2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 22 - EDUCATION (§§ 22-1-101 — 22-108-109) › GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE (§§ 22-1-101 — 22-16-112) › Article 7 - Educational Accountability (§§ 22-7-101 — 22-7-1214) › Part 10 - PRESCHOOL TO POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION ALIGNMENT (§§ 22-7-1001 — 22-7-1019) › Section 22-7-1006.3 - State assessments - administration - rules - definitions

(1)
(a)
Beginning in the 2015-16 school year, the department of education, in collaboration with local education providers, shall administer the state assessments in the instructional areas of English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies, as adopted by the state board pursuant to section
22-7-1006
, as follows:
(I)
The department shall administer a state assessment in English language arts and a state assessment in mathematics to all students enrolled in grades three through eight in public schools throughout the state.
(II)
The department shall administer a state assessment in science to students enrolled in public elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the state. The department shall select the specific grades in which to administer the state science assessment, ensuring that students take the state science assessment once in elementary school, once in middle school, and once in high school; except that the department shall not administer the state science assessment to students enrolled in twelfth grade.
(III)
The department shall administer a state assessment in social studies to students enrolled in public elementary and middle schools throughout the state. The department shall select the specific grades in which to administer the state social studies assessment, ensuring that students take the state social studies assessment once in elementary school and once in middle school. The department shall administer the social studies assessment required by this subsection (1)(a)(III) in a representative sample of public schools each school year, ensuring that it administers the social studies assessment in each public school at least once every three years. A school district, for one or more of the schools of the school district that are not included in the representative sample, or a charter school that is not included in the representative sample, may request that the department administer the assessment in the district school or charter school. The department shall administer the social studies assessment in the requested school in the school year following the school year in which it receives the request.
(b)
Repealed.
(c)
The department of education, in collaboration with local education providers, shall administer the state assessments on a schedule that the department annually sets.
(d)
If all or any portion of a state assessment administered pursuant to subsection (1)(a) of this section requires a student to use a computer to take the assessment, at the request of a local education provider, the department of education must administer the portions of the state assessment that require a computer in a format that a student may complete using pencil and paper. Each local education provider shall report to the department the number of students it enrolls who will take the state assessment in a pencil-and-paper format.
(e)
(I)
The department of education shall review and update assessment administration and security policies as necessary to maintain the integrity of the assessments.
(II)
For all or any portion of a state assessment administered pursuant to subsection (1)(a) of this section that allows a student to use a computer, the department of education shall develop, review, and update state assessment administration and security policies for home-based, virtual administration of computer-based state assessments for students enrolled full time in online schools or online programs, as defined in section 22-30.7-102. The state assessment administration and security policies must include, but not be limited to:
(A)
Testing personnel qualifications;
(B)
Maximum ratio of students to virtual administrator;
(C)
Tester verification;
(D)
Remote setting requirements, including restriction to other devices or people with or without internet capabilities;
(E)
Monitoring of the test-taker and testing environment;
(F)
Device and network requirements;
(G)
Parental consent agreements; and
(H)
Eligibility for schools to conduct home-based, virtual administration of state assessments.
(III)
The policies established pursuant to subsection (1)(e)(II) of this section must support the validation activities necessary for the home-based, virtual administration of state assessments in the 2024-25 school year, with the expectation of full implementation of home-based, virtual administration of state assessments no later than the 2025-26 school year that result in valid scores for the purposes described in subsection (7)(b) of this section.
(IV)
To establish the validity of home-based, virtually administered state assessments beginning in the 2024-25 school year, the department of education shall conduct validation activities, gather data, and evaluate the comparability of scores between home-based, virtually administered state assessments and school-based, in-person administered state assessments. To encourage student and educator participation in validation activities, the department of education may provide incentives.
(V)
As used in this subsection (1)(e), unless the context otherwise requires:
(A)
"Device" means electronic equipment controlled by a central processing unit, including, but not limited to, desktop or laptop computers, smartphones, or tablets.
(B)
"Validation activities" means the process of collecting evidence to evaluate the appropriateness of the interpretations of, uses for, and decisions made based on state assessment results.
(2)
(a)
The department of education shall select and the state shall pay the costs of administering an assessment that is aligned with the state academic standards for students enrolled in ninth grade and with the assessment selected pursuant to subsection (2)(a.5) of this section. Every five years, the department shall request competitive bids and contract for the assessment required in this subsection (2)(a). Each local education provider shall administer the ninth-grade assessment during the spring semester on a schedule that the department annually sets.
(a.5)
The department of education shall select and the state shall pay the costs of administering an assessment that is aligned with the state academic standards for students enrolled in tenth grade and with the assessment selected pursuant to subsection (2)(b) of this section. Every five years, the department shall request competitive bids and contract for the assessment required in this subsection (2)(a.5). Each local education provider shall administer the assessment for students enrolled in tenth grade. Each local education provider shall administer the tenth-grade assessment on a schedule that the department annually sets.
(b)
The department of education shall select and the state shall pay the costs of administering an assessment that is administered throughout the United States and relied upon by institutions of higher education, referred to in this section as the "curriculum-based, achievement college entrance exam". Every five years, the department shall request competitive bids and contract for the curriculum-based, achievement college entrance exam. At a minimum, the curriculum-based, achievement college entrance exam must test in the areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and science. Each local education provider shall administer the curriculum-based achievement college entrance exam for students enrolled in eleventh grade. The local education provider shall administer the writing portion of the curriculum-based, achievement college entrance exam to each student who requests the opportunity to take the writing portion. The department shall pay the costs of administering the writing portion of the exam.
(c)
(I)
The department of education shall annually schedule a day on which the curriculum-based, achievement college entrance exam is administered for all eleventh-grade students enrolled in public high schools throughout the state.
(II)
Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (c), a student who can show a need to take the curriculum-based, achievement college entrance exam on an alternate date on which the exam is administered throughout the country may take the exam on that alternate date, so long as the alternate date is before the date scheduled by the department pursuant to subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (c). The department shall pay all costs associated with a student taking the curriculum-based, achievement college entrance exam on an alternate date as provided in this subparagraph (II).
(d)
The state board shall adopt rules to ensure that the requirements of the administrator of the curriculum-based, achievement college entrance exam, such as a secure environment, are met and to identify the level of need that a student must demonstrate to take the curriculum-based, achievement college entrance exam on an alternate date as provided in subparagraph (II) of paragraph (c) of this subsection (2).
(2.5)
As soon as practicable after June 10, 2016, the department of education shall apply to the federal department of education for innovative assessment and accountability demonstration authority as authorized in section 1201 of Title I of part B of the federal "Every Student Succeeds Act", Pub.L. 114-95, enacted by the 114th Congress. The commissioner of education shall notify the chairs of the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate, or any successor committees, when the department submits the application and when the department receives the response from the federal department of education granting or denying the state demonstration authority.
(3)
(a)
Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this subsection (3), each student enrolled in a public school is required to take the state assessments administered pursuant to subsection (1) of this section at the student's grade level, as determined by the enrolling local education provider.
(b)
A child who is enrolled in a nonpublic school or participating in a nonpublic home-based educational program pursuant to section
22-33-104.5
is not required to take a state assessment administered pursuant to this section, even though the child may also be attending a public school for a portion of the school day and therefore included in the enrollment of a local education provider.
(c)
A student who has an individualized education program as provided in section
22-20-108
, and whose individualized education program specifies that the student takes the state's alternate assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities or another assessment approved by rule of the state board, is not required to take the state assessments administered pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, but the student must take the alternate assessment or the other approved assessment. Each local education provider shall report to the department of education the results of the alternate assessments or other approved assessments administered to students enrolled by the local education provider. The department shall aggregate the results separately for each public school.
(d)
If a student has an individualized education program as provided in section
22-20-108
that specifies that the student takes the state assessment, the enrolling local education provider shall assess the student in each instructional area for which there is a state test at the student's grade level. If, as part of a student's individualized education program, the student attends part-time a school or program away from the school in which the student is enrolled, the local education provider that enrolls a student, or the administrative unit that the local education provider is a member of, may designate either the school of residence or the school of attendance as the school to which the department of education must assign the student's scores for purposes of measuring the levels of attainment on the performance indicators specified in section
22-11-204
, determining accreditation categories pursuant to section
22-11-208
, and measuring public school performance pursuant to section
22-11-210
. If a student who has an individualized education program attends school in an administrative unit other than the student's administrative unit of residence, and there is a contract between the two administrative units, the administrative units must specify in the contract the public school to which the department shall assign the student's scores for purposes of measuring the levels of attainment on the performance indicators, determining accreditation categories, and measuring public school performance.
(4)
(a)
(I)
The department of education in collaboration with local education providers shall administer the English versions of the state assessments and may administer an assessment adopted by the state board in languages other than English, as may be appropriate for English language learners; except that a student who has participated in an English language proficiency program, as provided in article
24
of this title, for more than a total of three school years is ineligible to take the state assessments in a language other than English.
(II)
Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (a) to the contrary, a local education provider may administer an assessment adopted by the state board in a language other than English for up to five years to a student who is an English language learner if allowed by a waiver received from the federal department of education pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subsection (4).
(b)
The state board shall revise as necessary and the department of education shall administer reading and writing assessments in Spanish for students enrolled in the third and fourth grades.
(c)
As soon as practicable after May 20, 2015, the department of education shall submit to the federal department of education a request for a waiver of federal law to enable a local education provider to administer a state assessment in a language other than English for up to five school years to a student who is an English language learner.
(5)
(a)
Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, a student who is an English language learner, as defined in section
22-24-103
, and who has been enrolled in a school in the United States for fewer than twelve months is not required to take the English language arts assessment required in subsection (1) of this section. The year in which the student does not take the English language arts assessment is included as one of the three or five years, as applicable, in which the student may take the state assessment in his or her native language as provided in subsection (4) of this section.
(b)
If allowed by federal law or by a waiver of federal law received from the federal department of education pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subsection (5), in the first twenty-four months in which a student who is an English language learner is enrolled in a school in the United States and takes the English language arts assessment, the department of education shall not include the student's scores in calculating achievement of the performance indicators pursuant to part 2 of article
11
of this title for the local education provider that enrolls the student.
(c)
As soon as practicable after May 20, 2015, the department of education shall submit to the federal department of education a request for a waiver of federal law as necessary to implement paragraph (b) of this subsection (5).
(6)
The department of education, by policy, may determine whether the scores of one or more groups of students are not appropriate to be used in measuring the levels of attainment on the performance indicators, as defined in section
22-11-103
. A policy that the department adopts pursuant to this subsection (6) must be in accordance with the requirements of federal statutes and regulations.
(7)
(a)
The department of education shall provide to each local education provider the results of all of the state assessments that the local education provider administers and make available to local education providers the state assessment data of individual students that is required to measure academic progress over time. The department shall align the disaggregation of state assessment results with the exclusion of scores permitted by subsection (6) of this section.
(b)
The department of education shall release to the public only those state assessment results that the department deems valid. The department shall not rely on state assessment results that the department has deemed invalid in performance calculations when assigning accreditation levels or school plan types, as described in article
11
of this title, to a local education provider. At any time that the department releases state assessment results to the public, in addition to releasing the results of the English versions of the state assessments, the department shall release the results of any state assessments administered in languages other than English.
(c)
At the request of a local education provider, the entity that is responsible for developing a state assessment must return to the local education provider the student responses to the essay portion and appropriate paragraphs that are released from the English language arts portion of the state assessment and the results of all requested state assessments. The requesting local education provider must pay the entity for the actual cost of photocopying and mailing the English language arts portion of the state assessment. The requesting local education provider shall maintain the confidentiality of all state assessment results that it receives and may use the essay portion and appropriate paragraphs only to improve an individual student's writing skills.
(d)
Each local education provider shall include the results of the state assessments administered pursuant to subsection (1) of this section on each student's final report card for the applicable school year and include the results in the student's permanent academic record; except that a local education provider may include state assessment data on a student's final report card only if the local education provider has sufficient time to process the state assessment results after they are released.
(8)
(a)
Each local education provider shall adopt policies to ensure that appropriate personnel within each school district and each institute charter school share with and explain to the parent or legal guardian of each student enrolled in the school district or the institute charter school the student's state assessment results returned to the student's public school pursuant to subsection (7) of this section.
(b)
The department of education shall create, maintain, and make available to local education providers and parents or legal guardians, upon request, a list of resources and programs that public schools and parents or legal guardians may access to assist students in addressing specific learning issues identified by the state assessment results provided pursuant to this section.
(9)
(a)
The department of education shall permit a nonpublic school to administer the state assessments required by subsection (1) of this section and shall provide to the nonpublic school the results of any state assessments administered. The nonpublic school must pay all costs associated with administering and providing results for the state assessments.
(b)
A local education provider, upon the request of the parent or legal guardian of a child who is participating in a nonpublic home-based educational program pursuant to section
22-33-104.5
, must permit the child to take a state assessment required by subsection (1) of this section and must provide to the parent or legal guardian of the child the results of state assessments administered. The parent or legal guardian of the child must pay all costs associated with administering and providing results for the state assessments.
(10)
For each fiscal year, the general assembly shall appropriate money in the annual general appropriation act to the department of education to fund administration of the state assessments as described in this section, including administration of the ninth-grade assessment, the tenth-grade assessment, and the curriculum-based, achievement college entrance exam described in subsection (2) of this section.
(11)
Repealed.
Amended by 2024 Ch. 408,§ 2, eff. 6/5/2024.
Amended by 2022 Ch. 237, § 30, eff. 5/26/2022.
Amended by 2021 Ch. 10, § 1, eff. 3/16/2021.
Amended by 2020 Ch. 284, § 1, eff. 9/14/2020.
Amended by 2017 Ch. 385, § 1, eff. 6/6/2017.
Amended by 2016 Ch. 337, § 3, eff. 6/10/2016.
Amended by 2015 Ch. 203, § 2, eff. 5/20/2015.
Added by 2015 Ch. 204, § 1, eff. 5/20/2015.
L. 2015: Entire section added, (HB 15-1323), ch. 703, p. 703, § 1, effective May 20; IP(1)(a) amended and (1)(a)(III) added, (SB 15-056), ch. 701, p. 701, § 2, effective May 20. L. 2016: (2.5) added, (HB 16-1234), ch. 1370, p. 1370, § 3, effective June 10. L. 2017: (1)(a)(I), (2)(a), and (10) amended, (1)(b) repealed, and (2)(a.5) added, (HB 17-1181), ch. 1997, p. 1997, § 1, effective June 6. L. 2020: (1)(a)(III) amended, (HB 20-1135), ch. 1385, p. 1385, § 1, effective September 14. L. 2021: (11) added, (HB 21 -1161), ch. 57, p. 57, § 1, effective March 16.
For the legislative declaration in HB 16-1234, see section 1 of chapter 337, Session Laws of Colorado 2016.