Student Assessment
Cotopaxi Schools administer district and state assessments throughout the year. Examples of assessements are: MAP's, DIBELS, SAT, PSAT, PSAT 8/9, CMAS, and COALT(DLM).
STATE ASSESSMENTS
CMAS & SAT SUITE OF ASSESSMENTS SCHEDULE 2024
ACCESS for ELLs
Mid January - Mid February 2024
CMAS/CoAlt: ELA/CSLA/Math/Science
April 2024
Elementary April 8th-11th 8AM-11:30
6th, 7th, 8th Grades April 15th-19th 8:AM-12:00
5th Science April 15th-18th 8AM-9:40 AM
8th Science April 8th - 11th 8AM - 9:40AM
11th Science April 8th-10th8AM- 11:20AM
MAKEUPS - April 23rd-25th, 2024
CO SAT (11th grade)
Primary Test Date: April 18th - 8AM-11AM
Make-up Test Date: April
CO PSAT(10th grade)
Primary Test Date: April 17th 8AM - 11:00
Make-up Test Date: April
CO PSAT 8/9(9th grade)
Primary Test Date: April 16th 8AM - 11:00
Make-up Test Date: April
HS CoAlt ELA/Math (DLM) for grades 9-11: April 8th-18th
Aligned to PSAT/SAT schedule to the extent possible (Approx. 2.5 hours or less)
Per state statute, 4th and 7th grade social studies assessments are administered on a sampling basis. (None for 2024)
All public school students enrolled in Colorado are required by state law to take a standards-based summative assessment each year in the specified content areas and grade levels. This means that every student, regardless of language background or ability, must be provided with the opportunity to demonstrate their content knowledge. The Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) are Colorado’s standards based assessment designed to measure the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS). A very small number of students with significant cognitive disabilities may take the Colorado Alternate (CoAlt) assessment based on the Extended Evidence Outcomes (EEOs) of the CAS. The CMAS and CoAlt assessments are collaboratively developed by the Colorado Department of Education, the Colorado educator community, and Colorado’s assessment contractor, Pearson. The data should be used to keep abreast of individual student, school, and district progress toward attaining higher student achievement levels.
Role of State Assessments Fact Sheet from CDE
2023 Testing at a Glance from CDE
What to Expect for 2023 Testing from CDE
SAT/PSAT Fact Sheet from CDE
Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS)
CMAS is the state’s common measurement of students’ achievement on state standards at the end of the school year in English language arts, math, science and social studies. Designed to be administered online, the tests feature a variety of interactive questions that are engaging and aligned with 21st century teaching and learning practices. CMAS testing occurs annually in the Spring.
SAT
Colorado has given a college entrance exam each spring to all 11th graders enrolled in public schools since 2001. In 2015 the Colorado legislature passed House Bill 15-1323, requiring the state to competitively bid for a new 11th grade college entrance exam. The legislation also added the opportunity for students to take an additional, optional essay as part of their college entrance exam at no cost to the student. The selection committee chose the SAT for the 11th grade college entrance exam because of their alignment to the high school Colorado Academic Standards and because the College Board’s reports and free test preparation services could be used by all students. Students who choose to participate in services offered by The College Board will be connected to resources and activities designed to help identify next steps for extra support or possible acceleration.
The SAT is closely aligned to challenging classroom work of Colorado schools and focuses on the key skills and concepts that evidence shows matter most for college and career readiness, including:
Mathematical concepts, skills, and practices important for success in career training programs.
Reading, comprehending, and writing high-quality essays supported by evidence.
The SAT also serves as an admission test and is accepted by every college in the United States. At the time of testing, students can send their scores to up to four colleges for free. The SAT essay can also be taken as part of the Colorado school day SAT administration. The SAT essay is optional and voluntary and can be added at no cost to students.
PSAT & PSAT 8/9
The PSAT 10 tests the same skills and knowledge as the SAT in a way that makes sense for 10th-graders. It builds on the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) tests in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The PSAT 10 also aligns with Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) and with the SAT that students will take in 11th grade.
The PSAT 10 focuses on the knowledge, skills, and understandings that research has identified as most important for college and career readiness and success. In addition to helping sophomores practice for the SAT, it can identify student’s potential for success in advanced course work. It provides more data than ever before about academic strengths and weaknesses as well as access to millions of dollars in potential scholarships.
COALT
Colorado Alternative Assessment (CoAlt)
Students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) who are not able to take CMAS will instead take the Colorado Alternate Assessments. The CoAlt is a standards-based assessment designed to provide a picture of student performance and a framework for students to access the general curriculum in English language arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies.
DISTRICT ASSESSMENTS
NWEA MAP's
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)
MAP is an online test in English language arts and mathematics for students in grades 3 through 10. MAP also offers science tests and a MAP test for primary grades (MPG) which may be given in some schools. The difficulty of the questions on the MAP assessment adjusts depending on how each student answers prior questions, allowing the test to be tailored to each student’s level and helping to pinpoint individual student instructional needs. MAP is administered in the Fall, Winter, and Spring, providing real-time information throughout the school year about a student’s achievement and growth.
NWEA-MAP's will be administered at the start of the year(within the first 3 weeks of school), middle of the year(January), and end of the year(first two weeks in May)
2023-2024 Schedule
August 15th-24th
January 8th - 18th
April 29th- May 2nd
DIBELS
Dynamic Inventory of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)
DIBELS helps to monitor the development of early literacy skills through short (one minute) measures. It is designed for use in identifying children experiencing difficulty in acquisition of basic early literacy skills in order to provide early support and prevent the later occurrence of reading difficulties. This test is required from kindergarten through third grade and can be used as needed at grades four through Separatorsix.
DIBEL's testing may be administered at any time during the two week testing window, Beginning of Year (BOY), Middle of Year (MOY), and End of Year (EOY).
2023-2024 Schedule
August 2023
December 2023
May 2024