Federal Government Grants Colorado Amendments To CMAS Testing

(CBS4) - The U.S. Department of Education approved most of Colorado lawmakers' plans to amend this year's Colorado Measures of Academic Success, also known as CMAS, tests. The tests are given to Colorado students each year and are how the state assesses development in students.

They were canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Some parents and educators called for the tests to be canceled again this year, but lawmakers instead applied for a waiver.

This year, students in 3rd, 5th and 7th grades will be tested in English language arts. Students in 4th, 6th and 8th grades will take a math assessment.

Science tests are only waived for 5th and 11th grade students meaning 8th grade students will have to take a science assessment. Social studies tests will not be given this year.

"Educators across Colorado are pleased that the U.S. Department of Education recognized that full-scale standardized testing this year would be not only completely unnecessary, but also harmful to students struggling to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Students and educators have been bouncing between in-person, virtual and hybrid learning depending on the COVID-19 conditions in their community for a year now. The last thing students need is to have the brakes slammed on learning to accommodate several weeks of standardized testing," said Amie Baca-Oehlert, a high school counselor and Colorado Education Association president in a statement following the granted waiver.