CDE tells House panel it has shortened some CMAS testing and is studying options to speed results

The Colorado Department of Education told the House Education Committee on Jan. 30 that the state has shortened the administration time for several CMAS assessments and is studying options to deliver results faster to districts and families.

Commissioner Susana Cordova and Chief Assessment Officer Dr. Christina Worth Hawkins described Colorado’s system of formative, interim and summative assessments and said the recent timing changes reflect data‑driven decisions. “This year, we were actually able to shorten the CMAS ELA and CMAS science times by about a 20% reduction in time,” Worth Hawkins said.

Why it matters: State summative assessments are used for statewide comparisons, equity monitoring and accountability. But several lawmakers pressed the department about whether long delays in returning scores limit their usefulness for classroom instruction, individual eligibility decisions and services.

What the department said: Worth Hawkins explained that summative tests include constructed responses and other items that require human or validated automated scoring, which takes time. She said CDE has brought district and school result timelines forward in recent years (district-level results were released June 10 last year and CDE targeted no later than June 1 this year) and is piloting automated scoring for some ELA items to speed results.

On use and value: Committee members repeatedly asked whether CMAS is being used for instructional decisions when interim and benchmark assessments (for example, NWEA MAP, STAR, i‑Ready) provide more immediate feedback. Cordova and Worth Hawkins said summative data serve systemic purposes—comparison, gap identification and resource allocation—while interim tools better support day‑to‑day instruction.

Access and accommodations: Worth Hawkins detailed accommodations for students with IEPs and other needs — braille, large print, text‑to‑speech, extended time and other options — and said CDE is monitoring opt‑out rates and participation because federal participation expectations (roughly 95%) affect compliance and funding conversations.

Next steps: CDE noted it is conducting a formal assessment options study as directed by recent legislation; Worth Hawkins said technical experts and advisory panels are reviewing findings and that a final report will be submitted to the legislature in November 2026.

The department committed to continued work to shorten test time while maintaining validity, reliability and comparability, and to help districts use multiple assessment measures together so families and teachers can act on timely information.