Posted March 9, 2021
Dear DPS Community,
As we have shared over the past few weeks, the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) requires all districts every year to administer Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) in English Language Arts (grades 3-8), Math (grades 3-8), and Science (grade 5, 8 and 11). The CDE expects us to administer CMAS to all students in person this year whether each student attends school in person or remotely. There will not be a remote testing option, so all students must come into the school to take the test. Our testing schedule will run from March 22 through April 30, 2021.
We believe there are multiple ways to monitor student progress, and this is one of them. We also understand that some families may not want their students to participate in CMAS. We requested that families who choose to opt their student out of testing complete the Assessment Opt-Out Form by Feb. 26. Although this deadline has passed, if a family still wants to opt their student out, families can do so by reaching out directly to their child’s school. Families have the opportunity to opt-out up until the day of the testing. Please note that we set the Feb. 26 deadline so that school leaders could plan for how many students are testing, determine staffing needs and prepare testing schedules that follow all health and safety guidelines.
In some instances, a school leader may determine that students who are not testing on a particular day will need to learn remotely for that day while testing is taking place. Because of our current health and safety rules, there may be situations where schools may not have sufficient staff to support both testing and non-testing students at school on the same day.
Additionally, our health and safety rules may impact the amount of students we can have in particular spaces. Each school will develop a plan that addresses their unique circumstances. Staff at your child’s school will share with you those details for students who are not testing and the schedule for CMAS testing. If you have additional questions, please reach out to your school or contact our Family and Community Helpline at 720-423-3054 or FACEHelpline@dpsk12.org.
Sincerely,
Tamara Acevedo
Deputy Superintendent of Academics