Dear Families,
It is hard to believe the school year is more than half over, and we are now preparing for the annual end-of-the-year state assessments to begin.
Every year, state assessments are given in the springtime to check how all students are doing with mastering the expectations for their grades. The Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) and PSAT/SAT tests are the only common measuring tools for Colorado students. CMAS measures how well students meet grade-level expectations in the Colorado Academic Standards and whether they are on track for the next grade level. Test data provide valuable information to teachers and district and state officials. But, more importantly, they provide critical information to families.
Although these assessments are taken by students in the 3rd through 5th grade at McMeen, I believe it is important that our school community as a whole understands why these assessments are administered.
What you can learn from the state assessments:
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The assessments allow your child to show what they have been learning and practicing in their classroom and how well they connect with classroom instruction. CMAS results let you check your child’s progress toward mastering the academic standards’ grade-level expectations.
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They let you know how well our school is teaching all students.
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They provide you and other families in our community with information about how our schools are meeting the needs of all students.
How assessments are used by our school and district:
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They provide critical information to DPS and Colorado about how well all students in our school are doing, so we can access support if needed.
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They allow teachers and principals to see any differences between groups of students and make improvements to instruction so that all students can succeed.
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They highlight achievement gaps, so steps can be taken to ensure all students are supported in making meaningful progress.
CMAS assessments administered to students in the 3rd through 8th grades in English Language Arts and Math. Students in grades five, eight and 11 take a CMAS science assessment. Colorado practice resources are publicly available at https://coassessments.com/practice-resources/ to help familiarize students and families with the CMAS assessments. I would also recommend the Colorado Department of Education’s family resources for more information about assessment and academic standards.
In partnership,
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