are used?

How can parents use the scores?

Score reports demonstrate students’ understanding of grade-level subject standards at the end of the school year. Families can use the scores to begin a discussion with their child’s teachers and school officials about the child’s academic strengths and areas for improvement; together everyone can decide how best to support the student’s needs.

How can teachers use the scores?

Teachers can use the scores to support students’ needs, identify strengths and weaknesses, and enhance learning for all students. Because the scores reflect high expectations for what students should know and be able to do, aligning with the demands of today’s global economy, teachers can use them to plan instruction and enrichment for students in the coming year that prepare students for life beyond high school.

How will tests be used to evaluate schools and teachers?

Colorado law requires 50% of an educator’s evaluation to be based on student academic growth as demonstrated by various assessments or “measures of student learning,” including but not limited to state assessments.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the law was changed this year. For the 2022-23 school year, the use of student growth from the Colorado Growth Model or district/school performance frameworks may not be used as a part of licensed personnel’s Measure of Student Learning/Outcome. All other aspects of the system will remain the same. All licensed personnel are still required to be evaluated annually, which includes generating a final effectiveness rating consisting of 50% Measures of Student Learning/Outcomes and 50% Professional Practices (Quality Standards). For more information about the changes this year, visit the Educator Effectiveness webpage.

Accountability

A large part of Colorado’s educational accountability system is based on the results from state assessments. School ratings are based on average scores on state assessments as well as growth students show from year to year on assessments.

While the frameworks were paused in 2020 and 2021 and adjusted in 2022 for a transitional year due to COVID, the 2023 frameworks are expected to return to the typical approach used prior to the pandemic. Preliminary school and district ratings are typically released in August with final ratings approved by December. For more information about Colorado’s school and district accountability system, click here. Score reports comprise only one part of how district and school accreditation ratings are determined.

Can students see sample items before testing?

Districts are encouraged to give students time to interact with the selected test format (online or paper) before testing begins. Colorado Practice Resources (CPRs) that help to familiarize students with the test format and questionscan be accessed here. Additional resources, including CPR Scoring Guides and resources for educators, can be accessed through this page.

For the college entrance suite of assessments, free PSAT and SAT resources from Khan Academy include interactive questions, guided essay practice, video instruction sessions, thousands of practice questions, a mobile app for daily practice and the ability to scan and score practice tests.

Are the CMAS tests given on a computer? 

The assessments are designed to be administered on the computer, and they feature a variety of interactive questions that are more engaging and aligned with 21st century teaching and learning practices. However, in 2015, the state legislature passed a law allowing districts to request paper versions of the tests.

Are students able to practice with the tests before actually taking them? How can I help my student mentally prepare for the tests?

Sample items and tasks for mathematics, English language arts and science, along with a range of supplementary materials and additional resources are available here.

Participation and Parent Excusal

How do participation rates impact results?

Participation in the state assessments can vary across schools, grade levels and student groups. Participation information should always be reviewed and taken into consideration thoughtfully when interpreting state assessment results, particularly at the district and school levels. As participation rates decrease and vary across student, school and district groups, challenges with interpreting results will increase. Depending on the specific school or district, some student groups may be overrepresented in the results and others may be underrepresented. Participation information may indicate that in some cases, conclusions should be drawn with caution or completely avoided. Data will not support all cross-state comparisons and historical uses when participation rates are low. Additionally, participation rates and differences across years should be considered for any comparisons that are made across years.

Can parents excuse their children from taking the state tests?

Yes. Colorado law allows parents to excuse their children from state assessments. This law requires districts to have policies that explain how parents may excuse a student from participating in one or more state assessments and notify parents of those policies. Local school districts can share their specific policies with parents.

What are the consequences of excusing a child from participating in state tests?

According to state law, districts cannot impose negative consequences on students or parents if a parent excuses his or her student from participating in an assessment, including prohibiting school attendance, imposing an unexcused absence, or prohibiting participation in extracurricular activities. Likewise, districts cannot impose unreasonable burdens or requirements on a student to discourage the student from taking an assessment or to encourage the student’s parent to excuse his/her child from the assessment.

Legislation passed in 2018 mandates that schools must offer all students who are excused from testing the opportunity to participate in celebrations and/or incentives related to the assessments.

It is important to note that non-participation in state assessments means parents will not have information about their child’s attainment and growth on the state standards compared to other students in their school, district and state.

Will my school or district’s accreditation rating be impacted by low participation on tests?

In some cases, low participation on state assessments can impact school and district plan type assignments. State and federal law have shaped these state assessment expectations. State statute requires assessments for evaluating students’ mastery of and growth in the Colorado Academic Standards and evaluating the performance of districts and schools. Third- through ninth- grade students are to be assessed in English language arts and math, as well as science and social studies. Federal law requires 95% of students overall, and in each demographic category, take the required assessments. However, the assessment participation requirements are applied differently for the state accountability system (e.g., School and District Performance Frameworks) and for identification of schools for support and improvement under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act or ESSA.

For identification under ESSA, Colorado must count all non-participants, including parent excusals, in excess of 5% as non-proficient records..

Under state accountability, if a school or district fails to meet the 95% participation rate requirement in two or more content areas for reasons such as students refusing to take the test without a parent excuse, then the school or district’s plan type will be lowered one level.

NWEA Test Prep Resources

Monument Academy administers the online version of the NWEA MAP Growth Assessments to track the growth and development of students that attend Monument Academy. NWEA offers online sample tests so that students may become familiar with how the test is administered and the types of questions they may encounter while completing the assessments at school. These sample tests supply a mixture of questions from multiple disciplines, but do not include answer keys or results.

CMAS Test Prep Resources

Monument Academy will administer Colorado State Standardized Assessments as mandated by law. For the convenience of those families choosing to have their children complete these assessments CDE provides practice tests. Monument Academy will administer either the computer-based or paper-based test as time and resources allow. You can find computer-based practice tests through Pearson’s TestNav and paper-based practices tests at https://coassessments.com/practice-resources/. Other test-prep resources can be found at coassessments.com.