CMAS scores offer mixed learning outlook
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Colorado's elementary and middle school students saw improvement on math tests, but literacy remains a challenge, according to new Colorado Measures of Academic Progress test results.
Why it matters: The annual standardized tests serve as a benchmark for Colorado educators and policymakers to gauge how students are learning, our education reporting partners at Chalkbeat report.
Driving the news: Eighth graders made the largest year-over-year gains in math scores.
- Fourth and fifth graders improved their reading and writing, indicating that education leaders' focus on early learning is working, but middle schoolers saw results decline in that category.
- Cheyenne Mountain District 12 performed the best on the state tests, the Gazette reports, while Academy District 20 finished eighth.
What they're saying: The story of the latest scores “is one of progress, but also one of continued work ahead,” Christina Wirth-Hawkins, chief assessment officer for the Colorado Department of Education, told Chalkbeat.
The big picture: The state tests rate students using five categories: did not meet, partially met, approached, met or exceeded expectations.
- The percentage who met or exceeded expectations shows whether students are keeping pace.
By the numbers: 45% of students who took the tests met or exceeded literacy expectations; 37% did the same in math.
- About a quarter in each category landed in the approached expectations category.
- District 20, District 12 and District 11 hosted the Springs' best schools.