A Family Guide to Annual State Tests in Colorado - One of Many Measures of Student Learning

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Jasmine

Guide to how Colorado’s annual state assessments (CMAS, plus high-school SAT and science testing) fit into a broader approach to evaluating student learning. Explains ESSA requirements, online vs. paper options, and how CMAS aligns to grade-level standards. Describes what families can learn from CMAS reports, what teachers can use to adjust instruction and address gaps, and how school and state leaders use results to target support, resources, and funding. Includes grade-level sample questions for math and ELA.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

State Assessments 101

A Focus on Grade Level Skills

Grade 6: Math

Grade 3: ELA

Useful Information for All

Families: Understanding Grade Level Performance

Questions to Ask the Teacher about Your Child’s CMAS Report

Teachers: Informing Instruction

School & District Leaders: Informing Decisions

State Leaders: Helping Schools Improve

Where Can I Go for More Information?

A FAMILY GUIDE TO ANNUAL STATE TESTS IN COLORADO: One of Many Measures of Student Learning There are many ways to measure academic performance, and annual state tests are only one of them. These tests are not meant to tell the whole story. They are meant to be combined with other measures, including teacher feedback, classwork and projects, and report card grades. Together, these measures can give families a more complete picture of a student’s performance so they can better support learning at home and advocate for their child. State Assessments 101 The Every Student Succeeds Act or ESSA, requires students to take state tests in reading and math every year in third through eighth grade and once in high school. In Colorado, students in third through eighth grade take the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) in English language arts and math. Students in fifth and eighth grade also take a test in science. In 11th grade, students take the SAT and CMAS in science. A Family Guide to Annual State Tests in Colorado A Focus on Grade Level Skills Unlike other tests, CMAS is focused on grade level material and is aligned to the state standards. The test questions match what students do and learn in the classroom everyday throughout the year, which are the grade level skills that are most important for students to learn in order to move on to more challenging content. Most students take the CMAS online, but districts can request a paper and pencil version if needed. The test includes a variety of different types of questions, such as traditional multiple choice, questions that ask students to build equations or use evidence from text to support their answer. Colorado teachers have worked closely with the state to provide input into test questions. Grade 6: Math Graph the inequality that shows all the possible values of-1 > x. Select a ray. Drag the point on the ray to the appropriate location on the number line. Grade 3: ELA You have read “The Glockentown Clock Caper” and the passage from The Haunted Clock Tower Mystery. Write an essay that describes the two main characters, Detective Raclette and Benny. Be sure to support your ideas with details from both passages. A Family Guide to Annual State Tests in Colorado Useful Information for All FAMILIES: Understanding Grade Level Performance The CMAS report gives families information on how well their child performed on different sets of skills in each subject. Families can use this information to identify where their child is doing well and where they may need support or practice. This helps families better support learning at home. It can also help them start meaningful conversations with teachers, to set goals for each student’s areas of improvement and to identify resources and strategies that can be used at home and in school to help students make progress. Questions to Ask the Teacher about Your Child’s CMAS Report: • What does this mean about my child’s learning? • Is my child on grade level? • Where does my child need more support or improvement? • What short-term learning goals should my child meet to show progress? • How can I support learning at home? ? TEACHERS: Informing Instruction Students take different types of tests throughout the school year. Some students take benchmark or diagnostic tests, such as MAP Growth, i-Ready or STAR. These are taken several times a year and measure mastery of important concepts and skills in reading and math. Students take a test at the beginning of the year to identify their “starting point” and again throughout the year to measure their progress. Benchmark tests help teachers identify and address learning gaps early on so students can stay on track to meet grade level expectations. While CMAS is only given at the end of the school year, it is one way of showing how much progress students made from the beginning of the year and how well they met grade level expectations. Whi

FAQs

What grades in Colorado take state tests under ESSA?

Students take state tests in reading and math every year in third through eighth grade and once in high school. In Colorado, fifth and eighth grade also take science, and in 11th grade students take the SAT and CMAS in science.

How is CMAS different from other tests?

CMAS focuses on grade level material aligned to state standards. Test questions are designed to match what students do and learn in classrooms throughout the year.

What should families do with the CMAS report?

Families can use CMAS results to see which skills are strong and which need support, then use this information to have meaningful conversations with teachers and set home learning goals and strategies.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Jasmine