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A group of bipartisan Colorado lawmakers want to reduce the time Colorado students in grades 3-8 spend on state standardized tests.
State Sen. Chris Kolker, a Centennial Democrat, said he talked to superintendents and principals across the state and heard complaints about the disparities in testing time among grades. The state estimates students will spend about eight to 11 hours on required Colorado Measures of Academic Success, or CMAS, math and reading tests. Meanwhile, high school students spend about three and a half hours on the PSAT and SAT.
The purpose of a bill Kolker is sponsoring, Senate Bill 68, is “to shorten the seat time for third through eighth graders on our CMAS,” he said. But the bill wouldn’t do that outright. Instead, it would set up a review committee to study the idea because he wants to get educator input about possible changes.
The bill is sure to add fuel to the ongoing debate about the state’s school accountability system and how it tests students. Kolker sponsored a similar bill about three years ago that failed.
Already, Colorado education advocacy groups have questioned the necessity of the new bill. The state is still in the midst of a comprehensive review of its school accountability system ordered by a bipartisan 2023 law, and some groups think that review should wrap up before lawmakers propose additional changes to standardized tests.
The so-called 1241 task force met for over 150 hours and dozens of meetings and created 30 recommendations, including a call to modernize the state’s CMAS exams. The recommendations included offering the standardized test in Spanish as well as English, getting test results to teachers faster, and breaking CMAS into smaller sections.
The implementation is still underway, with another bill approved in 2025 enacting or phasing in some of the recommendations while calling to further study others. The 26-member committee never recommended shortening exam times.
Kolker said his bill would create a separate 12-member review committee. He wants shorter tests that still meet federal requirements. The guidelines don’t say how long these tests should take, but mandates reading and math tests in grades 3-8 and at least once in high school.
Jamita Horton, who is the executive director of Teach Plus Colorado, said Colorado already tests students near the federal minimum requirements. Teach Plus Colorado is the state affiliate of a national nonprofit that trains teachers to advocate for policy change.
She said she understands the bill’s intent, but the 1241 task force didn’t tackle the testing times because it wasn’t viewed as a problem.. The teachers she works with aren’t as concerned about it, she said. (Teach Plus’ former executive director served on the task force.)
The state should instead build a better system that proves to families that tests are an important part of the classroom experience, she said. Recommendations from the 1241 task force seek to create less administrative burden and get usable information back to teachers faster. She doesn’t want the state to lose focus on that work.
“I think it’s important that we honor those conversations,” she said.
But Kolker said he hopes shorter tests could lead to fewer parents opting out their kids from the exam and cost savings because the state would spend less money on administering the tests. He said that would help the state during a time when it faces budget challenges.
He also has a personal tie to the bill’s goals. His daughter needs test accommodations, and she spends more time on average on exams than other students, he said.
For some students with disabilities, he said the test is “just a nightmare.”
Colorado Children’s Campaign also has expressed skepticism about whether this is necessary right now. The nonprofit organization advocates for policies that focus on helping kids.
Madi Ashour, the state affiliate’s director of K-12 education policy, said standardized tests are important because they help educators and families understand where learning deficiencies exist among different groups of students.
“We did a lot of work to come to consensus recommendations. We’re still implementing and studying,” Ashour said. “I don’t know if it would produce a different result.”
Others disagree. Prairie School District R-11J Superintendent Chris Burr said he’s long been skeptical of the time spent on standardized tests and supports the review.
He said too much time passes between when the students take the test and when teachers get the results, making them unhelpful for targeting instruction. He’s skeptical about whether students should take the exams but certain the state can test students “in way less time.”
The bill is scheduled to be heard on March 9. Other sponsors include state Sen. Byron Pelton, a Sterling Republican, and state Reps. Eliza Hamrick, a Centennial Democrat, and Lori Garcia Sander, an Eaton Republican.
Jason Gonzales is a reporter covering higher education and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Contact Jason at jgonzales@chalkbeat.org.
